Gonna have to take a break from bowling for a week or so. I'm addicted - can I stand it? But I need to nurse my left eye back to health, not many blind bowlers around!
Be well, everybody, I will see y'all soon enough at the lanes...
9/30 UPDATE: I may actually be out for more than a couple of weeks. I had retinal detachment and almost lost my eyesight (checkout my blog on my eye troubles at http://dodgingdarkness.blogspot.com). Am hoping that I can slowly return to bowling by November or December. Keep on bowling, my friends!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
9/19 Bad night poetry
The Scatterpins won one game and total pins against the Gutter Girls tonight - tied! Gail of the Gutter Girls was by her lonesome, as her teammates either prebowled or were absent (blind). All my games were below my current (plunging) average of 131 - not a good trend. My just spa-treated Beast Ball and even my Cake Boss could not help me convert my spares or get enough strikes tonight. Oh well, tomorrow is another day, which of course spurs me to wax poetic once more:
I look forward and not back
Coz tonight was out of whack
And I need to hope that there'll be better days
And I cannot be depressed
Or let my scores get me all stressed
Bowling should not turn me into a basket case
Let me shrug off days like this
Get some rest and find my bliss
Coz tomorrow truly is another day
I will hit the lanes with glee
Be as happy as can be
No matter what my scores may ever say
My league average is down to 127. After league I had solo practice and still could not get scores above 130. Considering that I just had left-eye cataract surgery on Friday and am still not seeing 100% out of that eye, I guess it could be worse! But I can only blame my eyes so much, I have some work to do to get my average back up. Have some goals to make! On the good side, I only had one gutterball all night. Gutterball Reduction Initiative Index was an all time low of 0.16 (one gutterball out of three league games + three practice games). I am truly hoping to get the trends turned around for the better.
So I'll see y'all at the lanes!
I look forward and not back
Coz tonight was out of whack
And I need to hope that there'll be better days
And I cannot be depressed
Or let my scores get me all stressed
Bowling should not turn me into a basket case
Let me shrug off days like this
Get some rest and find my bliss
Coz tomorrow truly is another day
I will hit the lanes with glee
Be as happy as can be
No matter what my scores may ever say
My league average is down to 127. After league I had solo practice and still could not get scores above 130. Considering that I just had left-eye cataract surgery on Friday and am still not seeing 100% out of that eye, I guess it could be worse! But I can only blame my eyes so much, I have some work to do to get my average back up. Have some goals to make! On the good side, I only had one gutterball all night. Gutterball Reduction Initiative Index was an all time low of 0.16 (one gutterball out of three league games + three practice games). I am truly hoping to get the trends turned around for the better.
So I'll see y'all at the lanes!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
9/12 Bowling for cookies
Tonight i felt that i was at the Palace for the free yummy cookies instead of competing at league. After having good, productive practice sessions this weekend, I felt prepared to play well and even found my line quickly at practice time before the first game. But I somehow lost it and floundered for most of the night.
The Scatterpins were up against the PinPals: Sandy, Carole, Bette and Jackie (who prebowled), all really good competitive players. It was Sadie, me, my lucky charm Ann Marie and hot hand Beth. Sadie had excellent scores all night (go Sadie!). Ann Marie and I had flashes of brilliance amidst constant battles with our drunken balls. Beth got her groove after the first game and threw strikes galore! But we got swept by the PinPals. I should have stayed home, my scores were 95, 96 and 133. Somehow Beast Ball would not hook when I wanted and hooked when it shouldn't. Some things worked but never for long so adjustments were constant. Could not move with a groove....
For the first game, my score was a disappointing 67 at the 9th frame, after 2 gutter balls in the 8th frame had me walking around the Palace to get some fresh perspective. I somehow salvaged the game with strikes in the 10th frame, starting to feel that maybe my game was back.
It wasn't, so I switched to my new purple ball in the middle of the second game. I ended up finding my line too late, constantly missing my spares by one board: one board! I am still getting used to the new ball, but I figured I had nothing to lose by just practicing with it, since my game was non-existent. I had to joke that I did one point better in that second game (96 is better than 95) and wow, I was consistent, just consistently bad! It was especially awful knowing that we lost that second game by only three pins. If only I had played better....
