The key to his success in bowling, says Southold’s Marvin Alvarado, is not getting rattled. His calm demeanor was never more evident on Tuesday afternoon, recording a pair of personal bests in Southold/Greenport’s 31-2 bowling loss against Longwood High School. He rolled his first 600 series and a career-high 255 in a Suffolk County League II encounter at The All Star in Riverhead.
“Being more calm,” he says. “Every time I messed it up, I would get mad at myself. But then over the course of time, I just got more chill,” Marvin Alvarado said.
It has worked beautifully.
“I don’t think we’ve had a 600 series in a long time,” head coach Alex Sinclair said.
Marvin Alvarado finished with 624.
“I can’t say enough good things about Marvin,” Sinclair said. “He comes to practice and works hard every single day. Always has a smile on his face, which is just so infectious. He’s a leader on our team, and the kids look up to him. He’s always willing to lend a hand to someone that may be struggling or just needs some advice.”
Marvin Alvarado did not need much advice Tuesday as the right-hander hit his rhythm early en route to 255. He estimated that his previous high was around 230.
“I was just calm,” he said. “Keep it in my same exact spot.”
That first round was one tough act to follow. Alvarado rolled 179 in his second game and 190 in his third to crack the magic 600 barrier.
After the match, Longwood head coach Doug Dwyer congratulated Alvarado, and the Southold senior took it to heart.
“I felt I accomplished [something], the other coaches knowing that I’m good as well,” he said.
Alvarado, who played with the Settlers’ soccer team in the fall, is in his third season bowling.
“My friends bowl. I guess I’d give it a try,” he said, explaining why he tried out for the team. “For the first year I bowled straight. The second year I gave more to curving [the ball], using two hands. That got me 255.”
Alvarado was the lone Southold bowler to break 200, but Sinclair was encouraged by his squad’s performance against Longwood (3-0), one of the league’s best teams.
“Just really proud of this team,” he said. “They don’t give up. They’re always pulling for each other. They never get down on each other. Even if the other team is doing much better than us, our team still thinks that they’re in it. They never think that they’re out of it. They never hang their heads. They always they always think that they have a chance.”
Senior Brian Schill was second on the Settlers with a 510 series (141, 187, 182), followed by sophomore Evan Czartosieski at 459 (156, 168, 135) and junior Joseph Zuhoski IV at 427 (130, 135, 172).
Freshman Aaron Davis, a last-minute fill-in for a sick teammate, recorded a 293 (165, 128) in the first two games before senior Max McCarthy bowled a 184 in the third.
“All three coaches of the teams that we played said that this team is not a pushover anymore,” said Sinclair, noting that Southold defeated Riverhead, 24-9, on Dec. 5.
“We haven’t done that in a few years,” he added. “We were very competitive with Middle Country last week. The pins didn’t fall in their favor.”
Though the match had been decided well before the final ball, there was plenty of late drama on Tuesday. Longwood senior Cory Volper was a strike away from a perfect game. Except for the background music, the bowling alley went silent. Volper then knocked down all 10 pins to cheers and applause.
“Everybody wants to watch it,” Dwyer said. “It’s the coolest thing to do. The kids are rooting for each other.”
Sinclair certainly was.
“You’ve just got to tip your hat to Corey Volper rolling that 300,” he said. “Even if it happens against your team, it’s just something that’s really cool and inspires our team to bowl even better.”
Including Alvarado, who has set his sights on some bigger goals.
“Getting a 300,” he said. “I was close enough. Or a 700 series as well.”
If he continues to keep his calm, it would not be surprising to find Alvarado in a position to accomplish some more impressive feats this season.