Recreation / Ralph Nichols : After Rolling a 299, Canoga Park Bowler Does Himself 1 Better

For weeks, Bill Puntillo agonized over the 10-pin he left standing that cost him a perfect 300 game.

Puntillo, 28, ricocheted the 6-pin off the 10-pin in the final frame and the 10-pin wobbled but remained standing, forcing the Canoga Park resident to settle for a 299.

“I was real disgusted when I left the pin standing,” said Puntillo, the assistant manager at Woodlake Bowl in Woodland Hills.

So when Puntillo had another opportunity to bowl an elusive 300 just six weeks later, he took advantage of it.

Puntillo bowled his first 300 on June 28. It was the third 300 game of the year at Woodlake Bowl and the second by an employee of the facility. Rick Bates, a porter at Woodlake Bowl, bowled a 300 in May.

“I knew I was capable of it,” Puntillo said. “I had been bowling for 10 years and I was finally able to do what every bowler sets out to achieve--a 300 game.”

The American Bowling Congress will award Puntillo a ring for both his 300 game and for bowling a 299.

Malibu invasion: LaEvan Caples of Sherman Oaks, the top-ranked amateur on the 1988 Budweiser U. S. pro-am surfing tour, will lead a contingent of Valley-area surfers at a tournament in Malibu this weekend.

Caples, 19, had the highest finish among amateurs at three Pro Surfing Assn. of America tournaments this summer. The top amateur at the end of the season in October earns trophies and prizes.

Other Valley-area amateurs competing this weekend include Rick Schaffer of Woodland Hills and Andrew Berman of North Hollywood. In addition, Mike and Tony Lamb of Sherman Oaks will compete at Malibu in the professional event along with Mike Chipko of Westlake and Jason Atherton of Thousand Oaks.

Sports schooling: The Amateur Athletic Foundation is offering sports-instruction programs for youths at seven Valley-area sites during July and August.

Gymnastics is being offered at Valley College and at California Sun Gymnastics in Simi Valley for youths aged 10 to 18. Cycling clinics are open to youths 12 to 18 at the Encino Velodrome. In addition, wheelchair tennis lessons are being offered at Chatsworth Park and Lanark Park in Canoga Park. Lanark Park is also the site of fencing sessions for youths 10 to 18.

Team handball is being offered at two sites--Northridge Junior High and at Branford Park in Arleta.

Information: 213-730-9600.

Corporate competition: The Los Angeles County Recreation and Parks Department is staging a slow-pitch softball tournament beginning Monday for corporate teams.

The five-day, double-elimination tournament at El Cariso County Park in Sylmar is part of the department’s “Lifetime Sports” program for corporate teams.

In addition to the 16-team softball tournament, there will be a team golf tournament at Knollwood Golf Course on July 29 and a tennis tournament September 24-25.

Information: 805-259-1750.

Stage 1: The first stage in the ninth Castaic Triathlon Series will be held today at Castaic Lake.

There will be a 1-kilometer swim, a 30K bike race and an 8K run. The final stages in the series will be held Aug. 20 and Sept. 17.

Information: 805-253-3118.

Sail away: The Wilderness Institute of Woodland Hills will stage sailing classes at Castaic Lake beginning today. The institute also will offer a windsurfing lesson Wednesday. Equipment and transportation will be provided.

Information: 818-887-7831.