COLLINSVILLE – One of the things that has made bowling such an attractive game for people over the years is a simple one: Anyone, regardless of level of experience, has a chance to bowl 12 strikes in a row – a perfect game.
The thing that makes a perfect game so remarkable is that it can take place anytime.
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For Granite City's Ricky Hard, it happened in Game 3 of Saturday's IHSA Triad Regional boys bowling tournament at Collinsville's Camelot Lanes; everything came together for Hard as he rolled his first-ever perfect game. The achievement got the attention of everyone watching as the game developed; the final strike of the game led to a huge round of applause and celebration among Hard's teammates, the bowlers on the other teams and the fans throughout Camelot Bowl who were watching Hard's perfecto come together.
“It's my first one,” Hard, a senior, said. “It's a great feeling.”
That Hard's first lifetime perfect game came on a stage such as an IHSA regional tournament in his senior year made the achievement that much more special, Hard felt. “It was actually pretty good out there” during the game, Hard said. “I had a couple of breaks – other than that, I bowled pretty well.
“About the third or fourth frame, I threw a pretty bad shot; it went through the nose and I carried it. Other than that, the 10th frame was the hardest.”
Hard began bowling in his eighth-grade year. “Both my parents and all my bowl,” Hard said. “That's when I started.”
Being a part of the Warrior bowling program has been an enjoyable experience for Hard. “It's a great group of guys,” Hard said of his teammates. “It's a fun time.”
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