By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — Tyler Bugara feels like he is throwing the bowling ball pretty well this season, but carry has been a problem.
“Everything I threw seemed to be going in flat,” the 31-year-old Alliance right-hander said. “It just didn’t seem to have that drive. But I made a couple of adjustments about a month ago and that has helped a lot.”
In addition to a change in hand position, the Salem Republic Rubber Co. employee also brought out an older ball that he hadn’t been using — a Brunswick Vintage Rhino Gold Pro, that he had drilled in 2015.
“I hadn’t been using it because the thumbhole in it was backwards,” Bugara said. “I was just letting it sit at home. But I decided it was time to grab it and see what it was going to do.”
That plus his hand position adjustment led to Bugara rolling his first 800, an 804, during the Honeymoon Grille league at Park Centre Lanes.
Bugara, who also owns three career 300 games, had games of 290, 268 and 246 for his milestone.
But it took a bit of luck in Game 3 to preserve the 800.
Bugara started his night with a solid-9 pin spare in the first frame of Game 1, before striking out.
Game 2 was more of the same as he started with a 10-pin spare in the first frame — “I told my brother I was going to go 290 again,” Bugara said — before leaving a 7-pin in the 10th, followed by another 9-pin to finish.
“My line really stayed pretty much the same,” said Bugara, who was standing around 22 (board) and hitting around eight. “I had to move a coupe of boards left (with his feet), but other than that, I was there the whole night.”
In Game 3, Bugara started with the front three strikes, left a 7-pin spare, followed with three more strikes and then a 10-pin spare in the eighth frame.
But in the ninth frame, a poor shot almost cost him his milestone.
“After the shot in the eighth, I wanted to give it a little room, but I didn’t want to overthrow it,’ Bugara said. “I felt I was starting to get a little strong with it.
“So, instead, I underthrow it, it goes high, and I leave a 3-10 (baby split). My heart sunk right there.”
Then, shooting at the split, Bugara pulled the ball so far left that he barely hit the 3-pin. But it was enough to send it into the 10 for the spare conversion.
“The nerves were definitely there. It’s the closest I’d ever been to an 800,” said Bugara, whose previous high was “around 760.”
After the close call on the split conversion, it was time to regroup.
“I just took a walk outside and cooled myself down,” he added. “I was just dripping in sweat. I knew I needed to regroup and put some shots together.”
Which he did in the 10th, flushing all three of his shot attempts to clinch the 800.
His lone regret was that his father, Donnie, was not there to see it. Donnie also missed his son’s first 300 game as well — once due to vacation and the 800 due to illness.
But that changed earlier this week when Bugara had his third career 300 en route to a 710 series — and dad was there to see it. His brothers, Randy and Alex, were there for both.
Bugara bowls in three leagues, two at Park Centre, and is averaging between 209 and 211.
“It was just unbelievable,” said Bugara, who threw his first two 300 games last season. “It’s been an up and down year.”
But he is finishing it on an up note.