Perfection comes in twos

One is a 35-year-old seasoned veteran with the exuberance of youth, while the other is still a teenager with a powerful arm and well-rounded game well beyond his years.

Robert Talavera and Raymond Zapanta will forever be linked in local bowling history after the two keglers rolled perfect games only days apart in mid-February.

Talavera achieved every bowlers’ dream when he connected on 300 pins last Feb. 15 during the Wednesday Night Mixed League at the Saipan Bowling Center, while 17-year-old Zapanta struck during the Budweiser Saturday Night League a mere three days later on Feb. 18 also at the San Jose venue.

Talavera said he is dedicating his perfect game to his wife, Cathy, and son, John Ferry. He also thanked his brother, Edgar, and sister, Merle, for their support. The Minalin, Pampanga in the Philippines native also dedicated his feat to his boss, John S. Tenorio.

Prior to rolling the perfect game, Talavera said the closest his come to 300 was a 299 he hit a few years back and a 290 he recently bowled also at the SBC, where he works as lanes supervisor.

Talavera got his start in bowling in 1991 and counts Jess “Kuya JR” Rebusada and Dodong Eparwa as his mentors and greatest influences in the sport.

Zapanta, for his part, said he is dedicating his perfect game to parents, Ross and Gigi, because in his words, “they have showed so much support to my siblings and me. Without their support, bowling wouldn’t be as interesting and fun for me as it is now.”

He also gave Saipan Bowling Association president Jerry Tan credit for “breathing life” back to the sport. Tan is responsible for the monthly Pepsi King and Queen of the Lanes, the formation of local youth bowling team, and the adoption of the Bowling Ranking System, which selects who gets to represent the CNMI on off-island competition.

Zapanta said he didn’t expect he would be the next kegler to roll a perfect game and humbly said he just got lucky that evening.

“It feels great and exciting. I especially feel lucky because I made a mistake on the 9th frame, but the ball hit the right spot for me to get the strike. It’s surprising. It was unexpected because I was never aiming for a perfect game. I was just having fun,” he said.

Zapanta said he learned bowling when he was just six years old from his parents, mainly his dad. But it was only a few years later when he took it seriously as a sport and not just for fun.

“Then, I learned from other bowlers like Robert Talavera and Dannie Robles. Because I am a lefty, I watched the way many lefthanders bowled, and tried to copy them. I watched pro bowlers, like Parker Bohn III, on the PBA tour on TV for many years and tried to copy their shots as well. Soon I developed my own style of play. I learned a lot in the mental aspect from my dad. When I started playing on off-island tournaments I would talk to him and learn from him. My parents influenced me the most because I am always with them when I bowl and they show a lot of support,” he said.