Sports > April 16, 2003

By Peter Bergman

Old Gold and Black Reporter

Perfection comes in a variety of shapes and forms, however in sports there are few feats that can be measurably perfected. In fact, bowling a perfect game might be considered the most impeccable of these achievements and for Senior Mike Vredenburgh it was an imcomparable moment.

The perfect game in baseball is a feat constantly mentioned, but no matter how good a perfect game may look there always seems to be room for improvement. A hole in one in golf is also outstanding, however it occurs within the context of a much larger setting, so it could be a fluke. That leaves bowling a perfect game, a feat so exquisite that nothing better can be achieved in the sport in a single game.

The scene was Northside Bowling Lanes in Winston, during HES bowling class, which meets twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday. Vredenburgh, a senior business major from Saint Louis, Missouri, had taken the class for enjoyment, as he already was an avid bowler, posting an average of around 200.

Bill Hottinger, a professor emeritus of Health and Excercise Science, knew the raw talent when he saw it. “This is a beginning bowling class, but obviously not everyone who takes it is a beginner. The first three weeks of class we go over fundamentals, but with Mike I figured the best thing to do was to just leave him alone, and let him develop.”

Vredenburgh had the talent to take his game to the next level, from goodness to greatness, but from then it was a question of poise. “I have had a few runs of 7 or 8 (strikes) in a row to start off a game, but then I would always end up getting too nervous (and drop off at the end).” And on this day in early April, his game started out just like that, with strike after strike after strike.

After seven said strikes in a row, Vredenburgh began to feel the nerves. A crowd formed around his lane, a mix of students and townies, mostly senior citizens who had been there for league bowling. Hottinger estimated that there were around 50 people by the time all of the pins had rattled for the eighth and ninth times in a row.

“I had to leave the lane after every ball I threw just to get my mind off things,” Vredenburgh said. “By that time I really couldn’t feel my legs at all and I was shaking pretty much uncontrollably. It only got worse as I’d throw another strike.”

However, at this point it seemed as if the lonely ten pins were no match for Vredenburgh’s 15 pounds of demolition.

Despite all of the hoopla, the tenth strike came as naturally as the previous nine and there were two more to go before the unspeakable. Vredenburgh picked up his ball and rolled it down the lane. The pins rattled, that is all of them except for one. A gasp erupted among the crowd.

But this was destiny, and one pin miraculously careened off the side of the lane and bounced back to get the last pin. After this near-disaster, the final strike felt almost like a formality, and perfection was reached. Mike Vredenburgh rolled 12 strikes in a row for a 300.

Vredenburgh said, “Once I finished I was pretty excited. I couldn’t stop shaking for about an hour and it didn’t really sink in until the next day. All in all the day was a blur because I was so nervous.”

Added Hottinger, “I’ve spent a little time around bowling myself, and this is the first time I have witnessed a 300. It sure is a big thrill for everyone involved.”

This sentiment was echoed by sophomore Mike Barbato, another student in the class. “It’s inspiring, and I know there is little chance I will see that again in my lifetime,” Barbato said. “Next time I go in there it will be interesting to see how everyone reacts. It’s pretty intimidating to be in the presence of such great athletes.”

Nothing will ever match the experience of rolling a 300 for Vredenburgh, not even the painted bowling pin and silver ring with diamond in it that he received from the bowling alley. For on this day one average Wake Forest student achieved what many others might never get a chance to do in any facet of life: perfection.