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Or maybe, just maybe, this kid’s just plain good.
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La Crosse bowler Andy Mills throws a frame at Pla-More Lanes Monday. PETER THOMSON photo |
Maybe I shouldn’t even call him a kid, but 19-year-old Andy Mills is much younger than many of the area’s top bowlers. So young, in fact, that Mills is still eligible to bowl in youth leagues. That, to be honest, just wouldn’t be right.
What caused a temporary lump in Mills’ throat late last week was the best bowling series of his life, and the top area series of the season. Eight-forty-six.
Yes Mills, a student at Western Technical College, tossed games of 267, 279 and — hold on — 300 for an eye-popping 846 series. That puts him firmly on top of the area leaderboard and certainly has folks at local bowling houses buzzing.
But that’s not all. Mills finished second in a 132-player field over the weekend at the 24th annual All Star Lanes Fall Classic. The top bowlers, including 21 of the past 24 champs, from a five-state area competed in the tournament. Mills is still pumped about his performance and his $1,000 cash prize.
He should be. The All Star field was, well, an All-Star field. Mills has had the kind of week that just doesn’t happen very often.
“It has been a heck of a week so far,” Mills said. “I got a new ball on Tuesday and used it Thursday (for the 846 series) and for the (All Star) tournament. I am probably going to use it the rest of the year.”
Why not? The $140 ball has already paid for itself and then some.
Mills, who rolled an 802 in December 2007 for his previous best series, has been red-hot with the Twisted Fury Destruction. It’s not unusual for bowlers to pump up their scores with a new ball, but not to the level that Mills has. And no one with a new ball anticipates throwing a perfect game.
The whole experience at South Lanes still has Mills smiling. He felt good about his opening game of 267, then started thinking about the
possibility of an 800 series after following that up with a 279. Then came one strike, two strikes, three strikes ... then
10, 11. Suddenly, a 300 game became his focus more than an 800 series.
“I was kind of sitting by myself, talking with the team a little,” Mills said. “Obviously I was thinking a lot about it. Toward the end of the (third) game, the seventh and eight frame, people were cheering for me.
“After I got the one (strike) in the ninth, the pressure eased off a bit realizing I had my second 800 wrapped up. I felt like everybody had stopped and was watching me in the 10th frame. It was dead quiet with just me out there. That doesn’t help, really. I wanted everything to be normal.”
Life won’t be quite so normal for Mills, at least around the lanes. At home, well, it’s pretty much the same. In fact Mills, who is majoring in bio-medical electronics, said his roommates don’t even know much — if anything — about his series, or his tournament finish. That will likely change today.
“The tournament, I was just happy to make it to the second day (Sunday). I was thrilled to come back and bowl so well on Sunday,” said Mills, who wound up bowling 19 games over the two-day All Star tournament. “I don’t know if I can do much better.”
Mills, who bowls in three leagues — the Pla-Mor PBA Experience League at Pla-Mor on Mondays, the All Star League at South Lanes on Thursdays, and the Coulee Classic at Coulee Golf Bowl on Friday (he also alternates in a Monday Coulee league) — hopes to roll some even higher scores.
That, he knows, won’t be easy. This is a bowler who loves a challenge, however, which is precisely why he left the junior leagues at age 18 (you can bowl in a junior league until you’re 21) in favor of the adult leagues.
“I wanted to get out and try to get my name out there, I guess,” Mills said of competing against the likes of Chaz Callan, Gene Arentz and Nick Heilman. “I still rank those guys higher than me. This was just one week.”
ALL STAR FALL CLASSIC: Area bowlers did quite well at the 24th Annual All Star Fall Classic, a high-powered tournament that paid out $10,000, over the weekend.
Tom Hess defeated Andy Mills of La Crosse in the second championship match Sunday to claim the title. Mills would have had to beat Hess twice to win the tournament.
Mills won the first match on Sunday 234 to 199, but Hess won the second 257-210. Hess earned $1,500 for winning, while Mills pocketed $1,000.
Other area bowlers to earn their way into Sunday’s payoff were Nick Heilman (10th), Dan Pintz (14th), John Smizek (25th), Geoff Schewe (26th), Mike Roh (27th), Chad Feyen (28th) and Gene Arentz (29th).
OUCH! Yes, it even happens to the top bowlers. What does? Embarrassing moments.
Gene Arentz, one of the best bowlers in La Crosse and the current city record holder (series), did the unthinkable last week.
Yes, Arentz dropped a bowling ball on his foot after bowling at South Lanes. More precisely, his big toe.
“I put my ball on the chair ... Well, guess what? It rolled right off and landed solidly on my big toe. Ouch,” Arentz said.
A trip to the hospital confirmed his toe was indeed broken, but that didn’t stop the bowler known as “Geno.” He was second after Saturday’s qualifying round at the All Star Fall Classic, but had to drop out Sunday because of the injury.
“Oh well, another lesson learned,” Arentz said.
