With tonight being the night before Valentine's Day, I was hopeful that getting some "love from the lanes" was in the stars for my dear Scatterpins. We were up against the PinPals (Sandy, Carole, Jackie and Bette) who always seem to do so well against us. I had seen Carole and Jackie on Sunday morning when I practiced. They had played the 9-pin no-tap tournament and Carole prebowled since she was going to be out of town. Her first game had been a whopping 171 (Jackie's game that Sunday had been a 180 = thank goodness she was not prebowling...). And since Carole bowls second like I do, the challenge was for me to play as well as she did = ayayay, let's see what the bowling gods give me tonight!
In the meantime the score sheets from last week were reflecting just how well the Scatterpins did against the Pathetics last week: we had actually logged the highest team game and highest team series = way to go, team! Sherry was asking how come we had to do that good against them, to which I said that they had "inspired us". So of course I was hopeful for some good inspiration tonight as well!
Since Carole prebowled and Bette eventually sent word that she was not going to play tonight, we played against Sandy, Carole's prebowl scores, Jackie and Bette's blind score. It was Sadie, me, Ann Marie and Ruth playing for the Scatterpins. Since my resurrected Beast Ball served me well last week, I started off with it this week. And boy did my Beastie deliver again, as my first game was a 165. Love, love, love = I was getting love from the lanes tonight! Alas, so were the PinPals, so as we struggled to keep the pin falls close, the pins kept falling for the Pin Pals, who eventually clinched the first game. They must have been inspired by Carole's super awesome prebowl play. It's painful when the pin falls fall mainly for the PinPals = try saying that fast three times.... Shrug it off and keep fighting, my Scatterpins!
Alas, I got struck by the dreaded "curse of the open frame" in the second game. And boy was the curse contagious as the Scatterpins struggled to keep up with the PinPals. I got so disgusted with my Beast Ball not hooking from the second arrow, and also with how I was somehow struggling with my right hand spares (gutterball delights, uggh), that I brought out Spinderella, which promptly "rewarded" me with a 6-7-10 split = not good. On Ruth's prompting, I switched back to my Beastie Babe, and by adjusting more to the left and throwing more to the middle of the lane, I started getting more marks, hallelujah! Ann Marie was throwing her share of marks, and the little "pin bump" spares inspired us to do little celebratory double-high-fives-followed-by-hip-bumps: my hot mama team mate had to carefully and demurely do the hip bumps, so as not to send me flying into the next pit... Of course each celebration brought about fits of giggles = love it, love it, love it... Hey, if that's what it's gonna take for us to get marks, then we should high five and hip bump all night long, whoa! Unfortunately, the hip bumps could not save us from losing the second game to the Pin Pals. I played a dismal 123, which could have been worst if I had not started getting marks in the last 4 frames and fought back in the last frame. Have faith in the Beast Ball, I told myself, and focus, focus, focus!
The third game had the momentum shifting to the Scatterpins: hey, maybe there is some magic in those hip bumps after all... We all started with strikes and marks, and both Ann Marie and I got doubles in the first two frames = celebration, baby! Finally we were pulling away from the PinPals, although Sandy and Jackie hang in there and kept it close. My faith in the Beast Ball was rewarded with a good 177 game, and my Scatterpins showed their stellar sides by playing at and above their averages, winning the third game, yahoo! Unfortunately, we lost total pins by a heartbreaking ONE PIN. Ruth had been under pressure in the last frame to get those precious pin falls, as she narrowly missed a 500 series by one pin, although she had played above her average for all three games. It was THAT CLOSE. Oh well, we win some, we lose some, then we live to fight another day. Great play, everyone, I had a blast playing with y'all!
So my happy streak from early February of playing with 150+ average at league nights continues, as tonight I had games of 165, 123 and 177, for a 155 average and 465 series. My league average should improve to 133 after tonight: it's inching upward, whoo hoo! But my take home lessons are to stick with my Beast Ball, to make the right adjustments early, and to work on my spares. We will make sure we address those at Philly Pinoy league on Friday and at my next practice session. With Ruth out of town next week, my team has the assignment to whack me on the head if I decide to switch balls away from my Beastie. next week Since I am loving up my Beastie tonight, the possibility of a whacking next week is remote (but we shall see...).
I have to thank my newest bowling angel/guru Kevin. When I saw him at Donna's pro shop when I had picked up my Beast Ball, he had inspired me by telling me that I am a better player than my average reflects. What a difference those words have made: I am better, I am good, I am a student of the game = what confidence those words have given me! Believing that I can play well has made me play better = what a gift that is. Kevin's earlier comments to me on decreasing the size of my first step, I had incorporated into my approach with immediate results (better balance, straighter walking, more consistency). And at practice this Sunday, I got a few more pointers from Kevin on moving to the left as the lanes broke down (hey, that saved my second and third games tonight!), leaning forward at my stance and holding the ball's weight in my left hand, and even the simple act of carrying the ball with both hands (not by the holes!) and sliding it into my hand when I was in position on the lanes. I actually bowled with no braces tonight: none on my knee, and none on my elbow, and I feel fine, no pain, and I am convinced it was the simple change in how I handle my ball that made the difference. I am so glad I ran into Kevin on my way home, so I was able to thank him in person. I have more work to do, but Kevin has given me more things to think about, more things to try, more things to learn and do and add to my game. My happy streak continues, thank you so much!
I love this game, and tonight I felt love from the lanes, hallelujah, how I love playing well! I am surrounded by bowling angels, and am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have found my beloved Wednesday Night Ladies league. I am committed to improving and am seeing results. We are a happy, happy girl (hmm, my grammar teachers would have a fit over that statement....).
Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! See y'all at the lanes!
No comments:
Post a Comment