Holiday Lanes in Albert Lea has been a hot spot for 300 games in recent years.

Friday, March 16, 2001

Holiday Lanes in Albert Lea has been a hot spot for 300 games in recent years. A number of bowlers have accomplished the feat each season in sanctioned league competition.

This one, though, was special. And unique.

Darroll Johannsen did it in the Monday Seniors League – a rare venue for perfect games – but that wasn’t the most unusual part of the story. His 300 made him part of the first Albert Lea couple to roll perfect games in league competition, following his wife, Pat.

&uot;It was a fun and exciting afternoon of bowling for myself and the other seniors who have not seen a 300 game rolled,&uot; said Johannsen. &uot;Now I have watched my wife Pat. We have made Albert Lea history.&uot;

The 300 game was the first in Johannsen’s series, followed by a 176 and a 186 for a total of 662. A bowler for 63 years, Johannsen competes in seven leagues and carries a current average of 201.

Johannsen has a long and storied bowling past.

In 1967, he coached a junior team that won the state tournament in Minneapolis with a score of 3130. He’s also the former proprietor of Town Club Lanes and former coach of the Lea College bowling team.

Johannsen, whose highest previous average was 187, had a previous high game of 290 – a week before the 300.

According to Johannsen, practice, attitude, technology and a little advice have helped him raise the level of his game.

&uot;By bowling more than once a week I have accomplished a higher average and a perfect game with the help of the new high-tech bowling balls and the new synthetic lanes,&uot; said Johannsen. &uot;Attitude is the biggest factor in bowling. With the help of Loren Kaiser, I have achieved a better attitude.&uot;