By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Don Ondecker has suffered from occasional back spasms since he was in his late 30s and early 40s.
It flared up again just a week before he was supposed to head for Columbus with a group of 40 bowlers to participate in the Ohio State USBC Senior Championships at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace.
“I spent a week on the couch, taking muscle relaxers,” said Ondecker, a 66-year-old Clinton right-hander who still works part-time at Lamar Advertising. “I hadn’t thrown a ball since the previous Thursday.”
But missing his four leagues the previous week may have been a blessing in disguise.
Bowling his first three-game block in the USBC event on Oct. 11, Ondecker started the day with his second career tournament 300 game (he has nearly 25 overall).
But he wasn’t done.
Despite two open frames the remainder of the day, Ondecker finished with 245 and 265 for an, 810 series — the lone honor scores shot in the event through three weeks in unofficial results. It marked his ninth career 800.
Ondecker followed his big series up Oct. 12 with 619 in his second three-game set to sit atop the ages 65-69 division with 1,477, including handicap. Akron’s Michael Dalton has rolled the highest overall series to this point in the event, which ends Nov. 23, with 1,585 in the ages 60-64 division.
“It’s just awesome … any time you can get tournament 300s or 800s, it’s really special,” said Ondecker, who also had another 300 earlier this season in the Hannan Electric league at Park Centre Lanes.
In preparation for this season’s USBC event, Ondecker decided to make a ball purchase over the summer months. He went with a Motiv Jackal Onyx.
“My experience down there is that they usually play tight, and it seems like I never have enough ball,” Ondecker said. “I bought that ball so I could move in and work on my game, getting inside between the third and fourth arrows.
“The funny part is that I was able to play my normal track shot up second arrow with that ball. Normally, I’m a little deeper around nine to 12 (board), but it was right there. I had good timing going and I just hit it.”
After starting with his 300, Ondecker left three 10-pins in Game 2, missing one of them while the final one came on his fill ball en route to 245.
He started Game 3 with the first five strikes, before leaving a 2-8-10 split.
“I just spun one a little too much and left the open,” Ondecker said. “But I told myself to just stay with it .. I could still get the 260s and get there. So I kept telling myself, ‘Just get to the 10th frame to give yourself a chance.’
“I got there, and was able to take it out. I finished on the left lane, which was the only lane I had to move on. I made a one-board move with my feet to the left earlier that game, so I was feeling really confident and I was hitting the pocket.”
EQUIPMENT ADJUSTMENT
Ondecker had come close to 300 a couple of other times in tournament play during the PBA50-PBA60 Park Centre Central Region doubles several years ago at Park Centre with pro partner Tony Johnson. He had a pair of 279s during qualifying that helped the pair reach match play.
“I had a real good start to that season. I used a 16-pound urethane ball to work on my arm swing and release during the summer,” Ondecker said. “But I began having some shoulder problems, and I blamed it on using the 16-pound equipment. So I put it down.”
That is, until this season.
“I got it back out again this summer, and I told myself I was going to roll with it all summer,” said Ondecker, whose Jackal Onyx was a 16-pounder. “I got my arm swing really good along with my release. I’ve been rolling it very well.”
Day 2 at the Ohio State USBC event didn’t go as well.
“They were hooking a pinch more off the start, and I was using the same ball,” Ondecker said. “But they started getting tighter and tighter throughout the set and they went through a lot of transition. I finally had to change balls.”
He is averaging the upper 220s in his four leagues — Mondays at Eastbury, Tuesday at Park Centre, Thursday at Spins Bowl-Akron and in the Summit County Senior All-Star Traveling League. “I’ve been rolling it really well,” he added.
He predominantly uses his Roto Grip UFO, another 16-pound older ball, in league play.
“If it doesn’t match up, I know I’ve got the right swing going and I’m not muscling the ball,” Ondecker said. “But there’s only a few places I can use the Onyx.”
But the Jackal Onyx was gold on Day 1 in the state event.
OHIO STATE USBC SENIORS
The Ohio State USBC Seniors Championships continue through Nov. 23, running concurrently with the Senior Women’s Championships at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace.
Entries now are closed. For unofficial results through three weeks of the event, go to: https://ohiostateusbc.com/seniors-championship/