Year Long Slump

Been bowling so bad for so long
The urge to quit is so strong
Scores dismal, spare shooting gone wrong
In the lanes no longer feel I belong

This sport, used to love and enjoy
The struggles have robbed me of joy
No improvement, no matter how hard I try
So frustrated I just want to cry

I get help but the improvements don’t last
Could my joy be a thing of the past?
I remember how good I used to be
How come it’s all elusive to me?

Keep it simple, they keep telling me
Back to basics, guess I am too blind to see
All the big and small things I can’t do right
Too distraught that I can’t see the light

What I need to do is practice more
How can I, got less time than before!
Already bowling too much (three leagues!) every week
Too bad quantity made my game reek

This season may be my last one
If things don’t get better I’m done
Bowlstar no more, hang my hat
Sad that it may come to that....


Praying for improvements, but not hopeful.  Hoping your games are better than mine.

9/19 Hot Summer, then the Fall

Does the title spell SLUMP?  Well, it feels like one again, but my oh my, was the summer ah-may-zing.  

Down in the dumps and with recent dismal play plaguing me, I look back fondly on a summer league season of many highs.  I played in the Downingtown Womens summer league for the third year in a row with a brand new all Filipina team.  My anchor Mitchie Masanga and I were joined by my bowling guru/angel Angie Sotomango, and together we were the Philly Pins!  So very proud I am of that team name, and also so proud of my team.  My Philly Pins had such wonderful chemistry, that when one of us was struggling, the other two always made up for it, which was lethal coz we never dropped behind by much.  We scorched the competition with our red hot play, garnering the top spot in the league by a margin of several winning points.  I was very happy personally to have multiple blog-worthy BowlStar outings of 200 games and 500 series.  Most notable was my play on June 11, which gave me my highest game so far (244) and my first ever 600 series, all on a USBC league.  It was a happy surprise to receive a special handmade memento from Shirley Watts, i was so touched to receive such a treasure!

But in typical fashion for me, the highs had to be followed by dramatic lows.  As the weather got hotter, it also got hotter at the lanes, and my ability to read and play the lanes suffered.  I found I had a hard time getting my scores to hit the 140 mark, i was stuck between 110s-130s, and needed professional help (in more ways than one...).  My coach Donna Roberts made me realize what my GoPapa Joel had been telling me all along: that I had developed bad habits, and was throwing my ball with too much hand and not enough forward roll.  While it had given me success for a time, it was not going to allow my game to progress.  It was back to the drawing board, back to basics, with release drills and many hours on the lanes, getting my ball to roll right and to rid it of the "planetary motion" that looks so good going down the lane, but was doing me no good once it hit the pins.  Bad habits die hard, but my ball trajectory has gotten more consistent as a result.  My travails continue however, as my confidence in my release is shot and it is affecting my decision making ("did i throw it right, or not?"), but i am starting to throw the ball better, so it is a matter of time before my game comes around (although it does not feel like it on the lanes right now).

My Philly Pins have started the fall season of the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night league with a fourth addition, Giovie Young, a new bowler who is improving by leaps and bounds, a kindred soul who has gotten addicted to bowling and is committed to improve!  With Mitchie and Angie playing fabulously well, and with Giovie's star on the rise, the impact of my slump is diminished slightly but is unfortunately still there.  Just three weeks into the season and i am barely hanging on to a 150 average.  Hang in there, my Philly Pins, I shall return!

My GoPapa Joel and I have launched the second annual Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League or MFL.  We changed venues from the Downingtown Palace to Limerick Bowl, which garnered much interest.  This year's league has 42 participants in 14 teams, compared to last year's 30 participants in 10 teams.  Not sure how I will do on this league, as I had a 137 average on the first night then prebowled on the second night to a 160+ average, bringing my average up to the 150s. Hopefully that means that I have returned on this league.  We shall see!

I am adding another ball to my arsenal.  Unlike most folks that look for high performance hooking balls, I was looking for a spare ball with a core, perfect for perplexing lanes.  My Cruella has given me much success on medium lanes, and my Cake Boss has saved me when the lanes transition.  I needed something even less aggressive than Cake Boss but with oomph, a spare ball with a mini hook and a mighty punch.  I am hoping that my new Track Spare+ ball will be a good addition.  The name I am considering is Wendy Darling, as in "Wendy lanes are dry, Wendy darling get to play, oh my!"  Hopefully just like in Peter Pan, she can fly, or make the pins go flying off to Neverland!

