Island Trees Sophomore Bowls 300 Game

As Island Trees sophomore Joanna Viscuso was throwing strike after strike in her 300 game Monday, everything around her at South Levittown Lanes stopped.

"The place got real quiet," said Island Trees head coach Kieran Keyser. "As she started getting up towards the higher frames, the place started moving in towards her. By the time she got to the ninth, tenth frame, it’s dead quiet."

It's rare for people to see perfection, but it was on display Monday at South Levittown Lanes. Joanna's 300 game was the first by a female bowler in on Long Island at the high school level in two years.

As the attention of everyone in the bowling alley shifted in her direction, Joanna knew she had to keep a cool head in order to stay perfect. 

"I just kept visualizing the ball going down the lane and getting a strike,” she said. “I just had to keep my mind clear of everything else and just think about bowling. I didn’t think too many frames ahead. I just thought about the next one [and keeping] my shot perfect every time.”

Joanna, who's bowled in various competitive leagues since she was 7 years old, is serious about her craft. "She likes to joke around, she likes to have fun, but she’s all business on the bowling lanes," said coach Keyser. "She critiques every shot. When she bowled the 300, she was just in the zone."

Bowling is not her only sport. In the spring, Joanna is a softball pitcher. Her father said the two sports complement each other nicely. 

"In both of them, you have to keep a strong pendulum swing so you’re staying in line," he said. "Keeping your rhythm and balance is most important in both. When you’re pitching, your balance has to be there so you get your accuracy, and with bowling, your finish should be in a posed position so you deliver your ball consistently."

Joanna had an average score of 233 in her three games bowled against Division on Monday. Before her perfect game, her previous high total was 246, set last season. Once she threw the last strike, her excitement took over.

"When she threw the last strike, she must have jumped about four feet in the air," said Joanna's father, Joe Viscuso. "I've never seen her so excited."

"[Her teammates] are really supportive of her," said coach Keyser. "She jumped all over the place and they hugged her."

"Everyone said they’d never seen me jump so high,” Joanna said. “It was awesome."