LORAIN, Ohio — An Ohio man with Down syndrome achieved the ultimate score in bowling, rolling a perfect game in a league formed by his mother 25 years ago for people with special needs.
Andy Rivera, 50, of Lorain, perfected his form over a quarter-century of bowling. On Dec. 9 he hurled a 300 game at the Rebman Recreation Bowling Center in Lorain, WJW-TV reported.
“He just loves bowling, we love Andy,” Patti Rebman, owner of the bowling alley, told the television station. “In fact, so many people don’t even know that his last name is Rivera, they just know Andy and he’s just absolutely adorable.”
Rivera’s mother, Isabel Rivera, decided to start a bowling league for people with special needs at Rebman, WEWS-TV reported.
The league continues to this day, and Andy Rivera remains a dedicated member, at times bowling five times a week.
“We have probably, I would say close to 75 individuals that bowl every week and then we do run tournaments where we’ll get over 100 bowlers of the special needs of all ages,” Rebman told WEWS.
Isabel Rivera died on Dec. 5, 2022, at the age of 78, so her son’s perfect game carried more meaning for the Rivera family.
“He misses our parents,” Andy’s sister, Elba Perez, told WEWS. “Mom was the one that would bring him when she was here.”
In the sport of bowling, a 300 game is considered perfection, and a dedicated Northeast Ohio bowler is being saluted for achieving his longtime dream of rolling a 300. Read more below.https://t.co/e5zJzKA3xE
— fox8news (@fox8news) December 20, 2023
When Rivera finished off his perfect game, bowlers and spectators began to celebrate with the chant, “Andy! Andy!”
A video of that moment was posted on Rebman Recreation’s Facebook page.
“I get emotional, and Andy, he’ll see that video and he just loses it,” Perez told WJW while hugging her brother. “He stated that he felt that when he got the 300, that Mom was here and he and Mom were very close.
“This is her legacy and, you know what I love about it, is that it’s going to continue.”
