Ebonite

Apr 23, 2012

If you really are as young as you feel, then Joe Cirillo is still in the prime of his life and shows no signs of slowing down.

The 83-year-old right-hander still can hang with the young guys, and proved as much by rolling his first honor scores since 2004.

Bowling at Paradise Lanes in Yonkers, N.Y., Cirillo used an Ebonite Cyclone to post games of 241, 267 and 300 for an 808 series on April 12th.

“Rolling big scores never gets old,” said Cirillo, who operates the pro shop at Paradise Lanes. “I can still bring it when I need to.”

Cirillo has been in the bowling business since 1961, when he opened his first pro shop in The Bronx. He moved the business to Yonkers in 1976 and has been there ever since.

“I really love being in the bowling business,” he said. “I love talking and working with the bowlers. It keeps me interested in the game.”

One of the big sellers has been the Ebonite Cyclone, a great ball for bowlers looking for great performance on a budget. Ebonite recently added two new colors to the entry-level reactive line, and Cirillo says his bowlers love the ball.

“I’ve been selling a lot of them,” said Cirillo. “It’s a great ball for the money, and I’m moving them out of my shop pretty well.”

Cirillo should be selling a few more after he used a Cyclone in the Thursday Night Classic league. He said the more the lanes began to dry out, the stronger the ball got.

“It’s a nice even-breaking bowling ball,” he said. “As the lanes changed, I was still able to control my shot. I got stronger as the ball got stronger.”

The 300 game was the 11th in Cirillo’s career, and his first since August 2004. The 808 series was his first since February 2003, when he put together games of 279,279 and 278 for his career high series of 836.

Although Cirillo only bowls once a week, he still keeps his competitive juices flowing. Like a lot of prominent players in New York City, Cirillo got his start bowling heads-up “action” games. In fact, you can still find him bowling in the Sunday morning pot games.

“I like the thrill of throwing the ball for the money,” said Cirillo, who’s highest PBA finish was third at the 1982 PBA Senior Championship in Canton, OH. “That’s something that I will do as long as I can be competitive. I always Bowl to Win.”

“Joe has been a friend for years, and is a legend in the bowling community,” said Ed Gallagher, Ebonite Brand Manager. “This latest achievement just reaffirms Joe’s ‘legend’ status!”

—  Ebonite Bowling Balls & Bowling Equipment - Ebonite is a brand of Ebonite International, Inc. Based in Hopkinsville, Ky., Ebonite International is a privately-owned company that services bowling centers, distributors and retail outlets domestically and internationally. In addition to Ebonite, the company’s consumer product brands include Hammer,Columbia 300,Track, Robby’s and Powerhouse™; its commercial product brand is Ebonite Bowling Center Direct.

« Go Back