He's ranked No.1 in the world and is arguably the greatest-of-all-time, his career earnings eclipse $1.2 million and he's single-handedly revolutionised the sport but for Jason Belmonte, it's the little things in tenpin bowling that are the most satisfying.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Like being on hand to watch his son Hugo bowl in his first tournament, for instance.
Belmonte was behind the lanes as Hugo tackled the Ron Boulton Cycles NSW Country Junior Cup at Orange Tenpin Bowl on Sunday, the 36-year-old part of a massive crowd on hand to watch some of the state's best juniors.
Belmonte's pride was palpable as he supported his seven-year-old doppelganger who, heart-warmingly, bowled in the exact same shirt his dad wore when he competed in the 1992 edition of the tournament.
"It's so funny, he loves it, he wants to wear it when we go to the farm and all sorts of places, but it's pretty crazy to think when I was nearly the same age as him I was wearing the exact same shirt at the exact same tournament," Belmonte said.
"I've always loved coming home and being able to come back to this kind of thing, more now than ever that my son is at the age where he's competing and bowling against some of the state's best."
Employing the same, famous, two-handed style his dad changed the sport with, Hugo finished a remarkable eighth in the tournament's handicap rankings with a total pinfall of 1818, just 134 behind No.1 seed and eventual champion Harrison Walker.
Just as impressive, the seven-year-old's series scratch average was 117, well above his usual mark, proving he might have inherited his old man's ability to thrive on the big stage.
"It was just awesome to be able to watch every frame behind him," Belmonte said.
I've always loved coming home ... more now than ever that my son is at the age where he's competing and bowling against some of the state's best.
- Jason Belmonte
"He's done really well, he bowled eight straight games over his average. In league bowling he typically will have a few problems with consistency, bowling one really great game and then one no so good one.
"To see him bowl consistently well and do it in a tournament was really, really exciting. You know, he's only seven and this an under-18 tournament, he's out there mixing it with 18-year-olds. I'm so proud of him."
Belmonte said, as usual, it was a treat to return to where his glittering career began and he developed that two-handed style, which did cause some controversy but ultimately, along with the Orange star's record-breaking efforts, helped the sport's profile skyrocket.
Incredibly Belmonte adopted that style because when he first started rolling at 'The Bowl', as his family affectionately labels the centre, he was simply too little to pick up a ball properly.
"When you back and see the crowd behind the lanes four, five rows deep it's exciting, the profile has lifted so much and it's very supportive environment," Belmonte said of last weekend's tournament, and the sport in general.
"We're very competitive on the lanes but it is very much a community, you see parents here cheering for their kids but cheering for yours too and you do the same, it's a very nice experience.
"That's great from parent's perspective and the kids support each too, you hope they enjoy that atmosphere as well. It's something I love about the sport of bowling, we all get behind each other and support each other all the way."
While watching Hugo was a milestone Belmonte was thrilled to mark, his attention will now turn to potentially marking another one on Wednesday, December 11, when the Professional Bowlers Tour announces the 2019 player-of-the-year.
Belmonte's favourite to win that gong for a fifth time after another historical season.
First he drew level at the top of the tour's Major winners with Hall of Famers Earl Anthony and Pete Weber, then moved past their mark to stand alone atop those ranks by winning is 11th Major at March's World Championship.
"As a whole this season was one to remember," Belmonte said.
"I broke the record for the major championships and had four (PBA) tour wins, I went past a few of my childhood idols in terms of number of titles, it's just been a fantastic year.
"Hopefully I can get that fifth player-of-the-year award too, that would certainly put the icing on top of the cake again."
While that 11th Major win catapulted Belmonte into a league of his own, essentially making him tenpin's equivalent of Roger Federer or Jack Nicklaus, some still suggest he sits outside the discussion in terms of the sport's greatest-of-all-time.
Mainly because the US Open has eluded him thus far, but it's not something Belmonte's particularly focused on. As he said, he has a different philosophy regarding that conversation anyway.
"I'm getting closer to the US Open and it is a really good question, the greatest-of-all-time discussion. But, you know, the only two guys who I think are in that conversation haven't won all of the major titles so I certainly don't use that as the barometer," he said.
"I don't really think you can consider anyone the greatest-of-all-time because I think you need to break that discussion down to each generation rather than overall.
"Once you do that, with what my generation has done, I think I have put a pretty big argument up to at least be in the conversation about the greatest of my generation, I'm very proud of that too."
WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS AND SPORT?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...