I vowed to get a score above 97 in the third game, and I did, starting to get the hang of throwing my sweet smelling new ball. I was at 133 at the last frame with one more ball to throw: I would score at my 143 average if i got a strike. Alas that last ball was a gutter ball - a fitting end to a horrible series.
With 6 gutter balls in three games, Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) was a fail, with index of 2.0 gutterballs per game. When it's bad, it's really bad. Ugh....
So i HAD to stay and practice throwing the new ball, at least to prove to myself that I CAN still throw some good balls even on a bad night. Unbelievably my practice scores were 157, 139 and 143 - where was all that earlier? I guess it happens.... At least the night was not a complete loss: a lesson in humility (horrible play lurks at every corner), a means to lower my average and also I got more comfortable with the new ball. On post-game analysis, Beast Ball was overdue for spa treatment (hot water bath). Also can't underestimate the value of a good night's sleep - fatigue really hurt my game, both physically and especially mentally.
Switching gears to the good stuff, i am quite excited about my new ball, a purple and pink Storm Tropical Breeze. It did give me my better scores in the third game and at post-league practice. It smells like birthday cake, and is 11 lbs with fingertip grip drilled by Donna Roberts at Pottstown (thank you, Donna!). Beast Ball has a new companion and rival for my affection, my Joey wants me to call it my Cake Boss: smells like a cake and (hopefully) boss of the lanes! Maybe throwing the Cake Boss will have me bowling to win and not bowling for cookies at future league nights. Looking ahead, I have to remember to expect and to take the good and the bad. "School is still in session" as I find I need to learn to deal with nights like tonight. Tomorrow is another day. I'll see y'all at the lanes!
Go PAPA UPDATE: My GoPapa Joel played really well at the first night of Adult-Child League at the Palace this Sunday. He had the highest scores of the league with 193 average and a 200+ game, whoo hoo! Go Papa! So happy he is playing at league with Joey and doing so well. Hope he can maintain, i know he can!
The Scatterpins were up against the PinPals: Sandy, Carole, Bette and Jackie (who prebowled), all really good competitive players. It was Sadie, me, my lucky charm Ann Marie and hot hand Beth. Sadie had excellent scores all night (go Sadie!). Ann Marie and I had flashes of brilliance amidst constant battles with our drunken balls. Beth got her groove after the first game and threw strikes galore! But we got swept by the PinPals. I should have stayed home, my scores were 95, 96 and 133. Somehow Beast Ball would not hook when I wanted and hooked when it shouldn't. Some things worked but never for long so adjustments were constant. Could not move with a groove....
For the first game, my score was a disappointing 67 at the 9th frame, after 2 gutter balls in the 8th frame had me walking around the Palace to get some fresh perspective. I somehow salvaged the game with strikes in the 10th frame, starting to feel that maybe my game was back.
It wasn't, so I switched to my new purple ball in the middle of the second game. I ended up finding my line too late, constantly missing my spares by one board: one board! I am still getting used to the new ball, but I figured I had nothing to lose by just practicing with it, since my game was non-existent. I had to joke that I did one point better in that second game (96 is better than 95) and wow, I was consistent, just consistently bad! It was especially awful knowing that we lost that second game by only three pins. If only I had played better....
I vowed to get a score above 97 in the third game, and I did, starting to get the hang of throwing my sweet smelling new ball. I was at 133 at the last frame with one more ball to throw: I would score at my 143 average if i got a strike. Alas that last ball was a gutter ball - a fitting end to a horrible series.
With 6 gutter balls in three games, Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) was a fail, with index of 2.0 gutterballs per game. When it's bad, it's really bad. Ugh....
So i HAD to stay and practice throwing the new ball, at least to prove to myself that I CAN still throw some good balls even on a bad night. Unbelievably my practice scores were 157, 139 and 143 - where was all that earlier? I guess it happens.... At least the night was not a complete loss: a lesson in humility (horrible play lurks at every corner), a means to lower my average and also I got more comfortable with the new ball. On post-game analysis, Beast Ball was overdue for spa treatment (hot water bath). Also can't underestimate the value of a good night's sleep - fatigue really hurt my game, both physically and especially mentally.
