Daniel Jeetan
Sport: Bowling
School: Wallington
Class: Junior. Age: 16
Accomplishment: Jeetan bowled a 300 for the first time in his career on Thursday, finishing with a 716 series to help Wallington defeat Lyndhurst in an NJIC Meadowlands match, 7-0.
By Sean Farrell, North Jersey.com
Daniel Jeetan did not want to turn around as he closed in on bowling perfection. Nor did he need to.
It was obvious that Jeetan had the stage to himself last Thursday at New North Arlington Bowl, when he crossed off a lifelong goal. So the Wallington junior took a breath and kept his eye on the pins ahead before firing the 12th and final strike.
The final shot capped off the second 300 in school history and the first since Chris Ferrara’s masterpiece in 2010. It came in front of large crowd that was hanging on his every move.
“By the 10th frame, not one person was bowling,” Jeetan said. “Every single person had their neck turned my way. Every single lane wasn’t being used. People were just standing behind our table. I didn’t even want to look back to see how many people were there.”
The next few days brought even more attention for Jeetan, who compared the experience to being a rock star.
This isn’t the first time that he’s made a serious bid for a perfect game, either. The right-hander came within a few frames before, including his previous high of 279
One of the differences this time was the ball he was using – a brand new, red and black Storm Trend 2. After watching someone roll an 800 series with it, Jeetan went out and bought his own about four days before the Lyndhurst match.
“I like the way that it reacts on the lane with the way that I throw the ball,” Jeetan said. “It just all comes together.”
Some bowlers tend to use what’s available at the lane, but Jeetan likes the comfort of having his own equipment. It didn’t take long for him to find a consistent rhythm. Each shot came out of his hand the same way.
“I actually threw [the final shot] a little out wide,” he said. “But once I saw it coming in closer and closer, I knew it was a strike.”
