Corey Kaughman, although only 37 years of age, has already had an illustrious career in bowling.

Consider that Cory has bowled not one but 17 perfect games.

In the Sunday Night Mixed League at Bowl East last week, he put the icing on his career cake, totaling 813 on games of 288, 278 and 247.

“I was bowling on lanes 31 and 32,” Cory said. “That’s the same pair where Justin (Brisco) rolled his 803 earlier this year.”

Cory’s big series toppled his previous best of 798.

A right-hander, Cory cranks his strike shot inside the third arrow, out to the fifth or sixth board and back to the 1-3 pocket. That shot produced 10 strikes each in the first two games.

In the first game, he left a solid 7 pin in the first frame before striking through the second ball in the 10th. He left another 10 pin on a pocket hit on his final ball for 288.

He started the second game with five in a row before a pocket hit left a solid 8 pin. Another five-strike spree carried him through to the final ball in the 10th where he left another 10 pin.

Were all the strike hits solidly in the pocket?

“I got away with a few shots that weren’t, but most of them were solid pocket hits,” Cory said.

David Brisco, who was bowling near Kaughman’s team, agreed. “He was pounding that pocket all night,” David said.

Cory, who bowls with wife Margaret and Rick and Jimie Banfield in the mixed league, said he carries an average around 212 in the league. He also competes in the Thursday Men’s City League at the Fourth Street Bowl.

Margaret and Cory are both members of Joplin’s USBC Association board of directors and serve as junior bowling coaches at Fourth Street Bowl.

“We probably have 40 kids participating in our youth leagues on Friday,” Cory said. “We have kids ranging in age from five and six up through high school.”

Other performances worth noting include a 300 game by Jamie Kohler at Fourth Street Bowl, a 290-794 by David Brisco at Bowl East, Renee Lisle’s 248-636 at East, a pair of 600s by Heidi Burggraf (one in each house), senior bowler J.R. Jones’ 255-635 at East and big series by senior women bowlers Linda Washington (576 at East) and Jackie Peterson (213-572 at Fourth Street).