Columbia teen following family's bowling tradition

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- When young children first try to throw a bowling ball, they usually push it toward the pins with both hands in hopes of striking at least one.

From an early age, Devin Klotz could throw the ball down the lane one-handed and knock down eight pins out of 10.

His parents said they could tell he was going to be good at the sport when his bowling balls rolled with a natural hook. From the get-go, Devin Klotz could automatically take the correct number of steps, end on his left foot and throw the ball in one fluid motion.

"I knew Devin was talented when he could throw the bowling ball at that age one-handed, without any help," said his father, Daryl Klotz. "It was just so natural."

At 16, Devin Klotz threw a perfect game. He racked up 12 strikes in a row to earn a score of 300, an accomplishment that has dimmed over the years but is still worth bragging about. Last season, 55,256 bowlers scored a perfect game, according to the U.S. Bowling Congress -- but keep in mind, millions of games are played every year.

"It's not too rare for someone 16 because we have a lot of talented youth bowlers. But it's still cool to accomplish," said Matt Cannizzaro, a spokesman for the Bowling Congress.

Now 17, Devin Klotz comes from a long line of bowling champions. His great-grandmother, Mildred Todd, was inducted into the Columbia Bowling Hall of Fame in 1976 and bowled competitively for 30 years.

Todd's granddaughter, Lynn Klotz, is Devin Klotz's mom, and Devin Klotz's dad grew up with a mother who was a serious bowler. She introduced him to the game when he was 12.

Daryl Klotz became good at the sport and has earned a number of honors in his own bowling career. He bowled his first 300 game in 2001 and has since thrown a perfect score nine more times.

He won the Columbia USBC tournament in 2012 and was a member of the second-place team at the Missouri USBC Open Champions tournament in 2010. In 2013, he was named to the Columbia Bowling Hall of Fame.

Devin Klotz, an only child, wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. As a junior at Battle High School, he has a lot on his plate, but he finds time to bowl on three teams. He is a leader on Battle's bowling team, he bowls on the Columbia Youth Bowling League team and belongs to a traveling team based in Jefferson City.

"I taught him the finer points of how to utilize marks on the lines and what you want to repeat every time to get better," his father said.

One of the reasons Devin Klotz is so good is his ability to teach himself and process the game in his head, his parents said.

"One of his strengths is being able to adjust to the lanes," said his mother, Lynn Klotz. "The technical aspects of the game he learns almost without even being taught. He learns from experience."

In order to keep their busy schedules organized, she keeps a calendar of tournaments, bowling leagues and any other game dates. It's not unusual for the family to schedule 13 to 15 events every week.

Early in the week, the family coordinates all their upcoming schedules, using their iPhones to plan and keep in touch.

"We definitely have to plan ahead," Lynn Klotz said. "We get to see each other Friday nights, and at home."

At least one night a week, the Klotzes are at AMF Town & Country Lanes on North Providence Road. Lynn Klotz bowls Monday nights, Daryl Klotz bowls on Tuesdays, and sometimes he also subs on Wednesdays.

Devin Klotz spends about 10 hours a week at the bowling alley. Half the time he is bowling; the rest he spends with Josh Tharp, who owns and works at the pro shop.

On Saturday mornings, Devin Klotz is almost always in a tournament, either in Columbia or on the road. September is the beginning of the season for bowling, and the family began by competing in the Kansas City Open. Devin Klotz finished 11th out of 18.

In October, the Klotzes returned to Kansas City for another tournament, and Devin Klotz placed second. In St. Louis the next weekend, Devin bowled in a Junior Bowling Club tournament where he came in 11th out of 25 youth bowlers.

The next weekend at a tournament in Salem, Missouri, his team finished first. In November, they will be out of town every weekend for tournaments.

The entire family usually goes on the road trips, sometimes taking Tharp along. According to the family, he is like a second son. He and Devin Klotz entertain the others along the way.

"There's always a we're-going-to-die moment when someone is laughing too hard and not paying attention to the road," Tharp said.

Five hours into a trip to Buffalo, New York, last year, the boys decided to riff on the "Harlem Shake." There was a lot of arm waving and general craziness staged for an impromptu video recording.

Devin Klotz was driving, and the group didn't realize he was waving his arms like everyone else until the video was posted on Facebook.

"It was one of the many, many fun times we've had while driving to bowling tournaments," his father said, although his son was reprimanded for not keeping his hands on the wheel.

When there is a free weekend, the family feels disoriented.

"Lost is a good word for it," Devin Klotz said. "With no tournament, there's no plan that weekend, and I'm just not sure what to do."

The family owns at least 30 bowling balls, and they spend up to $8,000 a year to participate in their sport. Devin Klotz received his first performance bowling ball when he was 9.

Devin Klotz's favorite color is red, so, naturally, he wanted a red bowling ball. His dad researched on the Internet to find one and snapped out a picture to show to him. Under the lights, the ball appeared pink, and Devin rejected it.

"He wouldn't accept the ball to keep until he saw it for real," said his father. "Once we got it, he saw it was red, and he's used the ball for a few years now."

Now, Tharp is the only one who gets to work on Devin Klotz's equipment in his shop.

"That's just how he is about it," Tharp said. "It was really cool to know that I drilled the ball that he bowled the 300 game with."

Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com