Second week of league and the Scatterpins (Sadie, me, Ann Marie and Beth, subbing for Ruth) are up against the Pathetics (Sherry, Angela and Mary Ann, Barb was absent/blind) with only a 12 handicap. I was in black and white, to match my shoes, since as Chona/String would say, "those who can't play, display!" I was nervous about my 139 average from last week: can I maintain it? After Labor Day's dry lane adventure, tonight was going to be interesting.
FIRST GAME was a lesson in adjustments. Unlike last week, my line was hard to find, the lanes being nicely oiled but spotty, with areas near my usual line that were slick, right next to areas where my ball would bite and skid. Fought through it, adjusted my wrist and release, and got my groove halfway through, even getting a 10-pin spare! Then in the final frame, my Beast Ball skidded into the corner missing a "sure thing" 6-pin spare, sliding into the 10-pin space. Too bad, my first game score of 131 (below average!) could have been better. Could have been worse too though, coz all the Scatterpins were struggling. Even hot hand Beth could not get a mark. We conceded that first game to the Pathetics, and shrugged it off as "warm up".
SECOND GAME, started out really good. I had the hot hand, getting strikes and spares through the 6th frame. Even good ole Sadie was getting strikes and spares, which we needed coz Ann Marie and Beth were still fighting to find their groove, even contemplating beer as a means to walk and throw "straighter". The open frames and the gutterballs started plaguing me though, such that I had to keep my hand in rosin for the rest of the game to make sure Beast Ball stuck by me until I was ready to release it down the lane. I ended up with strikes in the 8th, 9th and beginning of 10th frame, ending with a score of 167 - whoo hoo! Since Sherry is in charge of the 50/50 raffles, we had to skip her in the second game and then let her catch up after we were done playing. In the end, the Scatterpins did great and won the second game. I was getting antsy and worried that as we waited for Sherry to catch up, I'd forget how to line up and lose my groove. So began the third game...
THIRD GAME had me throwing strikes on the right lane and then getting open frames on the left. Uggh....drastic measures were needed. I kept throwing the ball into a slick area down the 2nd arrow (board 10), where it just kept going, straight into the 6,10 pins. So I decided to move 5 boards to the left (left foot on board 25) and throw the ball straight down the third arrow (laydown on board 15) and got a strike - holy guacamole! After more gutterballs and a few instances of pulling left, I was happy to end with a 147. Ann Marie had a couple of strikes and Beth had all strikes in the last 5 frames, saving us from being defeated in the last game. Mary Ann and Angela were getting their strikes and spares, thank goodness Beth could save us!
So we won the third game and total pins, getting 3 wins - 1 loss against the Pathetics. Ruby said we were in second place. Both Ruby and Shirley mentioned that I had a great game, even got one of the highest scores of the night. I had a 444 series (Ann Marie suggested I play those numbers in the lottery...), and my average was 148 for the night. This means my league average will increase to 143 and my earlier question remains: can I maintain? I guess we shall see! League is long, it is early in the season. I am happy to be doing good, and of course am always hopeful for better, coz I work hard at it!
Speaking of "better", the Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) was completely ineffective tonight. Got 6 gutterballs in 3 games, giving GRI Index of 2. Since keeping my fingers in rosin all night during league is not ideal (hard to eat the free cookies...), I plan to seek professional help by discussing my issues with holding on to the ball with my pro shop professional, Donna Roberts from Pottstown, who I also hope has my birthday cake ball drilled and ready for play. I will let you know what she says.
In the meantime, I plan to practice before next league night, as even the most frustrating practice sessions seem to be improving the consistency of my approach, swing and release. Scores are looking good, I am slowly improving and progressing towards my goals, I am a happy girl.... See y'all at the lanes!
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