Bowler rolls a perfect game
Utah State’s bowling club shined in a tournament in Salt Lake City, placing first in men’s singles Jan. 15 at the University of Utah.
Aggie Austin Catlin bowled a perfect game during the tournament and helped the Ags to their high ranking.
When Catlin started his second game at University of Utah’s bowling tournament he said he was just trying to stay clam.
“The first game I bowled a 279,” Catlin said. “I started to get nervous around the seventh strike. I was just trying to stay clam. By the ninth frame I thought maybe I could do this.”
Catlin bowled 12 straight strikes, beating Aaron Brown from University of Washington by a single pin, and claiming the men’s singles title.
“It was pretty intense,” Catlin said.
Catlin started bowling with his parents when he was 11. Since then, he said, he has been bowling for about five years off and on, in leagues and just because.
His goal, he said, is to beat his stepfather.
Currently, Catlin said, he bowls about 10 hours a week and he says loves it.
“There is one noise that keeps me coming back to bowling,” Catlin said. “If you hit the pocket just right it makes a loud crack. It’s a sweet sound.”
Catlin said he had thought about perhaps going pro someday, but currently bowls an average of 190, which may not be good enough.
“You have to bowl around a 215 or 220 to even be competitive at that level,” he said.
The bowling club is in its second year at USU. The team currently has six members. Catlin said one of the main goals for the team is to find some more members.
“We would like to emulate Weber State,” Catlin said. “They have three teams and people to sub in. They have 20 or 30 bowlers. I think it would be great if USU could get on that level.”
Besides having too few members, funding for the team is also a problem.
Craig Lofthouse, the club’s coach, said that the team would not be competing in any more tournaments this year because they don’t have the money to travel. Lofthouse said the goal for now was just to find more members.
“Lots of the kids in my bowling classes don’t feel like they are good enough,” Lofthouse said. “But there is no requirement. Practice is what makes you good.”
Catlin agreed. He said the bowling club is great for those wanting to compete, but he said it is mostly just to hang out and have fun – while learning to be better bowlers.
“We except competitive people open arms,” Catlin said. “But we can teach people how to bowl. We can make them better bowlers.”
The bowling team practices every Friday at The Gutter in Logan from 3:30-5pm. For more information on joining contact Tiffany Tyron at tiffanym@cc.usu.edu.
-mikayliek@cc.usu.edu