Bellmore-Merrick Bowler Takes Home 700 Club Prize

MERRICK, NY. — Riley Kolinsky is used to competing against bowlers older than him at this point. A varsity bowler since he was in seventh grade, the high school freshman is no stranger to looking across the lanes and seeing a more senior face about to roll. That hasn’t seemed to phase him much in competitions this season — he rolled a 279 earlier this year for the Bellmore-Merrick varsity team, the high game in Nassau County’s Conference III, and had an average of a 212 over 34 outings, his coach, Joe Bianca, told Patch.

But Sunday, Kolinsky took it to a new level, winning the 700 Club Long Island USBC tournament that featured a field full of grown adults and at least one PBA champion bowler. Kolinsky said he rolled a 290 in the qualifying, following that up with a 258 in the second game of the tournament and a 269 in the finals, leaving him with the highest score in the field.

“I’m really proud. I can't believe I won it,” Kolinsky told Patch. “I'm very excited that I did. When I was playing the adults, I knew I just had to throw good shots and be focused. And I guess I won the whole thing. So it was really amazing.”

When asked if there was any moment Sunday where he knew he had his “A-Game,” Kolinsky said he was more focused on throwing his best.

“I don't think so. I thought I was just going to bowl, and I thought I was going to try my best and hope for the best,” Kolinsky told Patch. “I couldn't believe that I just qualified for the first round, anyway. And then, shooting very high scores later on was just incredible, by my standards. So I thought that was a really good day for me.”

Kolinsky said he “struck out” to finish the day, a bowling term that means he hit three strikes in a row on his last three rolls.

“I couldn't believe it. I had the highest score out of everybody,” he said.

The high school freshman said he wasn’t the only high school freshman in the field, but said there was no one younger than him in the field of over 100 bowlers. As for how some of the adults took it that a high schooler was throwing this well, Kolinsky said his age actually doesn’t come up much when he’s at the lanes.

“A lot of a lot of people mistake me for being 18, or like, 25, every time I bowl,” Kolinsky said. “And then when I tell them my age, they always get shocked, which is pretty funny…They just see me and they think, ‘Oh, wow, he must be very old, or just really good.’”

As for that PBA pro, Kolinsky said he did have a brief run-in with Gary Masters, the 2025 USBC Masters champion.

“I did ask him if he was on TV, because his name sounded a little familiar to me. He said, ‘yeah, I won the Masters last year, the PBA Masters,’” Kolinsky said. “I didn't even know he was in the tournament until I was playing him.

Next up for Kolinsky is the state championship meet, taking place Friday. When asked how he had been preparing for that tournament, Kolinsky said it was all about consistency.

“I’ve been practicing multiple days a week on the pattern, and I'm just trying to be focused and throw really good shots, and try to not be in my head a lot, because I know Bowling's a big mental game. I think it's just [about] being focused, and just trying to do what you have to do. And also perfect my technique and try to throw really good shots.