857 is a ton. The highest series I ever saw was 856, but it wasn't even a family record. His dad bowled 890 back in the 70's. Left a 10 pin in the first frame, got the spare and threw 35 strikes in a row.

I bowled at St. Clair in my teens. I'm sure it's changed plenty over 25 years, but the most impressive part of that story was that he carried enough times for a score like that. St. Clair was always easy to get to the pocket, but knocking down 10 pins at a time wasn't the easiest. I used to bowl in the King-of-hill at Bel-Air back in the day too. Haven't been to either place in forever.

Not sure how long you've been bowling, but the 890 was bowled with an old Black Beauty. It's still on displays at my friend's dad's bowling supply shop.

The modernization of the equipment is what caused me to quit bowling (again).  When it reached the point I could average 225-230 without practice and while bowling only 3 games a week about 3 weeks a month the game became pointless.  Rather than looking forward to hanging out with my friends, I came to dread the thought of bowling.  No point in doing it if you're not having fun, and I wasn't having any fun.  

Yes though, I know a lot of bowling traditionalists hate the modern technology of what bowling has done to scores and records. 

It's also lane certification, which apparently can be picked up for an entire season now (never used to, and anyone bowling a great score had the lane and oil challenged by the sanctioning body of bowling before it would be legit). There's a ball for dry, a ball for greasy, and a million balls for everything in between. I see guys showing up to that tournament in Springfield with 2 duffles of 12 balls each...... That's 360 pounds of bowling balls. 

Alz, I assumed you knew this, but as the thread was progressing it occurred to me that you probably didn't.

I bowled professionally for 3 years (1987-89) before the introduction of resin.  I had a half dozen 300's before I was 21 and a couple 800's.  My high "series" wasn't actually a series, but I had 826 in 3 consecutive games during a summer tour stop in Edmond, Oklahoma.  I quit when I joined the police department because I simply didn't have the time or the interest.  Sadly, the $23K I was making at the police department was more than I was making bowling, I received a guaranteed check every other week, didn't have any expenses, nor did I have to live out of a car/motel.  

I didn't get back into it for a long time because I've always had a difficult time not being very good at something I used to be pretty good at. A few years back some friends talked me into joining a league again.  I bowled for about 5 years, had a couple more 300's and a couple more 800's, averaged 229 the last year I bowled and quit again.  Even with the high scores, it just wasn't any fun.

If you're bowling at Bel Air, you may know or be familiar with a couple of good friends of mine.  Jay Bradshaw and his wife Linda.  I think they bowl (or have bowled) over there.  Also Doug Buehrer and his wife Brandi.  The 890 I was talking about was Ray Orf.  His pro shop is still in south St. Louis on Gravois.  I'm good friends with his sons, Rich and Steve.  In fact, my wedding party included Jay, Rich and Steve. 

There's an even better story about this guy, who was named Scott. I may have told it on the old Yahoo board, but it's still pretty funny.
Scott and I actually met each other because of bowling. We grew up in different towns, but he worked at the lanes part-time even in middle school, and we both bowled in the same youth leagues for years. We went our separate ways after we graduated from our respective high schools, but we hooked up again - coincidentally - at a summer job, while he was still in college and after I had gotten chucked from ASU.
He knew I wanted to go back to college, so he suggested I look into his school, which is/was a small state college in the very northwestern corner of Massachusetts. I liked it, so I ended up going there.
Because it was a state school, you had to pass two credits of physical education to meet a state DoE requirement. My first semester, I took a brutal PE class called Soccer and Team Handball, which was taught by the men's soccer coach, who was basically a drill sergeant. Twice a week, we'd play soccer for 90 minutes, running non-stop. Brutal.
I still needed another PE credit, so when Scott and I became roommates, we decided to take the bowling class together. It wasn't a popular class because the lanes were about five miles from campus, so you had to have a car. Neither of us had one, which is why we didn't take the bowling class in the first place, but I think Scott - who had a lot of girlfriends - was dating a girl who had a car at the time. He may have kept dating her for a month or two longer than he might have otherwise so we could use her car to get to bowling class.
Anyway, so we show up for the first class of the term and the female instructor tells us that our grade will be based on how much our average improves from the beginning of the semester. Scott and I don't have to even look at each other. We know what we're going to do. We go out and bowl our first game like a couple of spazzes. We didn't hit 100 between us.
By the end of the term, we were back up to the 150 range, without even trying. The instructor, of course, gives us an A and tells us she'd give us an A++ if she could.
Fast-forward to graduation day. The instructor finds me, wraps her arms around me and gives me a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. She turns to my dad and tells her that I'm her "best student ever" and she taught me everything I know about bowling. I have no idea how my dad kept from falling to the ground and laughing his ass off. 

