Ashton Gerard/MDN Cal Carnell stands in front of the lanes at North Hill Bowl with the ball he threw his record-setting series with. Carnell set a new series record with a score of 868 on March 13 at North Hill Bowl.

Cal Carnell stared down the lane as he does any other day, but something about that Tuesday was different.

Tuesday, March 13, marked the day Carnell would set a new series record at North Hill Bowl with a 868, beginning with a perfect game.

Previously, the series record was held by Kyle Niess, set on Feb. 18, 2004, with a score of 847. Carnell was able to pass this record by 21 pins, but was left 32 pins short of a perfect 900 series.

To date, only 33 people have bowled a perfect series, with the last one occurring Oct. 17, 2017, in Long Island, New York.

“It was pretty emotional,” Carnell said of the North Hill Bowl record. “It was the highest series, plus the first perfect game I’ve shot.”

Bowling a perfect game, a 300 achieved by 12 strikes in a row, is something that every bowler looks forward to in their lifetime. Carnell was able to set a new record for himself and for North Hill Bowl that Tuesday.

Carnell has been bowling since he was 6-years-old, spending whatever spare time he has perfecting his game, and it’s something that has now paid off and will forever leave a legacy on North Hill Bowl.

“It’s kind of been a family thing,” Carnell said about bowling. “My grandpa did it and my dad started doing it, and I started about the age of six.”

Originally, Carnell is from Williston, moved to Minot and has now lived here for the past four years. Most nights, Carnell can be found either working or bowling at North Hill Bowl. Bowling is something Carnell takes seriously and is constantly working to improve.

While Carnell might have seemed like a stone cold thrower that record-setting evening, Carnell said he was anything but.

“When I shot the first game, which was the perfect game, the 300, when I went up to throw the last ball I was shaking. I felt like I was about to shake out of my shoes,” he said.

It’s a good thing he didn’t, because that final throw led to his first perfect game, and a nice platform for the record-setting series to follow.

Carnell’s second game was all strikes up until the final 10 frame. The first ball was a strike, earning Carnell two more strike opportunities.

“My ball went a little heavy in the pocket,” Carnell said of his second attempt. “It left a 7-pin, and I was able to pick that up for the 289.”

Carnell said he was disappointed he couldn’t pick up the final two strikes in the second game, saying the second shot looked like a good shot off the hand, and it would’ve been back-to-back 300’s, but the pins did not have the game in his favor.

On the third game, Carnell picked up the first nine strikes, but stumbled on the 10th frame. To open the 10th, Carnell missed the shot off the hand, but wasn’t too disappointed because it wasn’t the best shot.

Overall, Carnell was able to set a new record, and is something the Minot bowling community can be proud of.

“To shoot an 800, there’s probably been 15 in the history of the building,” Jeff Kragh of North Hill Bowl said. “There have been three this year.”

While league-wise, Kragh says the bowling alley is about the same as it’s been, open bowling has been better than ever. More people are coming to North Hill Bowl to improve their skills or have some family fun. Either way, it’s more chances to hit record breaking nights like the one on March 13.

As for Carnell, not much has changed other than this new accomplishment he will be able to carry with him forever.

“I’m just a normal guy, working at a bowling alley,” Carnell said.