Arvidson bowls second lifetime 300 game

Bowling a 300 game is the pinnacle of accomplishment for just about any bowler. Bowling two in a lifetime is even more fun. Jody Arvidson, of Columbia Falls, did just that at Glacier Lanes in Columbia Falls on Jan. 29.

“It was just one of those nights,” Arvidson said last week. “It just snuck up on me.”

He bowled the perfect game during the Tuesday Night Men’s League at the alley. His first 300 game came on Dec. 30, 2008, also on a league night, Arvidson said. He said he averages about 206.

He knows the exact date because he looked it up. He said the second time was much easier than the first because not as many people knew he was on track for a perfect game.

“The first time, everyone stopped and was watching me,” he said. “The second time, half the lanes didn’t even know.”

Arvidson said he has no special attachment to his bowling ball. If he’s not bowling well, he gets a different ball. He’s been bowling since he was six years old. Now he’s 52. He works at NAPA Auto Parts in Whitefish during the day.

Bowling a 300 game has its rewards. Glacier Lanes owner Steve Ferkovich gave Arvidson $100, and he’ll receive a ring from the U.S. Bowling Congress.

Ferkovich said since he’s owned the alley, fewer than 10 bowlers have bowled a perfect game, and no one has bowled a perfect series, which would be a 900 score. The closest was about 837.

One week later, Ferkovich himself nearly matched Arvidson with his own 300 — but he missed one pin on the final frame for a 299.