My GoPapa Joel has become a formidable bowler with a 200+ average under Donna's excellent tutelage.  Whether at his USBC league at the Palace or at our MFL league at Limerick Bowl, he has been bowling consistently well and is able to coach his teammates to better play (he is a good bowl whisperer).  He is still my favorite bowling partner and my original bowling angel.  

With us picking up new balls tomorrow, the forecast looks "sunny with a chance of bowling", with new balls no less!  We're bowling once more: wish me better play, better scores, better luck on the lanes.

There'll be highs, there'll be lows, it's a circle, I know

In each moment's a chance to learn more and to grow

So though frustrated, thinking my progress is slow

To the lanes for more practice I consistently go

Practicing, spending my time at the lanes

Till each lesson, each learning is engraved and remains

In mind and in muscle good memory burned

Repeating till consistent execution is learned

Eternally hopeful that when league nights come

It all comes together and I can become

The good bowler within me that knows what to do

That with focus and practice more often breaks through

Bowl, baby, bowl!  See y'all on the lanes!

Travails of a Bowling Addict

I have to admit: since I fell in love with bowling, it has taken over my life.  

My non-work schedule now revolves around my leagues and practice sessions.  In my free time, I am on YouTube watching bowling tips and matches, or blogging and getting all creative with songs and poetry about bowling, or shopping for my next bowling bag or bowling ball or some other bowling accessory.  I still find time to dance, I have not found time to sing, songwriting comes when it will.  And as spillover work creeps insidiously into my nights and weekends, the paperwork and bills and household chores tend to pile up as I choose instead to run to the lanes to escape, procrastinate and find my zen.

I never had a sport.  Having numbers and statistics tied to my performance, working on improving and building muscle memory, and then tracking and seeing results all make for an exciting adventure for a nerd like me.  I relish the endless practicing, figuring out the puzzle of "what am I doing wrong" and facing the challenge of "how can I do better."  Seeing improvement, fruit of my arduous labors, is so very rewarding, and so utterly addicting.  It is absolutely frustrating as well, but it is a blessing to find that the help I need tends to come from all around.  Thank you to all my bowling angels!

Being a proponent for teamwork and collaboration at work, I find the dynamic of a league bowling team strangely familiar.  Each team member is indispensable, and is counted on to know and follow the rules and to give their best on the lanes.  Individually we need to invest in our development, so we can contribute to the team and deliver the goods come "show time".  In this aspect the bowler's long journey of continuous improvement is akin to a singer or dancer practicing endlessly to hone and perfect their craft, in order to showcase artistry and mastery at centerstage.  But the bowler aims for consistency, for mental toughness, and for a mastery of lane adjustments, ball selection, shot selection, and all the other intangibles that make perfect games so improbable.

The continuous improvement investment is a solitary endeavor, but the league (performance) aspect is truly collaborative, making bowling a dichotomy of isolation and of community and team work.  Thank goodness for the social aspect, as I relish (with gusto!) the sense of belonging with my kindred bowler souls.

Bowling has changed me, and it is not all good.  A darker side has emerged, and it is altogether competitive, impatient, envious, self-centered and devious (trouble...).  I still grapple with the green monster of envy, while genuinely feeling joy for others when they do well.  It helps to focus on my journey and to recognize that there is truly no basis for comparison, as our paths are all unique.  I want to win badly, and I have suffered as a result.  I make mistakes and bad decisions, I am not perfect, but I am passionately committed to my sport, and I am willing to objectively do what it takes to advance.  Not everyone will understand or support me, and I cannot please everyone either.  I can just move forward, strive to learn the lesson the universe is sending me, try harder to align my words and actions with pureness of intention, and vow to surround myself with positive people and circumstances, coz life is too short for drama and negative vibes.  

How far am I willing to go?  Right now, I am going as far as I can, doing as much as I can, which is a lot: two leagues and two regular practice sessions per week, sometimes more.  I want to do more, like add in the occasional tournament, but I need to budget time for my family, my home, my friends  and all my passions.  I need to find balance and not let the addiction rule.  Some goals will just need to be on multi-year plans.  

The lanes will always be there for me, calling my name, beckoning.  May the passion never wane.

See y'all on the lanes!

