Bowling: Buenaventura

By Karl Corser

Locker Room Correspondent

A STAR IS BORN

About five years ago a young man walked into Larry Craig’s Pro Shop in Ocean Lanes and asked: "I want to be one of the better bowlers in this bowling center. Can you help me?"

The young man was Jake Buenaventura. Today Jake is one of the premier bowlers on the Central Coast and one of the highest average bowlers at Ocean Lanes.

He and Larry worked for several months developing Jake’s skills, drilling bowling balls to fit his hand and his style of delivery, and learning how to "read" lanes, that is, ball reaction when rolled over different spots on the lanes. Jake also read books written by professional bowling instructors, talked with many of the better bowlers in the area, and had his bowling delivery video taped by one of the best instructors on the Central Coast, Tom Shepard of ZoDo’s, Bowling and Beyond in Goleta (CA). Jake took all of this information onto the practice lanes and spent hours and hours developing his style, learning how to pick up spares, and putting into use all that he had learned during the preceding months and hundreds of hours of practice.

Jake averaged a very respectable 179 for his first year of competitive league and tournament bowling. He thought his average should be higher but he quickly realized that knocking down pins was not as easy as it looked and as he thought it would be. Jake pressed on.

Year two was more hard work, hours of practice, and developing a positive mental attitude for as he quickly found out, there would be many of "those" days when the pins wouldn’t fall regardless of what he did. He raised his average to 199 in year two, just on the edge of his ultimate goal, a deuce average. Why a deuce? It was considered to be an achievement of greatness, similar to a 300 average for a baseball player or a par 72 by a golfer. And lets be honest, carrying a deuce singled him out to be one of the best of the best amongst his peers. All athletes want this acknowledgement.

Year three was Jake’s year. He rolled in six leagues and averaged a deuce in all six with a high of 214. He bowled in many local, state, and national tournaments and although he didn’t win any team or individual titles, he established his credentials as being "the new super star from Lompoc."

Yes, Jake had arrived. But Jake did not limit his energy to just self, he extended his expertise to his wife, Lerma, who is one of the better women bowlers in the Valley, and his two sons, Jeremy and Justin, both up and coming stars in the junior bowling program. He also became a coach for the junior bowling program and a major supporter of youth bowling for Santa Barbara County.

The sport of bowling has many stars, international, national, and local. Within the local community, one of the most famous stars is Jake Buenaventura. Put a bowling ball in his hand and he is a force to be reckoned with. Put him amongst a group of junior bowlers and he is a leader, a teacher, an inspiration and role model for the stars of tomorrow.