Switching gears to the good stuff, i am quite excited about my new ball, a purple and pink Storm Tropical Breeze. It did give me my better scores in the third game and at post-league practice. It smells like birthday cake, and is 11 lbs with fingertip grip drilled by Donna Roberts at Pottstown (thank you, Donna!). Beast Ball has a new companion and rival for my affection, my Joey wants me to call it my Cake Boss: smells like a cake and (hopefully) boss of the lanes! Maybe throwing the Cake Boss will have me bowling to win and not bowling for cookies at future league nights. Looking ahead, I have to remember to expect and to take the good and the bad. "School is still in session" as I find I need to learn to deal with nights like tonight. Tomorrow is another day. I'll see y'all at the lanes!
Go PAPA UPDATE: My GoPapa Joel played really well at the first night of Adult-Child League at the Palace this Sunday. He had the highest scores of the league with 193 average and a 200+ game, whoo hoo! Go Papa! So happy he is playing at league with Joey and doing so well. Hope he can maintain, i know he can!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
9/9 My personal bowl-versity
Bowl-versity = Bowling University
Bowlingball.com has a section called BowlVersity that is full of tips and articles for bowlers at all levels. Since I'm constantly seeking ways to improve my game, the eternal student in me has enrolled in my own personal bowl-versity, starting with all the wonderful teachers and gurus I have had: special mention to my own GoPapa Joel (mentor and cheerer extraordinaire), Jops "one board" Datu, and Angie "you can do it" Sotomango - thank you so much! Then there is my Bowling Fundamentals book by Michele Mullen (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0736051201 ), YouTube videos on bowling tips (Fred Borden is a personal favorite), the BowlVersity articles mentioned above, and a wonderful coach named Sue Minchew who I fatefully discovered online in the midst of my summer slump. Sue can be found in bowlersparadise.com, and the article of hers that speaks to my game today is at this link: http://www.bowlersparadise.com/articles/coachescorner/susie-minshew/dont-get-crazy-over-it.shtml I try to read Sue's articles regularly, since her tips are SO helpful to me, and I know I need all the help I can get!
Of course, all the reading and videos won't help me without regular practice at the lanes - it is a mental and physical game. I have to constantly work on good muscle memory on my approach, my release and my spares. I also need to build a tough, intuitive mental game that allows me to quickly find my line and to adjust effectively. Like I said in a previous blog, there are no bad days on the lanes if you are learning and get the take-home lesson. With practice, I learn what works for me and what doesn't, which I write down in my trusty pink notebook to facilitate review and recall. As a scientist, I try to keep only those learnings that have been validated, those tips that have proven true time and time again (such as move left if the ball curves left). But sometimes stuff in the discard pile comes back, so those tips get an asterisk as something to conditionally try - they're the back burner stuff that worked at one point, but may not always work, such as strategies to consistently get the 10-pin (still working on that!).
In the best of days, my card catalog of everything I've ever done, both good and bad, comes through crystal clear (without looking at my notes!) and what I need to do becomes instinctive. It feels like déjà vu, I KNOW exactly what to do and how to do it, and, more importantly, am able to do it! My recent practices have felt this way at certain moments, like a slowing down of time, a clearness of mind, a feeling of utter control and awareness of what I am doing, a zenlike state where bowling seems easy. Like a runner's second wind, it is a certain kind of high, one that makes me play as good as I do in my dreams. Oh, to have that feeling stay, how glorious that would be, my goals would certainly be attainable!
Of course the bubble bursts, and my string of strikes gets interrupted by gutterballs and open frames. But that's where practice helps with both my mental and physical game, allowing me to determine what helps to bring about the zenlike state (detachment and objectivity), and what tricks make my physical game more consistent and my weaknesses not as big a factor (focus and slowing down). Practice is also invaluable in building on my card catalog of experiences and learnings, on what worked and what didn't based on certain conditions. The hope is that the learnings make league play as good as (or better than!) practice, just as quizzes and final exams demonstrate that the student has learned the course material. And then the bigger hope is retention, a continuous demonstration of a learned skill, not just dumb luck! So I have to be patient, I am progressing, this is my journey, and I AM truly happy to have these zenlike moments along my journey when I can see what I am capable of, and can truly say that my education is paying off. To be able to play at the best of my current abilities IS sufficient reward, but always celebrated with the humility of knowing that the next bad day or seasonal slump may hit at any time.
