By BILL SNIER
A pair of Stark County left-handers added to their 800 series totals recently, with one giving credit to the other for the current run he is on.
Alex McCourry, a 29-year-old Canton lefty, made a switch to Motiv equipment his season and it resulted in his 21st 800 series with 843 in the Liberty Vending league at Eastbury Bowling Center.
Meanwhile, Massillon 45-year-old lefty Jason Corrin credits McCourry for his guidance as he recorded his third 800 of the season and all-time high of 845 in the SharpShooters mixed league at Park Centre Lanes. HIs previous two milestone series this season — 836 and 818 — came at Eastbury in the Saturday Night Mixed league.
Both players also were part of the McKinley team that captured Sunday’s Stark County High School Bowling Conference Alumni Tournament at Park Centre (see that report here https://snieronbowling.com/2024/10/28/high-school-mckinley-stops-jackson-lake-to-capture-alumni-tournament-title/ ).
Here is a look at the two 800 runs for the pair.
MAKING THE SWITCH
McCourry, who is employed by Ace Mitchell Bowlers Mart, has been throwing Brunswick equipment for the past couple of years. But he decided to make a change.
“I had a lot of success with the Brunswick stuff, but a lot of the shapes, a lot of the motions and a lot of what I was feeling made me want to try a different color,” said McCourry, who also owns 29 300 games. “I wasn’t contractually obligated to throw anything in particular so why not give it a shot?
“It seems to match up well with everything. It’s a lot smoother and cleaner for me and it’s been matching up well.”
Using the Motiv Primal Shock that night, McCourry had games of 288, 277 and 278 for 843, five pins off his all-time high of 848.
He left a 6-10 spare in the 11th frame of Game 1 — “It was just a bad shot,” McCourry said — and then left a 7-pin and 2-4-7 spare to open Game 2 before running off strikes for the remainder of the game. In Game 3, he had the first nine before wrapping a 10-pin on his 10th ball and leaving a 7-pin on the fill.
“It always feels good if it’s your first or your 50th,” McCourry said. “Obviously, the nerves and jitters are going to be there anytime you do this, But it’s always good knowing that after a strike in the ninth you have it locked up. It was just a question of how high.”
McCourry has not been happy with his game despite the milestone.
“My timing and mechanics have been a bit off lately, particularly the timing,” said McCourry, who got married Aug. 31. “You try to move up (on the approach) and just feel crowded and then you yank the shot. If you move back, you feel like you’re stretching out too much. I’m just looking for that happy medium.”
He has a simple philosophy in bowling.
“Just making sure I have a good night and get some scores … just trying my best,” he added.
But his influence also was felt from a fellow left-hander, whom he bowled with at Park Centre on a team a year ago in the Pizza Oven Classic.
GETTING TO THREE
Corrin has started his past two 800 series with 300 games. On this night, he followed with 277 and 268.
“I don’t really know why this is happening,” said Corrin, who admitted that he has not started fall-winter seasons well in the past. “The only thing I can even come up with is Alex has been helping me the past couple of years. Just small things that he has been helping me to pick up on.”
Corrin, the manager of a Walmart Vision Center, was thinking about how high he could go after his 577 start.
“That was the hard part, but it made it difficult not to think about it,” said Corrin, who used a Roto Grip TNT Infused for his Park Centre milestone after throwing the Hyped Solid for his first two 800s at Eastbury.
Corrin started the night with the first 19 strikes in a row before leaving a 9-pin in the eighth frame of Game 2 and finishing with a 6-pin on his fill ball. He left 7-, 9- and 6-pin spares in Game 3.
“It has gotten better each time I’ve had one. I felt like I was executing well and I didn’t feel like I was making the big mistakes that I usually make even when I get big scores,” Corrin said. “Everything just felt comfortable.”
Corrin was surprised the all-time high came at Park Centre.
“I just assumed it would be at Eastbury,” Corrin said. “I’m just hoping to stay consistent. I’m not really expecting many more big series. Now, it’s more about eliminating the mistakes that I made at the beginning of the season that cost me some more big nights.
“It’s just about keeping things even.”
Other multiple 800s this season have come from 51-year-old Massillon righty Brian Ball and 19-year-old Canton two-handed righty Zach McCutchan at Eastbury and Park Centre, respectively.