I think I remember that story Artie.  I also took bowling in college.  

I started attending the local community college in 1988, which was the year I was bowling my best.  At the time, St. Louis had a league called the Anheuser Busch Masters Traveling League.  There were 8 teams, and each team had 8 bowlers.  Teams were actually chosen by a draft, and each team had to have one full-time touring PBA member and one part-time PBA member.  Each team also had one "legend" member, who was essentially a big name from the past who rarely bowled.  The league actually traveled around the metropolitan area, bowling on Tuesday nights in a different bowling alley each week.  A-B sponsored the league (each team was sponsored by a different distributor) and added a decent amount of money into the end of the year prize fund.

The only full year I bowled was 88-89.  I was drafted by a team captained by Neal Burton (his brother Bo partnered with Chris Schenkel on the ABC broadcasts for years).  Our full-time PBA member was a guy named Rowdy Morrow. I was the part-time member, and our "legend" was Ray Bluth who was a member of the old Budweiser team that included Dick Weber, Don Carter and other big names.

So I'm taking this bowling/archery class for college and we're bowling at Crestwood Lanes, which just so happens to be owned by Mr. Bluth.  We walk in on the first day, and our "teacher" is going over "bowling basics".  About 10 minutes into the class, Mr. Bluth walks into the bowling alley with Dick Weber (who I'd known my whole life).  They see me and walk over to say hello and find out why I'm there.  The instructor is completely stunned because lecture has just been interrupted by two Hall of Fame bowlers (who later introduced themselves to the class) who happen to know one of her "students".

I got an A in the class, but just barely.  I wasn't very good at the archery part.
 

Isn't there something about a 900 series too? Let me get that out. That's also at the heart of what I'm saying about the differences in the era's.... It wasn't just the equipment that was different. Glenn Allison had a 900 in 1982 in sanctioned league play but ABC refused to recognize it because of "non compliant" lane conditions.... Now lanes are certified and that lasts all season....

The first 6 reported 900 series were all rejected for certification....

After Allison's 900 was rejected, there was a lot of suspicion that the higher-ups in the ABC were trying to protect Allie Brandt's 886, which was the recognized high series at the time.  Like Mr. Orf, Allison was a very good bowler and well-liked and respected from what I was told.  

The lanes are handled differently now because this new equipment changes the lanes so much in such a short period of time, the process of checking the lanes at the end of the night wouldn't make sense.  30 years ago, over the course of a normal 3 games series, the lanes might change such that you'd move 2-4 boards over the course of the night as the lanes dried up.  This new equipment creates so much friction, over the course of 3 games you might move 25-30 boards.

I don't know anything about bowling , but have enjoyed reading your bowling stories. But I do have a story to share .
When I graduated from college it was mid - term and did not have a job lined up , so I decided to go to graduate school . Well I was offered an assistantship by the Dean of Phys. Ed. and could use the money . The catch was , I had to teach a freshmen girls bowling class twice a week and a canoeing class twice a week . I told the Dean I didn't know shit about either one  . He was desperate and I was too . He told me to add lib . Our school had it's own bowling facilities and I quickly learned that my main job in bowling was to lock the damn doors to keep out the males who wanted in to ogle over these girls who wore the shortest shorts you've ever seen . Did I mention that everyone of them made an A ?

don.rob11 wrote:

I don't know anything about bowling , but have enjoyed reading your bowling stories. But I do have a story to share .
When I graduated from college it was mid - term and did not have a job lined up , so I decided to go to graduate school . Well I was offered an assistantship by the Dean of Phys. Ed. and could use the money . The catch was , I had to teach a freshmen girls bowling class twice a week and a canoeing class twice a week . I told the Dean I didn't know shit about either one  . He was desperate and I was too . He told me to add lib . Our school had it's own bowling facilities and I quickly learned that my main job in bowling was to lock the damn doors to keep out the males who wanted in to ogle over these girls who wore the shortest shorts you've ever seen . Did I mention that everyone of them made an A ?

 
Freshmen girls bowling class? I think that's the plot line for more than a few porn movies.

Oh we drank plenty.  It didn't always make for the best showing on Sundays.  We usually ended up at the Midnight Rodeo which was across the street from the dump we used to stay in.

14 pins short of 4K... That's nuts, John with that 215 lookin pretty bad!

Seriously though, that's a ton for anyone, they just did it mixed. Course those ladies thew 760 and 805....

3 800's for a team with a 794....