Goals.
It’s what makes bowling what it is, giving the young and the old, the amateur and the pro, something to shoot for.
And when it’s a realistic goal, and when it’s an ambitious goal, and when it’s attained after a lot of hard work and diligence, one feeling prevails.
Geoff Gast knows that feeling because he kept repeating the word Saturday: ecstasy.
“I just kept everything in the center,” said Gast of Tarzana. “I had several balls travel into the gutter Tuesday, but this time I was just hitting everything in sight. My ball was just exploding. I threw the ball and the pins started flying all the way to the right.
“Today was just luck, but I’m still very, very happy about it. I’m ecstatic.”
Attending a bowling birthday party for ace bowler Greg Kolski on Saturday at AMF Woodlake Lanes in Woodland Hills, Gast had plenty to celebrate.
The 34-year-old Gast blistered an all-time high of 206 during his second of seven games. Gast, who carries a 136 average, had targeted a 200 game since last year when he rolled a certified personal best of 191.
His practice all-time high was 198 – before Saturday.
“I’m disappointed [the 206] didn’t come in league play,” Gast said. “It didn’t come when I wanted, but it came today. It was a career day of bowling for me. And I’m optimistic I can do it in league play on Tuesday.”
Gast was hot from the start. He bowled a 172 in his first game, then the 206, and then followed up with another sizzler, a 194. His four other games: 170, 116, 161 and 164.
That works out to an average score of 169, or more than 30 pins above his average.
Gast, one of the most determined bowlers around, had a four-bagger (four strikes in a row) from the fourth to the seventh frame in his 206 game. He then put together two more strikes together in the ninth and 10th frames to skip past the magic 200 mark.
“I’m probably going to wind up framing [the score sheet],” Gast said. “I’ll probably hang on to it for the rest of my life.”
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