by Bea Peterson
Chances of bowling a 300, that is 12 consecutive strikes in one game, are one in 11,500. The odds are 460 to one. Odds of a professional bowler rolling a 300 are about the same as a professional golfer hitting a hole in one.
Now imagine you are 13 years old and you bowl a 300.
That is what happened to A.J. Hurlburt in October during a Saturday morning Junior League game. “It was exciting,” said A.J. He admitted to being very nervous, especially with everyone watching. He is the youngest bowler ever to score 300 at Barbecue Recreation and the youngest person in the area to actually hit that magic number. No doubt he is a skilled bowler. He is in the eighth grade, and he bowled well enough to make the HFCS varsity bowling team. A.J. has been bowling since he was five or six. His parents, Jim and Machelle Hurlburt, are also bowlers.
Ken Marbot, a junior, is 16 and on the HFCS varsity bowling team. He has bowled two 300s in practice. His first sanctioned 300 came in a HFCS match against Hadley-Luzerne on December 3 at Barbecue Recreation. On December 12 he came close again. He bowled a 299 against North Warren at Lake George.
Ken also said bowling a 300 was exciting. “It’s an adrenaline rush,” he added. He admitted he was not near as nervous as he could have been because he was bowling for the school team. Everyone was watching and when he made it, he was congratulated by both teams.
Ken said that somewhere down the road he would like to be a pro-bowler. “It’s on my bucket list,” he said. However, it’s school and college first. Ken bowls at least four times a week. He has been bowling for 11 years. His sister was on the HFCS team and his parents, Ken and Wendy Marbot, are both bowlers.