May 8, 2023 • 11 mins
Bill Fong loves ten-pin bowling. He's pretty good at it too. It's not uncommon for Bill to score a few 300 games here and there - 12 strikes in a row. But that's nothing compared to a perfect series, which is completing three perfect games in succession. In other words, 900 points or 36 consecutive strikes. And one night, Bill Fong is dangerously close to this incredible achievement.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Ten pin bowling is what Bill Fong does best. Although
he's technically an amateur, he's probably better than you and
alia mates. It's his discipline and technique that sets him
apart and has led to his pursuit of perfection. Now
what does that look like in bowling, Well, it's called
(00:26):
a perfect series three perfect games for a total score
of nine hundred. In other words, thirty six consecutive strikes.
And on this one night, it's looking like Bill might
get there. He's on a roll, completing his first three
hundred for game one, but then he does something unthinkable
(00:47):
to start his second game. He switches bowling balls, the
one thing you should never do when you're on a streak.
You're crazy onlookers tell him, but Bill isn't listening. He's
trust his instincts on this one, and he picks up
a new ball and approaches the lame Bill blocks everything
out and focuses on his next throw. He steps forward,
(01:10):
lines up his shot, and follows through. Hi. I'm Tony Armstrong.
Welcome to the ballroom, where we celebrate the winners, losers,
and the weird stuff between the story of Bill Fong's
(01:42):
pursuit of bowling perfection goes back to his childhood. To
the disappointment of his mother, Bill was an average student.
He was just never interested in academics. His real passion
was sports, and like many kids, he dreamed of becoming
a professional athlete. But he lacked a lot of the
necessary attributes, too lean for American football and too short
(02:06):
for basketball. But then he finally found something he was
good at, tenpin bowling. Bill's parents divorced when he was young.
When his mum was first dating his stepdad, they'd sometimes
bring him along to the local bowling alley in his
hometown of Chicago, and that's when Bill's connection to the
(02:29):
sport started. It wasn't just that he was good at bowling,
it was also how he felt when he was playing.
Distractions and everything else around him faded away and he
could just focus on his movements and being present in
front of the lane. As Bill grew up, bowling became
(02:50):
a big part of his life. He bought his own
bowling ball, joined his high school bowling team, and spent
hours reading books about bowling. Theory time he graduated and
went to university, he was playing every week, and then
one day he gave up bowling. Altogether. Bill's life had
(03:10):
taken a new direction. He dropped out of university and
got married at twenty two. His wife told him he
needed to grow up, and Bill came to terms with
the fact he was never going to make it as
a professional bowler, so he got a new job as
a barber and took up golf. But after a few years,
his enjoyment started to fade. His skills weren't developing at
(03:34):
the rate that he'd hoped, and his frustrations often got
the better of him, so he quit. By this point,
Bill had gone through a few career changes, gotten a divorce,
and moved to Dallas for a fresh start. That's when
he decided to take up bowling again. After ten years
(03:55):
away from the sport. He found a group of friends
to play with and joined some tournaments around the city.
Reconnecting with bowling was exactly what Bill needed. It was
all coming back to him. Bill was enjoying bowling more
than he ever had, and his local bowling alley was
his happy place. He knew the intricacies of every lane,
(04:16):
how the oil patterns influenced the movement of the ball,
and which lanes hook left or right. He was seeing
the game on a whole different level. Then it was
just a regular Monday night in his local bowling league
when suddenly Bill hit a streak. He'd bowled a few
(04:38):
three hundred games before, but something felt different about tonight.
Alternating between lanes twenty seven and twenty eight, he was
throwing the ball harder and harder each frame, and the
strikes kept coming. Bill felt unstoppable. When you're on fire
(04:59):
like this, most people will tell you that you don't
change a thing. Whatever you're doing is clearly working, so
just maintain your rhythm and keep going. But Bill remembered
a practice session a couple of weeks back went after
a few games, the oil pattern on lane twenty eight
shifted a bit, so he made the decision to change
(05:20):
bowling balls to a more polished one that he felt
would compensate and roll straight up. As he pulled the
new ball out of his bag, people around him couldn't
believe what they were seeing. He was taking a huge risk,
But then Bill stepped up to the lane and threw
his thirteenth consecutive strike of the night. His instincts were correct.
(05:48):
As Game two continued, a bigger crowd was starting to
gather around Bill, cheering him on, except when he stepped
up to throw. That's when the whole room fell silent.
Frame after frame, strike after strike. Bill was bowling like
he was on autopilot, like he was a robot, incapable
of making a mistake. On it went. Game two ended
(06:13):
with Bill's streak very much intact, back to back, three
hundred games, twenty four consecutive strikes. The bowling alley was
buzzing now. The energy of the crowd was flowing in
waves up and down, from absolute silence to raucous cheers.
