By Gail Wood
A year ago, Jimmy Parkhurst did something no bowler has ever done.
He won his third Olympia Match Game title, rolling a 298 in the championship series to pull out a win in the two-day tournament that started in 1981.
“He got hot at the right time,” said Dick Taylor, tournament director and founder.
Parkhurst has a knack for getting hot. He’s won three of the past five tournaments.
But winning a fourth title won’t be easy for Parkhurst when the tournament begins later this month. The past 10 champs are entered.
“It’s a matter of bowling the right game against the right person at the right time,” Taylor said. “Getting hot helps, as long as you don’t get hot against someone who gets a little hotter.”
About 75 of Thurston County’s top bowlers will compete in the two-day tournament that begins Jan. 28 and will be held at three local bowling lanes.
Last year, Parkhurst defeated Frank DeRemer in the championship match 2-1 after losing the first match. Parkhurst won 236-248, 268-223 and 298-237, giving him the first-place prize of $600.
Parkhurst has now won in 2006, ’09 and ’11.
He said he’s not feeling any pressure of repeating.
“If it’s going to happen, it will happen,” Parkhurst said. “You just go out and roll the ball. That’s all you can do. There are a lot of good bowlers out there.”
Parkhurst started bowling when he was 5 years old. He found a bowling ball in his basement and his grandfather started taking him to the bowling ally.
When he was 10, he started bowling with Taylor.
“His goal was to beat me,” Taylor said.
“He still beats me,” Parkhurst said. “He’s got a jinx on me.”
DeRemer and Rich Cook are both two two-time winners of the Olympia Match Game, with DeRemer winning in ’01 and ’05. Cook won in 1994 and ’96.
“You can play well and still lose,” said Taylor, who won the tournament in 2003. “I remember one year I shot back-to-back 250s and I still lost my first two games.”
The tournament opens with everyone playing nine games and the top 24 scorers advance to match play on Sunday. This year’s match play, which is double elimination, will be at the Aztec Lanes starting at 9 a.m.
Last year during the qualifying rounds on Saturday, the players who advanced to the finals on Sunday averaged 203 for nine games. Tim Britton had the highest series with games of 245-279-289 for an 813 series.
Corbin Silvernail rolled a perfect 300 game in his opening match on Sunday, beating Dan Lester 300-221.
But it was Parkhurst who rolled an 802-series in his title match to win it for the third time. He’s hoping to become the first back-to-back camp in the 32 years of the tournament.
To get to the finals, DeRemer averaged 248.5 for eight games on Sunday, but he couldn’t hold off a hot Parkhurst.
Parkhurst, 27, came up through the county’s youth program.
Last year, two bowlers from the youth program made it the second day of competition and played in the match round. Caleb Hathaway went into Sunday’s round in second place after averaging 227. He finished ninth and received $305 in scholarship money.
Leea Haworth was the other youth bowler to advance to Sunday’s match-play round. She went into match play qualified 27th with a 208 average. She finished 17th for $176 scholarship money.
Denny Bolton won the first tournament in 1981.
Thirty-two years ago, Taylor and Bolton talked about starting the tournament over a cup of coffee at the old Melody Lanes in Lacey.
“We really haven’t made any changes to the tournament’s format,” Taylor said.
That first year the tournament drew 46 bowlers. Then it increased to 60 the next year and has been at 70 over more every year since.
Taylor admits he’s surprised by the longevity of the tournament.
“I guess I am a little surprised,” Taylor said. “A lot of times a tournament will start out successful, then after four, or five years and then it dies on the vine. But it’s keeps growing.”
The entry fee to play is $100. That covers the nine games on Saturday and Sunday’s rounds if you advance. This year the match play begins at 9 a.m. at the Aztec Lanes. The top 24 bowlers advance to Sunday’s match play.
Saturday’s round will be played at Westside Lanes, Tumwater Lanes and the Aztec Lanes.
Olympia Match Game champs
1981 – Denny Bolton
1982 – Denny Dawson
1983 – Duane MacDonald
1984 – Ev Olson
1985 – Dan Ruden
1986 – Mike Clement
1987 – Jim Hollen
1988 – Dale Myers
1989 – Craig Carter
1990 – Jerry Wilson
1991 – Rich Goodman
1992 – Rick West
1993 – Drew Robertson
1994 – Rich Cook
1995 – Dwayne Webb
1996 – Rich Cook
1997 – Mike O’Malley Jr.
1998 – Bill Shiflett
1999 – Drew Robertson
2000 – Jon Crow
2001 – Les Townzen
2002 – Frank DeRemer
2003 – Dick Taylor
2004 – Justin Clement
2005 – Frank DeRemer
2006 – Jimmy Parkhurst
2007 – Corey Hensley
2008 – Dan Wilson
2009 – Jimmy Parkhurst
2010 – Mitch Vernon
2011 – Jimmy Parkhurst
300 Games
1984 – Creed Clement;
1985 – Terry Hodges, Ricky Myers, Drew Robertson
1995 – Mike O’Malley, Jr.;
1997 – Tim Drescher
2005 – Vance Lombardi, Mike Edwards, Jimmy Parkhurst;
2009 – Jerad Weeks
2010 – Mike O’Malley, Jr.; Jimmy Parkhurst; Mitch Vernon; Mike Savoia
2011 – Corbin Silvernail
800 Series
2001 – Drew Robertson – 268-257-279-801;
2005 – Jimmy Parkhurst – 300-231-299-830
2009 – Frank DeRemer – 247-279-299 – 825
2011 – Tim Britton – 245-279-289-813 & 299-279-247-825;
2011 – Jimmy Parkhurst – 236-268-298-802