3/2-3/23 Meet Cruella + First Tournament

CRUELLA DA BALL

The fashionista has her shoes but the bowling addict has her bowling balls.  I am excited to announce the newest addition to my ball collection: Cruella da Ball.

Cruella da Ball (12 lb Ebonite Cyclone) - Mar2014

The perfect name for the 12 lb red and gold version of my beloved Spinderella Ebonite Cyclone did not come as easily as the names of my other balls.  I toyed with Queen B as in Beyonce, Beeyotch, and other bad Filipino words depending on my mood (bastus = rude, buwisit = pest, baliw = crazy). Red Queen ("off with the pins!") seemed appropriate but not quite right.  I searched for heroes, heroines, saints and villains, and considered names like Red Sonja, Agatha, Ursula, Tony Strikes, and Carmine.  Then we came upon Cruella. I hesitated coz my ball is not black and white, but then i doubt I will ever get a ball of that color scheme.  So Cruella da Ball it was.

My Ball Inventory, as entered on my Best Bowling app

I tried Cruella out on March 2 at Limerick Bowl and was amazed that the weight difference was not that noticeable until i picked up Hot Mama for my spares.  My kickass new ball shows no mercy on the pins!  Go Cruella!  The relative lightness of my Hot Mama spare ball seems to help me chuck the darn thing harder and faster down the lane: bye bye, right hand spares!  I have played Cruella all this month, and am glad I went up a pound.  The pin action Cruella gives me is fantastic when I find my line.  

LEAGUE PLAY UPDATE

I have been playing well with Cruella and Hot Mama in tow, averaging in the 160s in both my leagues, improving on my spare shooting, even while struggling with adjustments on truly perplexing lane conditions (over/under = ugh).  

For a change, I am doing better in my USBC league, the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night league, where my Scatterpins have regained the top spot.  Last week gave me classic highs and lows, starting with an amazing 164, followed by a truly humbling 104.  I was in Splitsville and truly distraught, dear Ruby advised me to go back to basics, stop trying too hard, and just throw the ball.  After a quick consultation with Scatterpin anchorwoman Ruth, who advised me to move back a smidgen to prevent more splits, I found my line, threw a 5-bagger, and ended with a 222!  Thank you, Bowling Angel Ruth!

My Bowlinators team has suffered five straight weeks of losses, but we are tenuously holding on to the third spot in the Philly Pinoy winter league (Filipino Winter League or FWL).  With only two more weeks in regulation play for the FWL, I am hoping we are blessed with stellar play or at least some lucky pin falls, especially this coming Friday when the #1 and #2 teams face off and we battle the #4 team.  Go team!  Bowl, baby, bowl!

MY FIRST TOURNAMENT!

It was an exciting day today: I participated in my first ever bowling tournament.  My coach and pro shop professional Donna Roberts hosted the 19th Annual Montgomery County Womens Open Tournament at Limerick Bowl.  There were about 40 participants and each of us played four games in four different sets of lanes.   It was great to see my Incredibowl anchor Mitchie, my Scatterpin teammate Ann Marie, and my league mates Jackie, Carole and Sherry.  The Downingtown Palace league women were well represented.  I was playing handicapped against my March 1 average of 150 (since it was more than 10 pins higher than my 2012-2013 average of 138).  I signed up for 5 brackets, and ended up in lane 19C with two other ladies on my lane and two ladies on the other lane (5 women in my group).

We had come early and so Mitchie and I were able to loosen up with a warm up game with my GoPapa Joel, Mitchie's hubby Ivan and their Lords of the Lanes teammate Roy prior to the tournament starting.  Practice started on lanes 19 and 20 and ooh, were the women in my group bowling up a storm!  And I was throwing gutter balls!  My nerves got the better of me as I struggled in the first game, missing a couple of easy spares, and getting a few splits, but I got close to my average with a 147.  It was a mad rush to get to the next lane, and as the last bowler in my group, my 10th frames were an example of cardio bowling!  Thank goodness I was able to convert all my spares in the 10th frame in all my games, considering how rushed I always was.  The second game ended up being my best game of the day, as I converted on all my spares (clean game! Donna would be so proud!) and got one strike, ending with a 181.  It was amazing coz after missing my first 10-pin spare in the first game, I was able to get all my 10-pin spares for the rest of the day, happy girl!  The third game had more strikes but also a couple of splits (ugh), as I scored a 175.  The lanes were drying up, as I started clean in the last game but then started getting splits again.  Could not find my line but was getting my spares, so I kept fighting and ended with a 164.  So with a four-game scratch total of 667 and an average of 166 against my 150 average, my first tournament stint was over.  I was happy to bowl close to and mostly above my average.  What an exciting and exhilarating ride, so glad I did this!

