Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 11, 1993                   TAG: 9312110183
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HICKS BOWLS 1ST 300 GAME

But after nine perfect frames in the Mixed-Up Dogwoods mixed league at Vinton Bowling Center, the normal night turned into a nervous one for Hicks, 40.

The 40 or so bowlers at the lane stopped their play and gathered behind Hicks to watch his final frame and his run for a 300-game.

"I never looked back," said Hicks, who bowls for Blueberry Hill. "I just looked back at my teammates. No one else was bowling except me. They were all cheering me on.

"I don't even remember thinking. It was a numb feeling. My legs felt rubbery. It's a nervous feeling. I've been there several times."

But this time, Hicks got the first 300-game of his 24-year bowling career.

Earlier this year, he rolled a 290, his previous career high.

"I didn't know I had it until the final 10-pin fell," he said. "There's never nothing for certain. I've been bowling too many years to know that." - Staff report