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For Bill Ursillo, bowling started as a way to stay out of his parent’s hair. Each Saturday, Bill and his older brother, Nick, would leave their Commack, N.Y., home and head to the local bowling alley.
“At first it was almost like I could throw the ball as hard as I wanted and I was able to overpower something,” he said.
These days, with his childhood hobby developing into a career as a pro bowler, Ursillo has learned to temper power with finesse.
“You eyeball it, too,” he said, stating that a strike starts by keeping your eye “wherever you want the ball to go.”
It’s a surprising bit of zen philosophy from someone who looks, and sounds, like someone you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. Ursillo is bald, stocky, has large forearms and when he speaks, it’s in a thick Long Island accent.
“Yeah, people think I ‘tawlk’ funny, but I think they’re the ones with the accent,” he said, even though he’s called Bluffton home since 2001.
When Ursillo is not whipping up a batch of sausage and peppers and homemade sauce (be sure to draw out the ‘au’ sound), he can be found at one of the county’s two bowling alleys in either Beaufort or on the island, and is excited for the third, Station 300, which opens this month.
And even though he offers up a laidback attitude about life, bowling does take practice.
When preparing for a tournament, Ursillo will bowl at least 20 frames. On normal weeks, he bowls about six or so games and is a member of two local bowling teams, but “those are for fun,” he said.
“People don’t really consider bowling a sport, but it truly is,” he said. “It takes accuracy and balance to be a good bowler. You have to repeat the same shot over and over again for consistency.”
Today the former Suffolk County resident travels to about 20 tournaments a year and is a certified bowling coach. He’s also a director with the Lowcountry USBC Association and according to the 2010-2011 yearbook, he averaged a 218 in 72 games. To be a pro, a bowler must maintain a 200-point or higher average.
“It’s my passion,” he said. “To me, even though you bowl for money, I do it because it’s a good time. I don’t take too much serious and life is too short.”
So while the accent is all New York, the attitude is all Lowcountry. Finding his way down here was just a matter of time. And after the Sept. 11 attacks, Ursillo decided he wanted to leave the hustle and bustle of New York and move closer to his family.
A job with Verizon allowed him to move south and now he’s the facilities and safety manager with Hargray Communications.
Ursillo’s parents, brother and sister and their families also call Bluffton home, as does he when he’s not on the road competing. For his next stop, Ursillo hopes to overpower (and outfinesse) the competition, Jan. 7 in Florence.
