One-On-One with Garrett Richardson: Silent Assassin
I first met Garrett as an add-on player to fill a spot on his team in the ‘22/’23 winter league at Clayton Valley Bowl. I had no idea how lucky I was at the time. After watching him bowl and seeing how he goes about his business week-in and week-out, along with the knowledge and respect he has in the bowling world, I knew I wanted to capture his passion and share some of his journey through bowling.
In elementary school, Garrett went to a birthday party at Pinole Valley Lanes. At the age of 9 years old Garrett walked into the alley and from that day forward bowling would never be the same again. The ‘Silent Assassin’ was born. “I really enjoyed it. Mom got me into a summer league, got my first ball, a blue AMF Boogie, my favorite color. I stayed with the sport ever since.”
The young lefty loved the game and was on a mission at an early age. Over the next decade Garrett would learn how to bowl and develop his own style. Gradually, his efforts started producing the results he was looking for and his confidence began to grow. I asked Garrett when he first felt like he knew he was a good bowler. “Honestly, at a young age I didn’t think I was that good. I kept working on getting better. Once I started qualifying for spots in the competitive USBC Junior Gold Tournaments year after year, that showed me that I was a good bowler.”
It wasn’t long before he would earn the reputation as a fierce competitor who wouldn’t quit. In time, friends would call him the ‘silent assassin’, and for good reason. During matches, just when you thought Garrett was down and maybe not bowling as well, he would catch and overtake you before you knew it. “My mother has always said it is not over ‘till the last ball is thrown’, which is very true because you just don’t know what can happen in the last game of competition.”
Overall, just a lot of work has been put in and continues to be put in to get better each day. It Never stops.
-Garrett Richardson
As Garrett became a young man, his penchant for strikes lead to more successes and his confidence only grew. “Once I became an adult it was more mental and being strong in that realm of bowling. Once I got more tournaments and leagues under my belt it gave me more confidence to show I can really bowl and be good at it. Overall, just a lot of work has been put in and continues to be put in to get better each day. It Never stops. I rolled my first 300 game at age 18 with my Storm Razor Wire. I had multiple 290 games before that and it was frustrating coming up short, but I kept working on my mental game, to know I could get there. After I rolled the 300 game, my confidence just went up.”
Garrett has more than ten 300 games under his belt between sanctioned and non-sanctioned events. On his thoughts if any of those feats stood out more than the others. “My first 300/800 combo in league stands out in my mind. It was a Friday night league. I had a 300, 257 and 280 for an 837 series. I was using a Storm Tropical Storm hybrid on that night.”
Also, in 2013 at Diablo Valley Bowl, Garrett would bowl the highest series on record on those lanes before the alley closed. That night, Garrett rolled an 876 series (278,299,299) using his Roto Grip Wrecker. “It was a crazy night when I did it and was almost numbing because I was not expecting to bowl anything like that, probably no one really does.”
The most impressive thing that I respect about Garrett’s game is how he always remains cool and calm on every shot. I’ve personally seen him shoot his best series over the years. He still approaches the game like he has more to learn.
-Quinton House
During his bowling journey, Garrett also developed an interest and knack for the technical side of bowling. Back in Jr. High School a local bowling shop owner, Al Louie, put up a sign saying he was hiring. Garrett was all over it. “I was persistent with asking about getting the opportunity to be in the shop and learn more about the game in the pro shop world. I was not looking at it for the money but more so just getting better with the sport and learning more about bowling balls and fitting.”
His persistence would pay off and Garrett was hired. He started with cleaning bowling balls and plugging holes. It would be about a year of training before he was able to start drilling and learning how to fit bowlers. “Al was very particular about everything and looking back I totally get it and I am the same way. He constantly was learning more about better fitting methods to help bowlers be better. He always said ‘you can’t out-bowl a bad fit’ which is very true because if the fit isn’t right, it does not matter what ball is in your hand, the result can be an inconsistent release or potential injury.
In 2011, unfortunately, Al passed away. In 2012, Garrett and a friend took over the shop and fulfilled a dream. “I wanted to run a pro shop since I was young and I was able to do that until 2020 when the pandemic came. Having that shop was one of my dreams come true. Hopefully, down the road I’ll get back into a pro shop. Being in the pro shop industry from 2004 to 2020 I have met a lot of people in the industry and gained many relationships both friendly and business wise. I have no regrets and have enjoyed every minute of it.”
Garrett has developed a special and long-standing relationship with Storm bowling company since 2008. “It has been a dream and a great relationship with them. With Storm being family owned it is a different feel. The care they have for bowlers, to develop and get them the right equipment and to make bowling better each and every day. They have always been there when we needed something to make our game better. To this day it has not changed, I love Storm. I can’t imagine being anywhere else. #StormNation.”
On his thoughts about the status of the game of bowling today and if there are any changes he might like to see. “With the evolution of the 2-handed method, bowling has gained a lot of new bowlers. It has been a while since I have seen a lot of new young bowlers in the area, which is great. There have been many changes including ball ‘bans’ these last 2-3 years and I think that can potentially delay the progress of the game. Also, there are rules such as handicap that could be changed. I believe it’s getting out of hand. You see a lot of so called ‘sandbaggers’ who have a low average in league but in tournaments shoot a lot higher than what their average is, and they do it consistently. Handicap rules should be closely reviewed to help ensure integrity.”
I asked Garrett what advice he would give to bowlers who want to learn the game and improve their scores. “It is going to be hard at the beginning and seeing others around you hooking the ball a lot and striking. Practice a lot and find yourself a coach. Don’t get down on yourself when times are tough and you’re not scoring well. If I’m mathematically out of a match or an event, I try to look at it as a positive of knowing what to work on and just start to try other things. I would take notes on my phone so if I see this type of lane condition again in the future, then I’ll have something to fall back on. Everyone goes through it but the more you practice and put time into your craft the better you will be, and you will see the results.”
Garrett has been an inspiration to me personally and to those who know him and certainly to anyone who’s watched him bowl. The deck clears about as fast and furious as you will ever see after his ball hits the pocket – it’s a beautiful thing to watch. He’s also as genuine and as nice a guy as you’ll ever meet. If you see him at the alley, just walk up and say hello, he’ll likely ask you about your own game. But when the lights come on and the pin rack lowers, it’s time for match play – don’t ignite the ‘Silent Assassin’.
