The pursuit of perfection is a force that lives inside us all, and nowhere is that more evident than in sports. What’s more breathtaking than a no-hitter or a hole-in-one? Or stepping up at the local alley and bowling a 300?
A perfect game at the lanes is so rare that it hardly ever happens, even for the best. But this year at the National Senior Games there is a team of two for whom lightning has struck twice. Greg Lindsay and Jerry Lake may be the only duo ever to both have experienced the ultimate score in an official senior games competition.
“I threw my 300 at the Florida State Senior Games up in Tampa,” Lindsay said. “I was throwing a real one and the ball was hooking up great. I had a great look on the lane and I just kept striking. I mean I was in the zone. In bowling it’s the best thing you can do. It is such an adrenaline rush. It is so enjoyable to watch the pins just go down and it’s just an incredible feeling.”
Lindsay had extra motivation that day to knock down the pins as fast as possible.
“We had tickets for the Tampa Bay Lightning. So we had to get out of there fast. So I threw a 300 and we still made hockey game.”
The two have been bowling together in National Senior Games events for 20 years, both achieving their perfect games under the pressure of competition, something that Lake will never forget.
“I was out in New Mexico. We went to the last national bowling tournament that I had for the senior games,” Lake said. “It was going to be my last game. I was down to my competitors and I went to my partner and said, ‘Hey, listen, I gotta, throw a big game.’ And I happened to go out there and I threw two different balls on two different lanes. To have a 300, it was just a great feeling. A lot of people around you clapping and applauding and congratulating you later, it was great.”
Partners in the Pursuit of Perfection
As great as these 300’s were, these two Floridians agree that the bond of friendship that bowling has built between them is even better.
“We’ve been a long time together. It’s a great relationship,” Lindsay said. “We have the same attitude on the lanes. Nothing gets us down. We just go out there and have some fun.”
This year Lindsay and Lake won gold in State competition and now have their sights set on more medals at the National Senior Games once again. But no matter the outcome, this is a duo that plans to continue their pursuit of perfection side by side for a long time to come.
“I’ll be Bowling until I am in the dirt,” Lake said, with an approving nod from Lindsay. “As partners. I enjoy bowling. I will continue bowling. As long as I can walk, I will be able to bowl. And I want Greg as my partner until we can’t do it anymore.”
The National Senior Games are set to take place in Fort Lauderdale from May 10-23, 2022. For more inspirational stories from athletes and to learn more about the games, click here.