As Bill stepped up to the lane and threw down
another strike, everyone in the crowd knew they were witnessing
(06:41):
something special. But then, as he was approaching the tenth
frame of Game three, Bill began to feel nervous. The
pressure was creeping in. That high he'd been riding all
night had suddenly left him. Bill felt numb, but he'd
come this far. He had to keep going. He lined
(07:06):
up his next shot and threw the ball down the lane.
It lacked the power of his previous throws, but the
pins still fell except one. The nine pin remained standing
for what felt like forever, until finally another of the
spinning pins eventually nudged it just enough to knock it
(07:28):
over another strike. The crowd erupted. It was a close call,
but Bill's streak continued. He got lucky that time, but
he knew he had to compose himself before the next throw.
He was sweating now and feeling dizzy, so he took
a moment to calm himself and tried to envision what
(07:50):
he had to do. The next throw, Bill was back
on track. He threw another powerful shot as all ten
pins came crashing down. Thirty five consecutive strikes. Just one
to go now. Bill paused, cleaned his bowling ball with
(08:14):
a towel, then lined up to take the biggest throw
of his amateur career. It all seemed to happen in
slow motion, like a scene from a heroic sports movie.
Bill took a breath, swung his arm back, and unleashed
a shot with every ounce of power and finesse he
had left. It was a clean release. The crowd began
(08:38):
to cheer as the ball made its way down the lane.
It looked perfect. Pins went flying as the ball crashed
into them. The crowd were as loud as they'd been
the entire night, but Bill wasn't cheering with them. The
number ten pin was still wabbling before it came to
a complete stop and didn't fall. The crowd had seen
(09:04):
it too now, and the whole bowling alley fell silent.
Game three was over with a final score of eight
hundred and ninety nine. Bill was in shock. He'd failed
one pin short of his dream. He couldn't move, couldn't speak.
He just stood there as his friends came to embrace him.
(09:31):
Later that night, Bill went out for a couple of drinks,
trying to process what had happened. When he got home,
he suddenly felt dizzy again. Then he vomited, but it
wasn't from the alcohol. After a trip to his doctor,
Bill learned that he'd had a stroke, an event that
likely started during those tense moments of Game three. His
(09:51):
blood pressure, which was already high, had reached dangerous levels
due to the heightened stress he'd been under. Bill's doctor
explained that the stroke was very close to being fatal.
Bill was extremely lucky. It also left him wondering, had
he scored nine hundred that night, would the excitement of
(10:13):
it all have overwhelmed him? Would it have killed him? Perhaps,
but Bill was glad to be alive with a score
of eight hundred and ninety nine rather than the alternative.
Not too long after that wild night, Bill had heart surgery,
only to be back at his favorite bowling alley just
a few months later. He's still chasing that elusive perfect series.
(10:57):
The Pool Room is an iHeart production. I'm Tony Armstrong.
Thanks for listening.
Ten pin bowling is what Bill Fong does best. Although
he's technically an amateur, he's probably better than you and
alia mates. It's his discipline and technique that sets him
apart and has led to his pursuit of perfection. Now
what does that look like in bowling, Well, it's called
(00:26):
a perfect series three perfect games for a total score
of nine hundred. In other words, thirty six consecutive strikes.
And on this one night, it's looking like Bill might
get there. He's on a roll, completing his first three
hundred for game one, but then he does something unthinkable
(00:47):
to start his second game. He switches bowling balls, the
one thing you should never do when you're on a streak.
You're crazy onlookers tell him, but Bill isn't listening. He's
trust his instincts on this one, and he picks up
a new ball and approaches the lame Bill blocks everything
out and focuses on his next throw. He steps forward,
(01:10):
lines up his shot, and follows through. Hi. I'm Tony Armstrong.
Welcome to the ballroom, where we celebrate the winners, losers,
and the weird stuff between the story of Bill Fong's
(01:42):
pursuit of bowling perfection goes back to his childhood. To
the disappointment of his mother, Bill was an average student.
He was just never interested in academics. His real passion
was sports, and like many kids, he dreamed of becoming
a professional athlete. But he lacked a lot of the
necessary attributes, too lean for American football and too short
(02:06):
for basketball. But then he finally found something he was
good at, tenpin bowling. Bill's parents divorced when he was young.
When his mum was first dating his stepdad, they'd sometimes
bring him along to the local bowling alley in his
hometown of Chicago, and that's when Bill's connection to the
(02:29):
sport started. It wasn't just that he was good at bowling,
it was also how he felt when he was playing.
Distractions and everything else around him faded away and he
could just focus on his movements and being present in
front of the lane. As Bill grew up, bowling became
(02:50):
a big part of his life. He bought his own
bowling ball, joined his high school bowling team, and spent
hours reading books about bowling. Theory time he graduated and
went to university, he was playing every week, and then
one day he gave up bowling. Altogether. Bill's life had
(03:10):
taken a new direction. He dropped out of university and
got married at twenty two. His wife told him he
needed to grow up, and Bill came to terms with
the fact he was never going to make it as
a professional bowler, so he got a new job as
a barber and took up golf. But after a few years,
his enjoyment started to fade. His skills weren't developing at
(03:34):
the rate that he'd hoped, and his frustrations often got
the better of him, so he quit. By this point,
Bill had gone through a few career changes, gotten a divorce,
and moved to Dallas for a fresh start. That's when
he decided to take up bowling again. After ten years
(03:55):
away from the sport. He found a group of friends
to play with and joined some tournaments around the city.
