By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Ray Deckman had participated in bowling as a youngster growing up in the East Canton area.
With the help of his father, grandfather, Larry McVay, and his uncle, Scott McVay, Deckman learned the game.
But then baseball came calling, and Deckman’s bowling growth took a back seat.
He played baseball at East Canton High School, two years at Lake Erie College and also remains active as an adult. In October 2024, Deckman was the starting left fielder and most valuable player as his team, the VukGripz A’s, took first place in the Roy Hobbs AAA World Series in Florida. He hit .472 with six doubles and a home run in the event.
Baseball has been his passion, but the 35-year-old Stow resident and business analyst for Kenan Advantage Group was offered the opportunity to rekindle his lover for the sport of his youth about 26 months ago.
“A guy I played baseball with (Cory Durbin) asked if I’d be interested in bowling in a league,” Deckman said. “It really just lit the fire for me to get back into this thing and to take it serious.
“I think it came down to watching my uncle, Scott, my grandpa, Larry, and my dad growing up. When you’re a kid, you always want to do what your role models are doing and I think that’s what kind of drove me.”
Lots of practice, watching video on TV and YouTube and trying to learn the ins and outs of the game became important to Deckman.
“I started watching a lot of bowling and studying the game to see what equipment I might need, to give me an understanding, and then practicing as often as I can,” Deckman said. “If I’m going to do something, I don’t want to do it and not try to be the best I can be.”
His 26-month odyssey peaked in December, when the two-handed right-hander had games of 267, 279 and 256 for an 802 series in the Monday Night Football league at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes.
Deckman, who averages just over 195 in two leagues, had a previous high series of 669. He has never had a 700.
“I’ve had some pretty decent nights and some real rough ones. But on 27 of the 30 frames that night, I threw the ball as well as I could,” Deckman said. “Obviously I had some help, some shots I pulled or went light. But everything just felt easy. A lot of the hard work I put in really paid off in one night.”
After his 267 in Game 1, Deckman failed to convert a 2-pin spare in the first frame of Game 2 and chopped a 3-6 spare in the ninth frame of Game 3. But, in between, he had 19 strikes in a row.
“I was only 3-for-5 on spares,” said Beckman, whose line was standing at 16 (board) and rolling up 11 at between 16 and 17 mph. “I just moved my target a half-board whenever I felt I needed to. I think I finished standing about 20 and going up about 14.”
Going two-handed when he returned to bowling was not something he had planned to do.
“When I first started back, I had a hard time getting my thumb out of the ball. I would grab at it and I never seemed to get the right revs,” Deckman said. “But I watched a lot of bowling. Guys like (PBA pros) Chris Via and Jason Belmonte impressed me. I decided if they could do, maybe I should give it a try. It’s just way more comfortable for me.”
Up until that night, Deckman had been using a pearl reactive bowling ball. But the previous Friday, he purchased a Black Hammer Pearl urethane from Jesse Gonzales at Ten Back Pro Shop.
“That was the first night I used it and that was the best part of it. I was standing around 25 (board) and shooting between 15 to 20 before,” Deckman said. “But that night I made the change.”
To Deckman, throwing a bowling ball is very similar to releasing a baseball.
“You try to get your left foot down, keep your shoulders square and get a good release out the hand with your left shoulder tucked when throwing a baseball,” Deckman said. “Bowling is very similar. I think it helped with my transition back.”
After finishing with 279 in Game 2, running off the final 11 strikes, Deckman started with the first eight in Game 3 before leaving that 3-6.
“When I missed it, it was like, ‘Oh well, there goes the 300.’ ” Deckman said. “I felt like the pressure was off and I was actually a little relieved. I would still have my all-time high.
“Then Bryce (Loeffler), who was subbing for us, told me, ‘You only need three strikes for 811.’ It was like, why did you tell me that? And the pressure is back on. But I flushed the first one in the 1-3 pocket and then left a 3-pin and picked it up.”
Although he is two-handed now, Deckman may consider going back to one hand. Someday.
“Over the years, I might try to go back,” Deckman said. “But after this, I’ll have to think real hard about it.”