Perfect finish to year barely eludes Amato

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published May 31, 2001

Call Vinny Amato a patient bowler.

The 64-year-old from Spring Hill has been bowling for most of 40 years, and he waited until the final game on the final week of the 37-week season to roll a 299 game at Spring Hill Lanes last week.

To come that close to perfection -- he left the 6-pin standing in his last frame of the year -- is frustrating. Still, it was a career best and good for a little ribbing from Amato's teammates in the Monday Nighters League.

"They were teasing me about a storybook ending, telling me not to have a heart attack on them, all that," said Amato, who retired to Spring Hill after working with a trucking company in his native New York.

Amato gave up the sport after moving to Florida, but was convinced to make a comeback last spring when a player in his son Joseph's league had to quit mid season.

It didn't take Amato long to get back in form. This year, his first full season in six years, he finished with his highest average (195).

"Never in my life," Amato said of his recent success. "I was always in the 180s, but everything fell into place. I had a lot of 250s and 260s this spring."

On the last night, his team needed a sweep against the house squad at Spring Hill Lanes to overtake first place, but Amato's group lost out on the chance in the opening game.

With that out of the way, a more relaxed Amato calmly recorded 11 strikes to open his final game and put everything else in the house on hold for a moment.

"I was doing fine until that last ball," said Amato, who bowls left-handed. "That was a little bit nerve-wracking.

"Everybody stopped bowling, and I get out there and look up and down and I don't see anybody making their approach," he said. "They were cheering for me, but I knew in my heart it was high. I was hoping for a break, but I was lucky to get a 299."

Amato said he will be back for another year next fall, and he's hoping to build on his late-season heroics. There's an added incentive for improvement. His son averaged a 204 this season, nine pins ahead of Amato.

"I'm glad I came back to the sport," Amato said. "I'm looking forward to doing even better next year."

PERFECT, AGAIN: Johnny Zuidema III matched his name with his third 300 game of the season last week in the Flammer Ford Youth Adult League at Spring Hill Lanes.

Zuidema, 26, had bowled perfect games on back-to-back nights in October, and his latest effort came as part of a 739 series.

Other notable scores in the league included Shawn Bowers' 289 game and 707 series, along with Scott Beach (268, 735) and John Zuidema Jr. (277, 714).

Jason Mahr logged a four-game series of 995 in the Scratch Trio League, in which the top game was Claus Glandorf's 278.

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