Man Bowls 900 Series, Headed for Record Books

Athletes occasionally talk about "being in the zone," that mythical place where muscle memory takes over, the mind goes clear and everything just clicks. Sports history is littered with examples, from the well known (Tiger Woods' otherworldly performance in the 2000 U.S. Open) to the obscure (Formula One driver Ayrton Senna during the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix).

And that brings us to Matt Latarski, A 23-year-old Medina, Ohio man who bowled himself into the record books Sunday with a 900 series. For the uninitiated, that's three consecutive perfect games, a feat that, once verified by the United States Bowling Congress, will make Latarski the 17th person to roll a 900 in the history of the sport. His previous high for three consecutive games was 814.

Latarski told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that "I couldn't miss," and he wasn't kidding.

Latarski's team, Two Studs & an Old Guy, includes his brother and an older friend. They attracted a crowd Sunday morning as they bowled the last frames of the third game.

By the 10th frame, everyone else in building had stopped bowling, and Latarski was nervous. "You could have heard a pin drop," he said.

Latarski will receive a ring for the 300 games and a solid-gold diamond ring for the 900 series.

According to the USBC website, a 22-year New York man was the last to bowl a 900 (in October) and before him, a bowler in Illinois pulled it off in March. As for Latarski, he says he started bowling when he was five and had rolled a 300 on six different occasions prior to Sunday's record-setting performance.