By Nick Regina | nregina@siadvance.com
Staten Island Advance | silive.com
Forty-three-year-old Westerleigh resident Joey Weisenstein was feeling it on Monday, or maybe he wasn’t, but the veteran bowler nevertheless set a Staten Island record when he compiled an 878 series, besting Ryan Friend’s mark of 877, which was set in 2016.
“Honestly, I really wasn’t feeling it,” admitted Weisenstein, who fired games of 279, 300, and 299 in the Montalbano Men’s League at Showplace Bowling and Entertainment Center. “I got in a zone and it just kept coming.
“The pins were just going down, I wasn’t really feeling anything,” said Weisenstein.
The perfect game marked the 70th of the lefty bowler’s career, and he narrowly missed 71 after failing to knock over just one pin on the 10th and final frame of his last game.
Perhaps, even more remarkable than his poise, was the fact that Weisenstein wasn’t even aware that he had captured the record.
“It’s kind of surreal to be honest,” said Weisenstein. “I knew I had a shot going in, but I thought the record was 878, so I thought I had tied it.”
Weisenstein, who uses a Radical Zing ball, said his previous career high series was 856.
He also acknowledged being recognized among some of the Island’s elite bowlers.
“Ryan Friend is a great bowler, Jeff Scire has a bunch of high series, it’s nice to be mentioned up there with them,” said Weisenstein. “The pins just went down tonight, I didn’t try to do anything different than any other night.”