Nearly everyone who becomes immersed in competitive or even social bowling for a long time ends up hearing about the “Varipapa 300.”

It was even mentioned on the telecast of the 2025 PBA Tour Finals.

A strike string at the end of one game and another at the beginning of the following game that add up to twelve total strikes: thats a "Varipapa 300."

Dig deeper into the eponym, and you may discover Glenn Gerstner’s biography “Andy Varipapa: Bowling’s First Superstar.”

You can find it at McFarlandbooks.com.

The first-ever biography on Varipapa involved plenty of digging for Gerstner, and brought to light information that Varipapa’s own family was not previously aware of.

Gerstner discusses the “Great Varipapa,” and the process of creating the biography in “One of One.”

Check out video of Andy Varipapa on Gerstner's YouTube channel: youtube.com/@AndyVaripapaBook

(Thank you to Gerstner and McFarland (McFarlandBooks.com) for providing a copy of "Andy Varipapa: Bowling’s First Superstar” ahead of this podcast)

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The Madison Area Scratch Tour (madisonareascratchtour.com) brings in bowlers from all over Wisconsin for its events.

And those who have competed for titles in the past few decades have likely run into Jeff Richgels, the tour’s career championship leader.

But it may not be that way going forward, as Richgels mentioned when i stopped at the year end event in April.

Jeff owns and runs 11thframe.com, which is a fantastic resource for news and information on our sport. Check it out and support Jeff’s work. #buytheblog

Having him on the show was also a great opportunity to discuss some of bowling’s interesting happenings, like string pinsetters in more areas of Wisconsin, what a TV schedule for the PBA could look like in 2026 and beyond and an incredible series at the USBC Open Championships for one of Jeff’s longtime teammates.

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Bowling With The Fef! podcast: https://bowlingwiththefef.podbean.com/ Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347 Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef Bowling With The Fef! on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bwtf.bsky.social

Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:

Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #chipmagnet

Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes. https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

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When Jason Belmonte shoes up for the 2025 PBA Tour Finals this weekend, he’ll do so as the number three seed.

It’s the last national tour event he plans to bowl this season.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Belmo while he was at home in Australia.

He discussed a noticeable change in his demeanor on television over the years, winning a title with Bill O’Neill and witnessing his PBA Hall of Fame induction, and the controversy at the Players Championship that spilled over onto social media.

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What’s YOUR bowling story all about?

Tell us!

SUBSCRIBE (on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/bowlingwiththefef?sub_confirmation=1

Email BowlingWithTheFef@yahoo.com and YOU could be on the show!

Bowling With The Fef! Official Merch Store: https://etsy.com/shop/bowlingwiththefefco

Bowling With The Fef! podcast: https://bowlingwiththefef.podbean.com/

Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/855152748614347

Bowling With The Fef! on X: https://x.com/BWTFef

Bowling With The Fef! on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bwtf.bsky.social

Bowling With The Fef! is brought to you by:

Chip Magnet salsa - Raise your snack standards! https://www.chipmagnetsalsa.com/ #chipmagnet

Jerry’s Skor-mor Bowling Supply - The Eau Claire, WI area’s leader in bowling supplies, bowling ball drilling and more since 1988. Located inside Wagner’s Lanes. https://jerrysskormorbowlingsupply.com/ (715) 559-1822

Visionary Video Hub: Video with IMPACT

https://visionaryvideohub.com