So school is in session. It'll be a lifelong bowl-versity for me, class may never be dismissed! See you at the lanes, or shall I say "at class"?
UPDATE: Been getting consistent averages in the 140s at practice sessions this week. The zenlike moments have given me turkeys (whoo hoo!) but the gutterballs and mental farts have kept my scores in the 120 - 167 range. The Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) is better, with my GRI index (gutterballs per game) kept at 1.0-1.2. Did not get to discuss this with Donna, but I do get to bring home my birthday cake ball tomorrow - not sure if I can try it out before league, but I'll be writing about it and this week's league next time (if not earlier!). Have practice tonight, while my Joey and GoPapa Joel are at Adult-Child League. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
9/5 Looking good
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!
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!
Monday, September 3, 2012
9/3 It's all GOOD (with Dry Lane poetry)
Have to remind myself that while I am still learning, there are no "bad" days at the lanes - it is all GOOD, as long as I keep the take home lesson. Today was such a day: all scores below my average (was happy to get scores above 100!), the lanes were bone dry and my Beast Ball had a mind of its own most of the time (and the one time I tried to throw my Slingshot ended in a gutterball, uggh). But I hang in there, found out what worked (for a while, then had to keep adjusting!) and actually did OK considering how much we were all struggling. So not a bad day, even got a few cool hits on some 6,10-pin and 10-pin spares, which of course serves as good inspiration for "some" poetry:
When lanes are dry and hard to read
A dry lane ball is what you need
A plastic ball that will not hook
Or one that gives a consistent look
Aggressive balls will drive you mad
As wayward hooks become the fad
Even the best become bereft
The pins untouched as their balls hook left
Some play with speed, loft and release
And find some moments of fleeting bliss
Some pray, some fight, and to the left adjust
Their gadgets shorn with sheer disgust
Some dance, some laugh, some are drawn to drink
Some analyze, focus and need to think
Of what to try, to do, to change
So what comes next is not so strange
So the lesson is that, just like life,
Those most prepared need not suffer strife
And the bowler that comes most ready to play
Will conquer the lanes most any day
A shout-out to Desi, Dennis, Angie and Edmer, who played with Joel and me at Palace today. Lots of people at the Palace today, the weather was awful and rainy, so scores of folks brought their families to the lanes for the Labor Day Holiday. It was fun despite the frustrations, there were some good scores there amongst the gutterballs!
Speaking of gutterballs, my Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) took a nosedive today, my total gutterballs was 6 out of 5 games. I am modifying my GRI Index calculation to normalize for number of games played: dividing the number of gutterballs by number of games played gives me a GRI Index of 1.2 for today. My 2 gutterballs over 5 games on Sunday had my initial Index at 0.4, a whopping 300% increase/decline. Uggh, blame the lane conditions, brain conditions, rain conditions, whatever. Gotta do better coz I lost some good opportunities there.
I bowl next at Wednesday league. Let's see how I do playing with my 139 average from last week. Go Scatterpins!
When lanes are dry and hard to read
A dry lane ball is what you need
A plastic ball that will not hook
Or one that gives a consistent look
Aggressive balls will drive you mad
As wayward hooks become the fad
Even the best become bereft
The pins untouched as their balls hook left
Some play with speed, loft and release
And find some moments of fleeting bliss
Some pray, some fight, and to the left adjust
Their gadgets shorn with sheer disgust
Some dance, some laugh, some are drawn to drink
Some analyze, focus and need to think
Of what to try, to do, to change
So what comes next is not so strange
So the lesson is that, just like life,
Those most prepared need not suffer strife
And the bowler that comes most ready to play
Will conquer the lanes most any day
A shout-out to Desi, Dennis, Angie and Edmer, who played with Joel and me at Palace today. Lots of people at the Palace today, the weather was awful and rainy, so scores of folks brought their families to the lanes for the Labor Day Holiday. It was fun despite the frustrations, there were some good scores there amongst the gutterballs!
