Anthony Dodge is the youngest person ever to bowl a 300 in Nebraska.
He is the son of Randy and Wendy Dodge.

Dodge is youngest Nebraskan to bowl a 300

by Nathan Arneal
published 3/25/09

March 15 was a perfect day for Anthony Dodge.

In his second game of a scholarship tournament at Kelley’s Hilltop Lanes in Omaha, the NBE sixth grader bowled a 300. At the age of 12 years and 34 days, he is the youngest person to ever bowl a perfect game in Nebraska, according to the United States Bowling Congress.

Dodge said his streak of strikes was in danger early on.

“In the fourth or fifth frame I went dead on into the headpin,” he said, “but they all just kind of fell into the gutters. It was my luckiest strike of the day, I thought.”

As the strikes continued and his score mounted, a crowd began to gather around his lanes. Even when he passed his previous high score of 264, he wasn’t feeling any pressure. Until it was time for his final attempt, that is.

“I really wasn’t nervous until the last ball, because I knew I already had 290,” he said.

He said his last throw felt good, but the ball crossed over to strike the pins on the wrong side of the headpin. It didn’t matter.

“All of (the pins) fell and I was jumping and screaming,” Dodge said. “It was unbelievable.”

He went on to complete a three-game series score of 705 and win the tournament. For taking first place, he won a $600 scholarship. For the 300, he was awarded a new bowling ball and jacket.

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