Reconnecting with bowling was exactly what Bill needed. It was
all coming back to him. Bill was enjoying bowling more
than he ever had, and his local bowling alley was
his happy place. He knew the intricacies of every lane,
(04:16):
how the oil patterns influenced the movement of the ball,
and which lanes hook left or right. He was seeing
the game on a whole different level. Then it was
just a regular Monday night in his local bowling league
when suddenly Bill hit a streak. He'd bowled a few
(04:38):
three hundred games before, but something felt different about tonight.
Alternating between lanes twenty seven and twenty eight, he was
throwing the ball harder and harder each frame, and the
strikes kept coming. Bill felt unstoppable. When you're on fire
(04:59):
like this, most people will tell you that you don't
change a thing. Whatever you're doing is clearly working, so
just maintain your rhythm and keep going. But Bill remembered
a practice session a couple of weeks back went after
a few games, the oil pattern on lane twenty eight
shifted a bit, so he made the decision to change
(05:20):
bowling balls to a more polished one that he felt
would compensate and roll straight up. As he pulled the
new ball out of his bag, people around him couldn't
believe what they were seeing. He was taking a huge risk,
But then Bill stepped up to the lane and threw
his thirteenth consecutive strike of the night. His instincts were correct.
(05:48):
As Game two continued, a bigger crowd was starting to
gather around Bill, cheering him on, except when he stepped
up to throw. That's when the whole room fell silent.
Frame after frame, strike after strike. Bill was bowling like
he was on autopilot, like he was a robot, incapable
of making a mistake. On it went. Game two ended
(06:13):
with Bill's streak very much intact, back to back, three
hundred games, twenty four consecutive strikes. The bowling alley was
buzzing now. The energy of the crowd was flowing in
waves up and down, from absolute silence to raucous cheers.
As Bill stepped up to the lane and threw down
another strike, everyone in the crowd knew they were witnessing
(06:41):
something special. But then, as he was approaching the tenth
frame of Game three, Bill began to feel nervous. The
pressure was creeping in. That high he'd been riding all
night had suddenly left him. Bill felt numb, but he'd
come this far. He had to keep going. He lined
(07:06):
up his next shot and threw the ball down the lane.
It lacked the power of his previous throws, but the
pins still fell except one. The nine pin remained standing
for what felt like forever, until finally another of the
spinning pins eventually nudged it just enough to knock it
(07:28):
over another strike. The crowd erupted. It was a close call,
but Bill's streak continued. He got lucky that time, but
he knew he had to compose himself before the next throw.
He was sweating now and feeling dizzy, so he took
a moment to calm himself and tried to envision what
(07:50):
he had to do. The next throw, Bill was back
on track. He threw another powerful shot as all ten
pins came crashing down. Thirty five consecutive strikes. Just one
to go now. Bill paused, cleaned his bowling ball with
(08:14):
a towel, then lined up to take the biggest throw
of his amateur career. It all seemed to happen in
slow motion, like a scene from a heroic sports movie.
Bill took a breath, swung his arm back, and unleashed
a shot with every ounce of power and finesse he
had left. It was a clean release. The crowd began
(08:38):
to cheer as the ball made its way down the lane.
It looked perfect. Pins went flying as the ball crashed
into them. The crowd were as loud as they'd been
the entire night, but Bill wasn't cheering with them. The
number ten pin was still wabbling before it came to
a complete stop and didn't fall. The crowd had seen
(09:04):
it too now, and the whole bowling alley fell silent.
Game three was over with a final score of eight
hundred and ninety nine. Bill was in shock. He'd failed
one pin short of his dream. He couldn't move, couldn't speak.
He just stood there as his friends came to embrace him.
(09:31):
Later that night, Bill went out for a couple of drinks,
trying to process what had happened. When he got home,
he suddenly felt dizzy again. Then he vomited, but it
wasn't from the alcohol. After a trip to his doctor,
Bill learned that he'd had a stroke, an event that
likely started during those tense moments of Game three. His
(09:51):
blood pressure, which was already high, had reached dangerous levels
due to the heightened stress he'd been under. Bill's doctor
explained that the stroke was very close to being fatal.
Bill was extremely lucky. It also left him wondering, had
he scored nine hundred that night, would the excitement of
(10:13):
it all have overwhelmed him? Would it have killed him? Perhaps,
but Bill was glad to be alive with a score
of eight hundred and ninety nine rather than the alternative.
Not too long after that wild night, Bill had heart surgery,
only to be back at his favorite bowling alley just
a few months later. He's still chasing that elusive perfect series.
(10:57):
The Pool Room is an iHeart production. I'm Tony Armstrong.
Thanks for listening.
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