AUBURN - Robin Gomez cried watching her son, Chris, bowl his first 300 game two months ago in a youth bowling tournament.

But that was nothing new. Robin gets emotional so often that young bowling mates have taken to rubbing their eyes in mock gesture when Chris strings together the first five or six strikes.

"They seem to know what's coming," Robin said.

And Chris Gomez, himself, is coming on strong.

The 15-year-old not only fired his perfect game at the Bowl-A-Roll in the Rochester suburb of Henrietta, but he qualified for the USA Junior Gold Bowling National Championships. He will compete next July in Indianapolis for a chance to become a Junior Team USA member.

Indeed, bowling is in this teen's blood. He learned from his grandfather, Gary Feldman, the owner of Cedar House Lanes; his uncle, Steve Feldman, a former professional; and his cousin, Michelle Feldman, the 2002 Player of the Year in the currently inactive Professional Women's Bowling Association.

A ninth-grader at Auburn High, Gomez has already built an impressive resume.

He won the 2003 Byrn's Junior Masters, rolling a 790 series en route to the championship, and was runner-up last season.

He also has a 779 match to his credit.

This year, he's averaging 207 in a Saturday morning junior league at Cedar House.

After that, it's on to Syracuse to bowl in a traveling league.

He competes two Sundays a month on the Central New York youth tour #(he's sponsored by his grandfather#) and so far Gomez has earned $5,000 in scholarship funds toward his college education.

Gomez was not only inspired by his loved ones, but from touring professional Norm Duke as well.

Years ago, Chris was sitting close to the action at a stop in Rochester, and after Duke captured the tournament he handed the youngster a bowling ball in full view of a national television audience.

There's more. Gomez, at 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, felt a physical connection with Duke, who is also small in stature but big in heart.

"It seems like I'm always the smallest guy in a bowling alley," Gomez said. "I watched (Duke) and saw that he was small, but he kept calm and accomplished great things."

Later Chris caddied for Duke in tournaments, carrying his bowling balls from lane to lane during qualifying rounds.

Now Gomez's lofty goal is to break his idol's record as the youngest bowler to win on the PBA Tour (Duke was 18 years and 345 days old when he won a title in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1983).

He knows it will take dedication. He said he must bowl better on a sport shot, the difficult lane condition that will be featured in the USA Junior Gold Bowling National Championships next year.

He competed in the event last summer in Dallas and didn't fare well.

"I don't practice on a sport shot, but Michelle explains what it is, and she shows me where to stand on the lane," Gomez said of his cousin, who gave him the bowling shoes he wore when he shot his 300.

He also enjoys watching top local bowlers Mike Ryan and Kevin Ashby in the Monday night Classic League at Cedar House.

"I don't talk to them, but I just watch how they go about their business on the lanes," he said. "They are both great bowlers."

And so it goes for a very athletic youngster, who played freshman football, is now on the basketball team, and aspires to play JV baseball in the spring.

His calling, though, may be in bowling, which could lead to many more tears for his mom.