Speaking of gutterballs, my Gutterball Reduction Initiative (GRI) took a nosedive today, my total gutterballs was 6 out of 5 games. I am modifying my GRI Index calculation to normalize for number of games played: dividing the number of gutterballs by number of games played gives me a GRI Index of 1.2 for today. My 2 gutterballs over 5 games on Sunday had my initial Index at 0.4, a whopping 300% increase/decline. Uggh, blame the lane conditions, brain conditions, rain conditions, whatever. Gotta do better coz I lost some good opportunities there.
I bowl next at Wednesday league. Let's see how I do playing with my 139 average from last week. Go Scatterpins!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
9/2 Got an app for that!
Talk of my trusty pink notebook in my previous blog made my dear friend Ed ask about whether I have graphs and stats on my progress and any decision trees and flow charts for my adjustments on the lanes. These are the types of tools i use a lot of at work, i am a flowchart queen! It's a yes on the stats, got an app for that! And it is a no on the flow charts: I considered that and just ended up with lists of points to consider (how to hook or not to hook the ball, etc) in my trusty pink notebook.
The app i use is called Best Bowling. I tracked my progress from January to mid August this year on the Free version of the app, but then had to switch to the paid version after I used up the max number of entries. Upon review, I had increased my average by 40 pins over 7 months, of which I am quite proud coz darn I worked hard for it! I recommend this app if you like logging your scores and seeing your progress graphically plotted.
Been doing okey at practice lately, even got a 194 at Facenda-Whitaker lanes today while practicing with the guys and gals that will become the BOWLdStars (BS) and the Lords of the Lanes (LOL) come Philly Pinoy league time in January. The IncrediBOWLs (Chelo, Mitchie and I) are part the BOWLdStars with Liz and Chona. LOL has our husbands Roy, Ivan, Joel and Jops (Chona is single). It was fun, we all had great games! Joel and Jops got 200+ games. I thought I could get mine finally, but my scores dropped after that first game - maybe some other time. Still played above average so can't complain. Still in love with my Beast Ball but can't wait for my birthday cake ball to be available for play (still being drilled).
Also had a good start to my Gutter-ball Reduction Initiative (GRI). Had to start this when some good games i had going this week were marred by gutterballs in the last frame, when i should be converting to up my score! My number of gutter balls at this session was only 2 (GRI Index =2). Rosin is my friend. Focus is what I need to keep my GRI index down. I will continue to report on the GRI as the season progresses.
Happy Labor Day Holiday, everyone! You may see me at the lanes tomorrow!
The app i use is called Best Bowling. I tracked my progress from January to mid August this year on the Free version of the app, but then had to switch to the paid version after I used up the max number of entries. Upon review, I had increased my average by 40 pins over 7 months, of which I am quite proud coz darn I worked hard for it! I recommend this app if you like logging your scores and seeing your progress graphically plotted.
Been doing okey at practice lately, even got a 194 at Facenda-Whitaker lanes today while practicing with the guys and gals that will become the BOWLdStars (BS) and the Lords of the Lanes (LOL) come Philly Pinoy league time in January. The IncrediBOWLs (Chelo, Mitchie and I) are part the BOWLdStars with Liz and Chona. LOL has our husbands Roy, Ivan, Joel and Jops (Chona is single). It was fun, we all had great games! Joel and Jops got 200+ games. I thought I could get mine finally, but my scores dropped after that first game - maybe some other time. Still played above average so can't complain. Still in love with my Beast Ball but can't wait for my birthday cake ball to be available for play (still being drilled).
Also had a good start to my Gutter-ball Reduction Initiative (GRI). Had to start this when some good games i had going this week were marred by gutterballs in the last frame, when i should be converting to up my score! My number of gutter balls at this session was only 2 (GRI Index =2). Rosin is my friend. Focus is what I need to keep my GRI index down. I will continue to report on the GRI as the season progresses.
Happy Labor Day Holiday, everyone! You may see me at the lanes tomorrow!