[ BOWLING ]
Seiko Fujiwara bowled a few practice frames at Leeward Bowl. The 91-year-old recently bowled a 286, and received an award from the American Bowling Congress.
The Old Dog’s
New TrickSeiko Fujiwara earning
bowling accolades at 91
Seiko Fujiwara traded one vice for another some 30 years ago.
The 91-year-old from Mililani took up bowling as a means of improving his health. Doctors warned him that his high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes would have detrimental effects on his health.
But Fujiwara confesses it was the consumption -- or non-consumption -- of beer that made the most impact.
"I gave up beer," Fujiwara said. "I quit drinking. Not one drop. I took up bowling."
Fujiwara, nicknamed "Fuji" by friends, gave up the cold suds cold turkey and bowls four times a week now at Leeward Bowl in Pearl City.
It was during a Wednesday senior mixed handicap league two weeks ago that he rolled 10 strikes in a row and came up just short of a perfect game. His knee started to bother him in the final frame, but he finished with a score of 286, more than 110 pins above his average (173).
Fujiwara was heartily congratulated by his friends in the 55-and-over senior mixed league on Wednesday after receiving his awards from the American Bowling Congress. The ABC presented Fujiwara with a watch, two calculators and an emblem to signify his accomplishment.
Also dangling from the ceiling above the lanes at Leeward Bowl is a clear board with the names of four bowlers who have recently had significant games. Fujiwara's name is among them.
Fujiwara seemed a bit befuddled by the attention bestowed on him. His son Edward says Fuji barely mentioned the high score after he picked him up from the alley.
"I pick him up every day. He didn't mention it to me," Edward Fujiwara said. "His friends coming out said, 'Your father do pretty good today.' He was pretty much happy. For him to bowl consistently, it's a great thing to do. ... He's encouraging for people to watch. He doesn't act his age."
Or look it either.
Fujiwara looks closer to 70 than 91. On average he is at least 10 years older than most of the participants in the 55-and-over league, where high fives are more like light palm taps than resounding slaps.
His ball, a 12-pound red-and-black fireball, has seen plenty of action. Fujiwara has bowled consistently since picking up the sport at 59. The only break he took from the sport was in the mid 1990s when he had to care for his wife, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Fujiwara didn't bowl for six years. He returned to the sport three years ago after his wife died.
"After she passed away I came back," Fujiwara said. "I missed the bowling. It's more for fun, the challenge of it."
His final challenge is bowling the perfect game. Fujiwara was close once. He bowled a 299 when he was 74.
Edward Fujiwara jokes that his dad won't die until he's done it.
"He's committed to bowling. He goes a lot," Edward Fujiwara said. "He thinks a lot about it. He reads magazines about it.
"The time he can leave this world is when he hits his 300 game. He's not fully happy until he hits 300. He's been hitting 300 in practice games but not sanctioned events. It's hard to hit that high."
Fujiwara hits golf balls at the driving range for exercise. Before bowling, Fujiwara primarily fished and was once president of the Rainbow Casting Club. He also played softball and baseball and counts baseball, golf and volleyball among the sports he watches on TV. But it is bowling that is his addiction.
"I really appreciate bowling well," Fujiwara said. "For my friends too, the old people, it's incentive. They see an old guy can do it, they can do it."
