Clarkstown South Bowler Finds His Perfect game

Ronnie Ventillo of New City, a former coach in the Clarkstown Central School District before the schools combined their bowling teams, has only come “pretty close” to rolling a perfect game.

Michael Ventillo, his eldest son who now attends Brockport, once hit 299. “He missed the last strike with a solid hit. I think he left the eight or nine pin (standing),” Ronnie remembers.

Michael’s brother Ryan, a senior at Clarkstown South, had none at the high school varsity level until Jan. 11 when he reached the magic figure in a match against Suffern at Pearl River Lanes.

Interestingly, Ryan, who was taught the game by his dad and later bowled for him in high school, nearly achieved perfection earlier this season in a regular-season match at Hi-Tor Lanes in Haverstraw. He actually bowled a 300 on the first day of tryouts at New City Bowl, said his coach, Jeff Gardner.

“He’s done it other times, too, in rec leagues but never in high school,” added Gardner. “I was definitely surprised to see him get another one so soon; some (coaches) never get to see one. I definitely got excited. It was a very nice day.”

A seasoned junior league bowler, Ryan was unaccustomed to the stillness that ensued as he approached the possibility of perfection on Jan. 11.

 “At junior tournaments when a guy is going for 300 no one stops,” said Ronnie the Elder. “But at Hi-Tor on the 11^th one (strike attempt), it got so quiet you could hear a pin drop—the whole house. He had a split. You know, he (Ryan) actually was hitting the ball better at Hi-Tor than at Pearl River, but the pins were falling; luck was on his side. I’m glad he bowled 300 before he graduated.”

Richard Lesica, longtime proprietor at Pearl River Lanes, said he’s been around the game for 40 years and that at his house, it’s harder to hit 300 than at others.

“When you average 205 here, you know it’s a 205,” he said. “We get them (300) but not a lot. In the adult leagues, we’ve had about four or five from September to now.

“It’s not easy to do, that’s for sure, especially for a junior.”

 The U.S. Bowling Congress, which awards a silver ring to adult league bowlers who reach perfection, “doesn’t do much for juniors,” noted Lesica.

 Not to worry, said Ryan, who is ranked in the top 40 nationally by the USBC.

“The funny thing is, my friends went to that match and wrote my name on their stomach. It was a big coincidence; I didn’t even know they were coming,” Ryan said. “They even brought a little trophy with them, another coincidence. They gave it to me. I’ll always remember that.”

Ryan, who owns about 50 bowling balls, many of which his dad inherits, uses a 15-pound ball with a full fingertip grip. The 300 he rolled in league play was accomplished with a Storm Reign Supreme; the 300 he had in tryouts was an Ebonite Vital Sign.

Asked if he has another 300 in his bag, Ryan said, “It’s always a goal to shoot one every game, but it’s not like you can.”

Clarkstown South athletic director Vince Louther said Ryan, who played on the inaugural boys volleyball team last year and played football three years, is a relatively quiet kid.

“He’s a good kid, respectful,” Louther said. “We have a recognition ceremony at the end of the year for all the seniors and we’ll pay him his due respect at that time.”

Coach Gardner, a 2001 Nanuet High grad, noted that Dan Hofstein was the only other player to roll a 300 for him, and that Ryan was a member of the all-Section 1 team that competed at the state tournament last year.

“They won the state title in Poughkeepsie,” Gardner said. “He went with a teammate, Winter Ninivaggi, who was on the girls all-section team that placed fourth.”

As for the future, Ryan takes the pragmatic approach.

”One step at a time,” he said. “I take it one day at a time—one shot at a time. If you think about it, you can’t all of a sudden shoot 12 shots (strikes). That’s too much of a mental obstacle, whether you’re going for a spare of a strike.”

In Ryan’s case, the approach seems to be working to perfection.