HUBER HEIGHTS -- When she isn't scattering tenpins at a nearbybowling establishment, you can usually find Janelle Petry at apeewee football field absorbing coaching techniques.
'I'm just an assistant now and not involved in the X's and 0's,'said the 30-year-old Wayne High School graduate (1996). 'But I'mlearning and would love nothing better than to coach one of theseteams.'
If her football enthusiasm comes anywhere near her lethal effortson the lanes, her grid aspirations will be fulfilled -- and thensome.
Petry, a four-year varsity softball player at Wayne, has pitchedperfection on the bowling scene. She has rolled no less than sixperfect 300s and narrowly missed a seventh when she spared in theopening frame and struck out the rest of the way -- 11 straight --to settle for a 290.
'I have been bowling since I was 4 years old, and my parents(Kristen and Frank Petry of Huber Heights) were active and excellentbowlers,' said the rookie football mentor. 'I guess it's in thegenes.
'In fact, both mom and dad both had 299 games.'
A family interest
Petry also confessed her interest in peewee football can beattributed to her niece and nephew. The niece is Lexia Erisman, afourth-grader at Pathway Charter School in Dayton, who is acheerleader in the Huber Heights Youth Football Conference, and thenephew, Pathway first-grader Skyler Erisman, who's an offensivelineman for the Bantam White team in the HHYFC.
And how did a nonparent woman pull off the rarity of getting on acoaching staff?
'I went to a preseason meeting, and when they asked for volunteerdads to assist the head coaches, I stood up and asked, 'Does an auntcount?' '
Thus, the pigskin career of this bowling bomber began and whileher assistant role is confined to calisthenics, distributing playsand helping to keep things organized, she said, 'I just love workingwith the kids and hope someday to be a peewee head coach. Wouldn'tthat be great?'
Jeff Murphy, head coach of the Bantam White team, said, 'Janellehas been a major help -- and I doubt if there are any other womenassistants in the program.
'She keeps all our stats and roster records and has a goodrapport with the kids,' said the former Wayne defensive back and '96grad. 'She really helps getting things organized.'
The perfect game
Petry, who is averaging 216 in league bowling, rolled her first300 two weeks after her 21st birthday at Poelking Woodman Lanes. Shelater rolled a second 300 at Woodman but the other four perfectgames were racked up at Poelking Marian Lanes in Huber Heights.
The most recent ABC ringworthy effort was recorded a year ago(Oct. 18) at Poelking Marian.
'My main goal right now is bowling my first 800 series, and theclosest I've come to that was a 793 last year,' said Petry, whoworks as a team leader at Dayton CareSource, a medicare managingoffice.
Petry, a 200-average bowler since she was 16, said she bowled atWayne 'but the sport wasn't yet a part of the athletic curriculum,so we competed in a high school traveling league.'
She earned a bachelor's degree in business management in '05 atthe University of Phoenix on Poe Avenue, graduating with a 3.96 GPA.
Contact this writer with story ideas at (937) 236-6032 ormickeyz@zoomtown.com.
