LOCAL BOWLER, SEAN OSBOURN, ROLLS HOUSTON’S FIRST 900 SERIES
ARLINGTON, Texas – If you’re at Copperfield Bowl in Houston on a Thursday night during the bowling season, you’ll likely run into Sean Osbourn.
But, it was an unexpected guest appearance at the center Monday that yielded a record-setting performance for the 24-year-old right-hander, who became the 29th bowler to roll three consecutive 300 games for a 900 series in United States Bowling Congress-certified competition.
Osbourn bowled as a substitute in Copperfield Bowl’s early league session, and then was asked to fill in for someone on the late league.
The second half of his evening started with the usual paperwork any bowler must fill out when bowling in new league for the first time, but it ended with additional paperwork he never could have expected.
“I couldn’t believe it – I still can’t,” said Osbourn, who owned four 300 games prior to Monday. “I wasn’t shaking at the end, though. I think I was in shock. It’s great and crazy, and I can’t believe it happened to me. I love bowling and always have, and this is something I’ll never forget.”
Osbourn’s last 300 and 800 came at Copperfield Bowl in September, when he opened the night with 12 consecutive strikes and added games of 258 and 254 for an 812 series, the third 800 of his career.
That experience definitely helped him Monday after his perfect start, despite impossible-to-avoid thoughts of the likelihood of a poor shot or run-ending 10 pin. Neither happened, though, as Osbourn polished off the first perfect set in the Lone Star State, topping the previous mark of 899, shot by Bill Fong of Plano, Texas, in 2010.
“I’d never shot back-to-back 300s or two in the same set, so it was a little unfamiliar, but I just tried to keep it going and keep the shots online,” Osbourn said. “I felt the same way at the end of the third game, too. But, I was on my good lane. I tried not to overthink it and just throw the ball.”
Osbourn’s 36-strike string came in the NFL Fall 2016 short-season league. The trios league kicked off its 14week season in mid-September and is scheduled to run until Dec. 12.
“It definitely helped being in a trios league, so I didn’t have to wait that long and was able to keep my mind focused,” said Osbourn, who comes from a family of bowlers and has averaged as high as 230, which came during the 2013-2014 season. “Being that it was the late league and some teams had already left, there weren’t that many people around. Those who were left came up to congratulate me, and 5-10 minutes later is when it really started to sink in.”
Osbourn had about a week’s notice concerning his substitute role in Monday’s early league, in which he bowled a less eventful series in the 670s. But, the first session served as a great warm-up and gave him an
idea how to attack the oil pattern, even though his record feat would take place on a different pair of lanes.
Osbourn’s achievement is pending approval from USBC and would be the 30th USBC-approved 900.
The first USBC-approved 900 occurred Feb. 2, 1997 when Jeremy Sonnenfeld rolled three consecutive perfect games in Lincoln, Nebraska.
USBC-Approved 900 Series (30)
- Jeremy Sonnenfeld (R), Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 2, 1997
- Tony Roventini (L), Greenfield, Wis., Nov. 9, 1998
- Vince Wood (R), Moreno Valley, Calif., Sept, 29, 1999
- Robby Portalatin (L), Jackson, Mich., Dec. 28, 2000
- James Hylton (R), Salem, Ore., May 2, 2001
- Jeff Campbell II (R), New Castle, Pa., June 12, 2004
- Darin Pomije (R), New Prague, Minn., Dec. 9, 2004
- Robert Mushtare (R), Fort Drum, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2005 and Feb. 19, 2006
- Lonnie Billiter Jr. (R), Fairfield, Ohio, Feb. 13, 2006
- Mark Wukoman (R), Greenfield, Wis., April 22, 2006
- P.J. Giesfeldt (R), Milwaukee, Dec. 23, 2006
- Rich Jerome Jr. (R), Baltimore, Dec. 22, 2008
- Chris Aker (L), Winnemucca, Nev., Oct. 30, 2009
- Andrew Teall (R), Medford, N.J., Nov. 2, 2009
- Andrew Mank (R), Belleville, Ill., March 18, 2010
- William Howell III (L), Middletown, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2010
- Matt Latarski (R), Medina, Ohio, Nov. 28, 2010
- Bob Kammer Jr. (R), Crown Point, Ind., Jan. 8, 2011
- John Martorella Sr. (R), Greece, N.Y., April 12, 2012
- Jimmy Schmitzer (R), Riverside, Calif., April 20, 2012
- James Williams (R), Pawcatuck, Conn., (bowled in Wakefield, R.I.), April 16, 2013
- Joe Scarborough (R), Charlotte, N.C., (bowled in The Villages, Fla.), April 21, 2013
- Todd James (R), East New Market, Md., (bowled in Laurel, Del.), March 18, 2014
- Amos Gordon (R), Colorado Springs, Colo., April 11, 2014
- Earon Vollmar (R), Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 19, 2015
- Hakim Emmanuel (R), Stoughton, Mass., Feb. 19, 2015
- David Sewesky (L), Dearborn, Mich., Jan. 10, 2016
- Dale Gerhard (R), Mill Hall, Pa., Jan. 12, 2016
- Sean Osbourn (R), Houston, Nov. 21, 2016**
** Pending formal approval by the United States Bowling Congress.
By: Matt Cannizzaro November 22, 2016
