GUTTER TALK
By Jeff Olson
We have a celebrity among us. Stan Pratnicki rolled a huge 802 three game series in the Wednesday night Fraternal league! The ex-New Yorker, who manages River Drifters white water rafting and Get Hu-sum Pizza out of White Salmon across the Columbia River found friendly Orchard Lanes to his liking on October 10. Stan fired games of 298, 267 and 236 in the hot shot Fraternal league for an award winning 802 series. To commemorate this outstanding achievement the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body of ten-pin bowling in the country, awarded Stan with a coveted USBC 800 award for his exemplary efforts.
Stan’s 802 series is the highest certified three gamer at Orchard Lanes so far in the 2025-26 season and it’s Stan’s first one in his long career in bowling.
Stan left the 4-5 pins on his 12th and final ball in that 298 game, mainly because he didn’t get his fingers in the shot, so the ball didn’t have the revs to finish strong when it hit those pesky ten pins. Stan had amassed 11 straight strikes in a row in that first game but that 12th and final ball to get a strike and twelve in a row for a perfect 300 game is often a bit of a tester. First of all, it’s the dream of all bowlers to notch a 300 game and it would have been Stan’s first, so some nervous jitters can easily happen, especially on that final 12th ball. Some bowlers are even so nervous they can barely make their legs move on that last critical shot. And, usually when a bowler goes into the 10th frame on 9 strikes in a row, everyone in the league stops to watch. That sure adds to the pressure. So, in that 10th frame you’re in total silence, trying to get those last three strikes. That adds even more to the nerves. Going for a 300 game is quite an experience!
In his big series, Stan got into a bit of trouble early on in his third game. Doing the math at a point after an open frame in his third game, Stan needed to finish the game with 7 straight strikes to get an 800 series. As they say, that was a piece of cake for the fire balling, legendary chef, it was as easy as making his famous pepperoni pizza. He did it! When you come through like that it sure feels good.
Congratulations to Mr. Pratnicki! In this great game of bowling, it’s well known that an 800 three game series is actually a greater achievement than a 300 game for the following reasons: it’s very difficult to keep rolling strikes over the span of three games because the oil pattern on the lanes is constantly changing, each ball rolled on the lanes either removes some of the oil or displaces it down lane closer to the pins. That makes it difficult. But, in addition there were 5 other people bowling on the same pair of lanes who all roll their ball in different spots. It’s hard enough to get strikes when you are on your game, you are bowling like a machine, your footwork is perfect, your arm swing is perfect, your speed is perfect every time and your release is perfect so that when your ball hits the pins in the pocket it’s at the perfect entry angle to knock them down over the 36 times you get to roll the ball in a three game series. Now you can understand a smattering of just how difficult it is to keep rolling strikes over three games. That’s why you don’t see many 800 series, they are special! As Eddie Murphy said in one of his famous movies, “there’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Stan Pratnicki”!
OK, let’s take a quick look at recent league action
In the MONDAY NIGHT INDUSTRIAL league with just one more week to go in the first round it’s a toss up for first place. Triple T’s are leading with 125.5 points, Pat’s Pro Shop is just one point back with 124.5 points and Mt. Hood Barbeque follows with 119.5 points. Any of these three teams can win the first round. 25 points are up for grabs for each team in the last week’s matches. In this case, they all bowl against different teams in the last night of the round so there won’t be any head-to-head fireworks. All of these last night matches are fairly even with the exception of the powerful Pat’s Pro Shop trio who only have 58 pins of handicap in their match with The Rollers who have 164 pins handicap. The Rollers can play the role of spoilers! It’s going to be interesting to see who prevails.
Big scores in the past month include Mt. Hood BBQ’s John Riggleman with a 688 series; Ol’7-10’s Rod Pratt with a 684 series; Pat’s Pro Shop’s Pat Olson and Joey Sheirbon with 692 and 706 sets respectively.
Current high averages in the Industrial league include Pat Olson at 214, Joey Sheirbon at 206, Court Barker at 205, Rod Pratt at 204, Lynn Spellman at 204 and Kevin Harris at 202.
TUESDAY MIXED league: Double A Orchards and Spare Me Daddy are tied for first with 20 wins. Taco Tuesday has 19.5 wins and CPR has 19 wins. There are still four weeks to go in the first half so anything can and will probably change the final outcome.
Big scores in the past month include: Double A Orchards’ Erin Salisbury with a beautiful 679 series that included a big 266 game; Team Nishi’s Joey Sheirbon with a 694 series; Who Gives A Split’s Pat Olson with a 684 series; and CPR’s Kevin Silva with a 667 series.
Hign averages in the Mixed league include Pat Olson at 220 and Jeremy Bloom at 207.
WEDNESDAY SENIORS league: it’s as tight as a sticky thumb hole in this league with Pins in Low Places leading in first place with 21 wins, Rice Krispies are one back with 20 points, Skamaniacs and Rolling Pins follow with 19 wins each. There are still 6 weeks to go in the first half of the league so anything goes.
Big Score in the past month of the Senior league is Rice Krispies’ Lynn Spellman with a 691 series. He’s also high average in the Senior league at 211.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FRATERNAL league: Hood River Athletic Club leads in first place with 145.5 points with one more week to go in the first round. Orchard Lanes is in second with 137.5 points. This last week in the first round is a position round which will pit Hood River Athletic Club against Orchard Lanes. That will be some kind of fireworks with the Clubbers holding a 40 pin advantage in handicap over the Lanes threesome. The powerful Orchard Lanes squad will take their hot 622 team average into the big match! Folks, that amounts to a gaudy 207 average per man, wow, that’s got to be hard to beat.
Lots of big scores in this premiere league over the past month including: Hood River Athletic Clubs’ Josh Worth with a 682 series; Orchard Lanes Pat Olson with a 750 series; MD’s Lynn Spellman with a 682 series; Ten in the Pit’s John Helm with a 732 series; The Bowling Stones’ Chad Mason with a 712 series; Get Hu-sum Pizza’s Stan Pratnicki with a big 802 series; MD’s Court Barker with a 707 series; Mt. Hood BBQ’s Tyson Trout with a 671 series; Bloom Auto Body’s Bill Pullum with a 664 series; Ten in the Pit’s AJ Perdue with a 729 series; The Red Rockets’ James Youtsey with a 695 series; Mt. Hood BBQ’s John Riggleman with a 684 series; and Orchard Lanes’ Jeff Brittle with a 690 series.
The Fraternal league is replete with big average bowlers to the tune of Pat Olson at 230, Court Barker at 222, John Helm at 221; AJ Perdue at 216, Josh Worth at 212, Chad Mason at 212, Sran Pratnicki at 208, Lynn Spellman at 207, Skip Whitley at 204 and Bill Pullum at 201.
THURSDAY COUNTY league: As usual it’s close as a Gilette shave for first place in the always exciting County league. Currently, Pin & Order are in the lead with 14 wins. The Flu Fighters are in second with 13 wins. Team Chiquita and The Unbowlievables are next with 12 wins each. There are still 6 weeks to go in the first round and knowing the teams in this scrappy league, things will be nip and tuck all the way.
High scores in the County league are The Incredibowls’ Rod Pratt with a 246 game and 537 series.
Here is your TEAM of the MONTH:
1. Stan Pratnicki 802
2. Pat Olson 750
3. John Helm 732
4. AJ Perdue 729
5. Chad Mason 712
3,725 total pins