Brian Hagberg
WARREN, Pa. – Todd Honhart may not have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as festively as others, but he certainly had the luck of the Irish with him that day.
During league play at the Warren Elks Club on March 17, Honhart rolled his first career 300 game. It was also the first perfect game bowled in the more than 60 years of bowling at the Elks.
“A lot of people were wearing green, and I wasn’t one of them,” Honhart said. “Fortune smiled upon me.”
Honhart opened his series that night with a 231. Just past the midpoint of the second game, he knew he had a chance at perfection.
“Really in the sixth frame, is when I realized that if I had a real chance at it,” Honhart said. “I’d thrown all very good balls up till that point in time and started realizing I had a chance if I didn’t make a mistake.”
With one throw to go Honhart-who had rolled a 298 once before-knew what he needed to do to achieve that elusive 12th strike.
“Keep up the speed because the enemy of most people failing at three hundreds is they get nervous the knees knock and you throw a slow ball that doesn’t that isn’t the same as all the rest of them because the nerves get to you,” Honhart said.
Though there were nearly 20 others watching history unfold, the moments just before the 300 score was achieved were quiet.
“Well, there were 19 other guys standing beside the alleys watching it happen,” Honhart said. “Everything gets strangely quiet. I don’t know if you’re a bowler but everybody suddenly knows as it’s getting closer, that it’s a possibility. Having never had one at the Elks Lodge, it’s been talked about since I’ve been there for a number of years that somebody is going to have one at some point in time.”
Once the final pin was down, however, there was pandemonium.
“So yeah, I had 19 other guys high fiving me and hugging me within seconds of the final strike happening,” Honhart said.
Any thoughts of a repeat performance in the third game were quelled with the first throw of the first frame.
“The very next ball the next frame I left a ringing 10 pin,” Honhart said.
He finished the third game with a 170 for a 701 series.
While achieving perfection was an important milestone, the fact that Honhart was the first to do it at the Elks Club-where he has been a member for more than 25 years and is currently president of the Board of Directors-made the moment even more special.
“Honestly I’ve always wanted 300, but having that first one at a club that I care so much about was really more important than the 300 itself,” Honhart said. “It’s pretty amazing. It was a special moment for me for a lot of reasons.”
The Warren Elks has been operating for more than 130 years and has had bowling leagues for more than 60 years, according to Jim Sturdevant. And with other bowling alleys within the city closing, the Elks is the lone establishment in the city that still has bowling leagues.
“The Conewango Club folded their league a couple of years ago and a number of their members joined the Elks, so we picked up two teams associated with the old Conewango Club Men’s League,” Honhart said. “And the longest-tenured bowler in the Elks club history is Tom Fitzgerald. He’s bowled there for 54 years. And he got to be in he was there when (the perfect game) happened.”
Results from other leagues in Warren County:
VALLEY BOWLING CENTER
Brokenstraw Couples (3/11): Marc Lobdell 255-654, Lou Campbell 213-574, Pam Jameson 169-500
Brokenstraw Couples (3/18/): Austin Fitzgerald 246-597, Lou Campbell 210-594, Lori Gustafson 164-480
Ladies Church League (3/16): Peggy Olson 188-511; Kellie Johnson 180-512; Renee Anthony 203-518; Linda Ross 166-465
Ladies Church League (3/23): Pat Joy 168-459; Toni Loomis 178-484; Peggy Olson 166-462; Kellie Johnson 253-586; Renee Anthony 198-540
Daybreakers League (3/14): Jed Kepple 201-202-571; Jim Swearingin 201-202-571; Dave Jones 202-202-571
