Sheldon Smith was tired the afternoon of Jan. 9.
‘It was one of those days where I just wanted to go home after school and stay there,? said Smith, a 15-year-old Brandon High School sophomore. ‘But I went and bowled anyway.?
Smith is second year member of the Brandon Blackhawks bowling team, which was taking on Clio High School at Clio Lanes that chilly January day.
‘It was pretty much like any other day, we did a few practice shots and the games started,? he said. ‘I rolled a strike on the first ball, then four more consecutively. At that point I thought, ‘This is going to have to end.??
But it continued.
‘It then got to seven strikes, at that point I thought hey, this could really happen. At strike nine I was sure it was going to end here.Honestly, I was just not feeling this.?
However, several hundred people in the bowling alley that day were feeling it.
‘I remember the entire bowling alley was just silent,? he said. ‘You could hear a pin drop when I rolled my tenth strike. Then the whole place just went crazy.?
Strike 11 was just a little shaky.
‘As I rolled my eleventh strike, I slipped and lost my balance. When it came time for strike 12, again, I remember how silent the bowling alley was’talk about stressful. But it was a perfect strike and one of my teammates came out and tackled me right on the lane. My parents were there to watch me, too. They were crying. I tried to text my friend and I was just too shaky.?
After the excitement, Smith said his game was back to average.
‘I rolled a strike on the very first ball of the next game,? he said. ‘The bowler on the lane next to me said, ‘What, 12 strikes was not good enough??
The streak stopped at 13 and he ended up with a 183.
‘Yes, there was some luck involved,? he said. ‘A few pins teetered at times, but fell. I’m not looking for a career in bowling when I graduate.?
Mike Huckabone, BHS bowling coach, said this is a first for the Blackhawks in the 10 year history of the team.
‘Sheldon just did not miss that day,? he said.
The Blackhawk bowling team is a club sport with about 25 members. The team will compete Feb. 26-27 in the regionals, which the Blackhawks won in 2015.