Morales rolls 801 to set pace

Tory Morales was last week’s star player, posting an 811 on games of 277, 255, and 279 in the Suburban League at Twin Oaks. Morales was reported as saying that he didn’t think he would ever post another 800 series, but then he probably didn’t expect to be the father of four little boys, including a set of twins, either! This is Morales’ fourth career 800 series, so one for every kid?

Following on the Suburban list of high rollers was Jason Owen with a 771 that went 247, 276, and 258, and Zack Jones with 749 on games of 256, 228, and 265. Matt Casey shot 704 on games of 247, 252, and 205, and Quenton Gould rolled 237, 245, and 221 for a 703. Chad Perry zoned in for a 792 to lead in the Early Birds, with games of 257, 277, and 258. David Fishbeck topped the Good-year with a 770, scoring 267, 257, and 246. Fishbeck said that he was counting pins towards the end of the set as he neared the 800 marker, but a machine malfunction put him on ice and, as they say, the rest is history.

Meanwhile, Craig Fain settled for a 710 after games of 258, 249, and 203.

Teri Jester put the ladies in the news with a 742 from the Entertainers League, where she rolled 266, 211, and 265. Jeff Janssen rolled 269, 231, and 227 for a 727. Marshall Miller went front nine in the Entertainers with a new ball that gave him a 279 for the high game of the day.

Stephen Pennington led in the His and Hers with a 739 on games of 258, 205, and 276. Troy Hardin and Jeff Janssen followed along, each with 709. Janssen started with a 279 and then scored 258 and 172. Hardin went the other way, scoring 208, 223, and 278 to make up his version of the 709.

Steve Lindsay earned top billing in the Tuesday Night Mixed, rolling 246, 246, and 233 for a 725, followed by Tim Lundquist with 710 on games of 247, 226, and 237, and Jason Owen with a con-sistent set that went 236, 239, and 227 for a 702. Rounding out this week’s top bowlers report, Connor MacDonald led in the TNT with 710 on games of 268, 209, and 233.

Youth league highlights

Thunderbird youth bowlers saw some high scores, with Peyton Smith leading the way with a 661 series after starting the day with a 258 game. Little sister Symphony Smith has been picking up some tips of her own and managed a career-high 556 series in the same league, with games of 176, 159, and a career-high 221 game. DJ Scott put the TBird HotShots high series of 538 on the board, scoring 214, 153, and 171. Henry Keithley rolled 100 on the nose in the TBird MiniShots.

No-Tap News

Results from the Jan. 17 edition of the Senior No-Tap Colorama at Thunderbird Lanes were as fol-lows.

Men’s Hdcp. Series: Mike Peckinpaugh, 914, Lee Brown, 885, Eugene Augustine Jr, 880.

Women’s Hdcp Series: Peggy Towne, 891, Diane Frame, 792.

Scratch Singles: Mike Peckinpaugh, 854, Lee Brown, 822, Malden Smith, 800.

Mystery Doubles: Game one: Malden Smith/Cleo Travis (598), Game two: Lee Brown/Mike Peckin-paugh (600), Game three: Lee Brown/Mike Peckinpaugh, (616).

Strike Pot winners: Diane Frame, Eugene Augustine Jr., James Halstead, JP Nauman and Malden Smith.

No winners reported in the Challenge shots.

This event is held every Friday afternoon at 1 PM at Thunderbird Lanes and is open to all senior bow-lers aged 50 and above with a verifiable average.

In Memory

As many of you have heard by now, we lost another great one last week with the passing of Norma Hill.

There are no words to describe what Norma meant to so many bowlers in this community. She was a teacher, a mentor, a competitor, a teammate, but most of all, a friend to many generations of bow-lers who followed—or should I say, tried to follow—in her footsteps.

Norma Hill was one of the best of the best female bowlers not just in our town but all over the coun-try, winning tournaments and titles along the way. She was the first female inducted into the Lawton-Fort Sill Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Oklahoma State Women’s Bowling Hall of Fame.

Norma served on the women’s board as Secretary during the 1969-1970 season, but she preferred being on the lanes instead of behind the scenes. She achieved countless honors on the local front, including Bowler of the Year (1987-1988), and held the women’s high average post from 1964 to 1970, and then from 1975-1980 and again in 1987-88 when she booked her highest average to date of 198.

Scores from that time are sketchy, but from what I could find, Norma rolled an 800 series in De-cember of 1979 and a 300 game in March of 2001—not to mention several games in the 280’s along with a gathering of 279 and 278’s.

Without a doubt, Norma was a lady with a lot of class and a lot of maple-moxy. She loved the game and the friends that she made along the way.

Norma left this earth on Wednesday, January 22nd to join her husband Jerry Hill and a host of bow-ers who have gone before her to get the lanes ready for her next game. Rest in peace.