I did well in the brackets and won $10 (investment returned!).  Donna told me later that I was actually ranked 6th after the third game, but lost my place thereafter: too bad, but not bad for a first timer!  What a great tournament this was, so much fun, and so very smoothly managed, I will be sure to come back next year.  Kudos to dear Donna for such a successful event.  Awesome play from the ladies of the Downingtown Palace: Lisa Day scored a 300 game!  I think I am hooked, and will need to look into other tournaments I can join.  I would like to develop the mental focus and nerves of steel displayed by the truly good, competitive bowlers.  I know I could have done better but I can only move forward.

Wishing y'all a good week and some good games on the lanes.  Bowl, baby, bowl!

2/26 Milestones and Musings

My Scatterpins (Sadie, Ann Marie, Ruth and I) were up against the PinPals (Mitchie, Carole, Jackie and Bette) tonight: it was #1 vs #2 on the lanes for the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night League, exciting!

The lanes were weird and hard to read, and we struggled, missing our spares, unable to string strikes. The PinPals found their groove, winning the 1st and 2nd games, bolstered by awesome play from Mitchie and Carole.

We were rallying back on the third game (do the bump!) and were pulling away when Bette of the PinPals started a string of strikes that killed us dead, dead I tell you. So the Scatterpins are swept by the PinPals who also steal the top spot from us. Congratulations on a good match, well played! Watch out though coz the season ain't over, and you can be rest assured that the Scatterpins will be fighting to get back on top!

I was amazed to find out on the league standing sheets AFTER we were done playing that last week, February 19, the date I bowled my first 200 game in my USBC League, was apparently also when I achieved a 150 USBC average.  Been trying to hit this milestone for the better part of a year now.  Wow, can't believe I have finally done it.  I am quite excited to be hitting milestone after milestone in this milestone SuperBowl year: I hope the milestones keep on coming! Now I need to work on staying at this level or continuing to up the ante: forward progress, yippee!

 

Speaking of maintaining, I am glad and relieved I was able to maintain my new average by even a small margin tonight. I had scores of 150, 135 and 169, for a 454 series and 151 average for the night - just made it. Still feeling like it could have been better but thankful it was not much worse.

 

Feb 19 League Standing Sheet

My dear bowling angel Angie is now an official Gutter Girl, playing (oh so well!) with Gail and Mary on the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night League.  There are now three Filipino bowlers in our league: Angie with the Gutter Girls, Mitchie with the PinPals, and me with the Scatterpins.  We are infiltrating y'all!  Hope you are enjoying playing with us, as we are enjoying being a part of this league.

We bowling gals are lucky that slots are even available in the USBC leagues for us, coz our guys have no luck finding vacancies in the mens and mixed leagues.  We'll keep watching for slots to open up.  Luck favors the prepared!

I am very grateful for all the love and support I have found on and off the lanes on my bowling journey.  Finding a sport in your mid 40s is an adventure, for sure, but the social aspect of this sport adds to its appeal.  I feel blessed to have found the leagues I have come to love, and all the players and team mates that have made me feel so welcome and make each week so fun and worth looking forward to, no matter how I play.  May we keep on playing together for many years to come.

See y'all on the lanes!

2/19 USBC 200-Club, Baby!

After getting so very close for so many times before in the past two years, I finally did it tonight.  I bowled my first 200 game (exactly 200!) at my USBC sanctioned league, the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night League.  I finally am a USBC 200-clubber!!!  It feels good to finally accomplish this milestone, especially since I have been able to play 200 games in my unsanctioned leagues.  It is a good feeling to be playing well overall.  That pivotal game opened up with a turkey (looking good!).  I had one open frame (5-pin, oh the humanity!), but with one other strike and five spares, it came down to the last ball in the 10th frame.  I needed 8 pins to get the magical 200 score.  My ball looked good and hit the pocket but left an ugly 8,10-split, but it did give an even 200 score = SUCCESS!


