Danville student Gavin Fauver bowls perfect game

DANVILLE, Ill. —

per’-fect (adj) – entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings

Very rarely in sports can an athlete accomplish something that is perfect. A quarterback can complete every pass, but not throw a touchdown. A golfer can hit a hole-in-one, then bogey the next hole. A pitcher can throw a perfect game, yet not strike out anyone.

On January 11, at the Old Orchard Lanes and Links in Savoy, Gavin Fauver had one of those can’t-be-improved-upon perfect moments in sports: bowling a Perfect Game of 300 at the Brian Hodge Memorial Tournament (Brian Hodge was a teacher and coach at Hoopeston Area Middle School who passed away way too soon from cancer).

Gavin, from Tilton, is a junior on the Danville High School Viking Bowling Team. He was understandably excited, as could be seen in a video of the final strike. “My previous high game was 280,” Gavin says. He finished the tournament in 6th place out of 78 bowlers.

Gavin has been bowling for only four years, three of which have been spent on the Danville High School bowling team. This year he helped the Vikings to their most successful season, finishing at 7-3, placing 3rd in Regionals, and advancing to Sectionals.

Coach Michael Dokey celebrated the team by saying, “It never failed if someone was having a bad game, somebody would bowl their best game and pick them up.”

Coach Dokey is already expecting great things for next season. “We aren’t losing anyone to graduation, and we will be a team looking to go to the state tournament.”

While not well-known as an IHSA sport, the excitement and team spirit of IHSA bowling has made an impact in Danville.

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