Bowler scores a perfect 300

Don Richer, 52, of Coulee Dam, threw a perfect 300 game last week at Riverview Lanes.

It wasn't his first - he has three official 300 games to his credit.

But it was exciting just the same, both for him and for others at the lanes at the time.

A perfect 300 game is 12 strikes in a row in the same game.

Most people get excited when they throw a single strike, but 12 in a row puts you in a special class.

Richer said the first six or seven strikes for him are without pressure. But after that, momentum gives way to suspense.

"After my 10th strike, everyone bowling stopped to watch," Richer stated.

That's when the tension got thick enough to slice with a knife, as the 11th strike saw two pins fall a little late.

"The 12th was perfect," Richer said, and that's when his legs got rubbery.

Richer has been bowling since he was in the fourth grade, and bowls in leagues twice a week, in Coulee Dam on Tuesdays and then in a top league in Omak on Wednesdays.

Richer grew up in the Walla Walla area and spent 22 years in the Air Force.

He carries a 214 average and posted a 733 series when he threw his 300 game.

If he wasn't a bit stunned with his 300 game, the other bowlers there at the time were.