 

Graph of my scores per month (high in pink, average in white, low in blue) playing on my USBC sanctioned Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night League, starting from May 2012, from my Best Bowling app

The night was made even more special (icing on the cake) with my beloved Scatterpins sweeping our opponents, the Gutter Girls (Mary and Gail), allowing our team to hold on to the top spot in our league.  With my Bowlinators also currently on top of the leaderboard for the Filipino Winter League, I am unbowlieavably a part of two bowling teams that are both ranked number one in their respective leagues.  It feels good to be on top of the world, playing well on two winning teams!  Winning can be addictive....

Now it would have also been good to have a great series tonight at USBC league after my 200 game.  While it was not dismal, I could not hit my 149 USBC average for the 2nd and 3rd games (got 142 and 128, exhibiting an exponential decrease in bowling ability...).  Oh well, I still did have a 470 series, which moves me closer towards increasing my average to my target of 150 or more.  This is really shaping up to be a year of many milestones for me on the lanes!

I continue to be a "trouble maker" on the lanes, bowling for everybody's entertainment.  This gal has to have her fun on the lanes so she can bowl happy!  Here are a few "blog-worthy" snippets:

• We were getting way too many splits one league night: too much "red" on the board.  I said, ouch, my groin is hurting from all the splits!  To which Ruth said, well then, keep your legs together!  As we all continued to get more splits, it became apparent that none of us could keep our legs together....
• While I kept missing my right hand spares on games 2 and 3 last night, Ruth said that I needed to slow down, I was rushing.  To which Mary said, I thought you were Filipino (not "Russian")!  I have had Russian poetry on this blog before: the Russian strikes again!
• I was sharing information on the tournament my coach Donna Roberts is having next month at Limerick Bowl.  I let the girls know that Donna is my pro shop professional: "she keeps my balls happy".  That got some interesting reactions: Angela's reaction was priceless.
• I have a habit of wiping off the oil from my ball just before I throw my first ball.  I tell the girls that "I like my balls clean".  When they announced someone having an 800 series and another person bowling a perfect 300 game, Mary commented that "they had clean balls"!  Yes, we like bowling with clean balls, clean balls are good.

Friday is coming up, I have a 167 average to maintain in my Filipino League and a 1st place team ranking to defend.  May I continue to play well.  May my progress continue.

For all who have inspired, helped and supported me on this journey = my heartfelt THANK YOU, you know who y'all are and I love y'all to pieces.

See y'all on the lanes: bowl, baby, bowl! 

2/7 Freaky Friday at the FWL

Played freakishly well on this freezing Friday at the Philly Pinoy (unsanctioned) Fall Winter League (FWL), where I play as the lone gal in the (formerly) all-male Bowlinators team with Paul (who had his own freaky Friday = fantastic play!), Blue and Romy.

Team Bowlinators, playing at the Philly Pinoy Fall Winter League (L-R): Romy, Jing, Blue and Paul

With scores of 166, 201 and 225, it was the first time I ever had two 200+ games in a single series.  My scores gave me an unbowlievable 197 average and 592 series for the night.  Since my average going in was 157, my performance for the night was 40 pins above my average.  It was a strong team effort for us.  Our team's incredibowl play led to a sweep of our opponents, the Bowleros, who are dear practice buddies on the lanes.

I was throwing the ball consistently well.  Dancing on the sidelines to the DJ's dance music kept me loose and relaxed (thanks, Blue!).  I was remembering all of my coach Donna Roberts' tips on lining up, taking my time, and focusing on my target.  Some fortuitous spares, really meticulous note taking and smart analyses (no paralysis!) of the "data" in my trusty notebook led to good adjustment decisions (true "aha!" moments) on the lanes.  Practice really pays off.  I was stringing strikes like a true BowlStar, what a fantastic ride!

And I did it all with one ball: my dear Spinderella 11-lb Ebonite Cyclone.  This makes me very hopeful about continuing my bowling odyssey with the 12-lb Ebonite Cyclone I am expecting to "bond" with in a couple of weeks. 

Exciting times: the Super Bowls I was expecting to experience this year are starting to come around.  Now I need to continue to work hard to maintain my new 167 average in the Fall Winter League.  Hopefully some of this freaky fantastic mojo can translate over to my USBC league on Wednesday nights, so I can move towards increasing my current 148 USBC average to the 150 range.

Bowl, baby, bowl!  See y'all at the lanes!

 Monthly Averages and High/Low Games from my Best Bowling App