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

2/2 Super Bowl 2014

Super Bowl Sunday, February 2, and this is my first Jing Gal Bowls blog post for 2014, and my first blog post since October 2013.  I hope this has been a good new year so far for y'all out there.  The blog has been idle but I have been busy bowling, and you know I would rather bowl than blog!  It has been a bit of a roller coaster for me on the lanes, good days and very bad days, but as always I am ever hopeful coz I am still growing, still learning and still getting better!

I have to admit that 2013 was a good year for me.  From a May 2013 USBC league average of 137, I ended the year with a USBC average of 148.  I started seeing Donna Roberts for coaching in June, and the difference has been significant (THANK YOU!).  I ended up being the top female bowler in our Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL), where I had an average of 156.  My GoPapa Joel and I organized and managed the MFL with ample support from the Philly Pinoy Bowling Committee, and boy, was I busy blogging (up to two times each week!) posting about the happenings within that league on my BowlStar Blog.  

This year I am continuing to play with my beloved Scatterpins team (with Sadie, Ann Marie and Ruth) in the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night USBC sanctioned league.  I am now the lone gal playing on the formerly all-male Bowlinators team (with Romy, Blue and Paul), one of eight teams competing on the annual Philly Pinoy Filipino Winter League (FWL), where we are currently #1 after three weeks of regulation play.  

I am looking forward to playing at my first tournament in March at Limerick Bowl, an event held yearly by my coach Donna Roberts.  At Donna's prompting, I am also looking forward to switching from my current 11-lb bowling ball arsenal, to a 12-lb new Ebonite Cyclone (Spinderella's red hot Fireball sister, yet unnamed), and hoping that this new "relationship" would translate to me having a "ball" at the Palace each time I play.  I am ever hopeful that this 2014, having more "Super Bowls" of my own can be possible... BowlStar!

So let me close my hopeful prose with some hope filled poetry:

I sometimes play good

Sometimes real bad

Most of the time just OK

I just wish I would

Not get too too sad

Thinking bad times are here to stay =(

There are angels around

And somehow I found

They let more good times come my way

They bring lessons to take

Good habits to make

Tips for keeping my demons at bay ;)

So I must stay hopeful

Banish my doubt, pull

Together and positively

Bowl with joy in my soul

As I inch towards my goal

Of being the best bowler that I can be!

I wish y'all the best year bowling ever!  See yah at the lanes!

 

10/16 My Best Keeps Getting Better :)

Was I not just whining about not doing as well in my USBC-sanctioned league compared to my unsanctioned league?  Well, lo and behold, the impossible happened tonight: I bowled my best series ever at my USBC sanctioned league, the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night League.  I had scores of 176, 163 and 192, resulting in a 531 series (my highest ever!) and an average for the night of 177 (another league high for me!).  My first 500 series at USBC league!  My USBC league average increases from 145 to 149, closing in on my 150+ goal.  JingGalBowls is a BowlStar and a happy, happy girl....

Graph of my USBC League Scores

from my Best Bowling app

To top it off (icing on the cake), tonight my beloved Scatterpins (Sadie, Ann Marie, Ruth and me) swept the Pin Pals (my BowlStar anchor Mitchie, Carole, Jackie and Bette, who had prebowled): go team!

Now my hope is to have a good turn-around, comeback performance at my unsanctioned league, the Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL) on Sunday night. My MFL average has been steadily dropping the past few weeks but is still (quite luckily) above 150 at 153.  To make matters worse for me, my dismal performances have virtually lost a few games for my dear Team BALUT.  So I pray that I may continue to have the same zen and focus on the lanes, and make good adjustment decisions, as I did tonight, coz that spelled the difference for me. 

The comeback of my Beast Ball as my spare ball made a difference as well.  Like an old friend, I am most comfortable throwing the old Beastie, since she was my very first fingertip ball, also my first 11 lb ball.  An old reliable she is, glad to have her (and my spare shooting) back. 

So happy that my best keeps getting better, as I hit more milestones in my journey to a better game.  May the trend towards even better bowling nights continue. 

See y'all at the lanes!

10/12 October Update: Busy But Happy

It looks like I have a trend going of posting one blog entry a month.  I am as busy as ever bowling, even if the blog has not had much traffic. 

My GoPapa Joel and I have been managing the Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL) which meets in the Palace every Sunday night at 7 pm.  This is an unsanctioned (non-USBC) league, although we were able to ask the Palace to oil the lanes for us - it has made a difference in our scores!  Our escapades are chronicled in my Filipino/English blog, the BowlStar Blog.  I actually have been religiously posting two (yes, TWO!) blogs a week about that league, which may explain why THIS blog has been idle.  Oh well, the MFL is our "baby", the first league I have managed, and it is so wonderful that Joel and I are managing it together, with the help of the Philly Pinoy Bowling Committee and officers. 

I am doing quite well in the MFL, where I currently have an average of 156 and am the top female bowler after five weeks of regulation play.  There are four more weeks of regulation play left before the finals, and my beloved Team BALUT is still in the bottom but with momentum on our side!  it is a short but ultra-fun league.  I am proud and happy to have a hand in getting it started, keeping it going and making it a fun and memorable time for all participants.

I continue to bowl with my dear Scatterpins, Sadie, Ann Marie and Ruth, in the Downingtown Women's Wednesday Night league at 6:30 pm Wednesday nights at the Palace.  I currently have an average of 145 in this USBC-sanctioned league.  It had bothered me for a while that I seem to play much better on my unsanctioned leagues than I ever do on this league, but I hope that I am getting over that mental hurdle already.  I am intent on meeting my goal of getting my average in this league above 150 before the end of the year.  It's a reachable goal, I just need to keep working on it!

My spare shooting continues to be a sore spot.  I am still recording how many spares I make each game and each series = I am up and down on this one, blowing hot and cold, it's either up or down.  While I still get some awfully painful games with 2-3 spares only (ugh!), I am averaging about 4-5 spares for most of my games, and can get up to 7-8 when my confidence is good!  My spare shooting has slowly been improving with my new hot tamale red spare ball, lovingly named Hot Mama.  It has taken a good month to get comfortable playing with Hot Mama, learning where my stances are for each pin, understanding how to make it go straighter  towards my targets (push, as Donna said) and just getting the confidence on my shots, as the wavering wrecks havok on my approach and release.  My IR (Instant Results) mentality feels that is FOREVER, but that is my reality.  Progress is slow, but there is progress!  Can't really complain as long as I am moving in the right direction.

 

Jing with her Hot Mama spare ball

Speaking of moving in the right direction, my lane adjustments are a work in progress, but I feel I am slowly improving on this aspect as well, based on my play at Wednesday league and practice this week.  Practice has really made a difference in my learning how to read the lanes and adjust accordingly.  There have been a couple of really hot days when the lanes at the Palace were bizarre, but after playing under those conditions a few times, I have learned a few tricks on how to adjust.  My Beast Ball (DV8 Misfit) comes in handy when my Spinderella (Ebonite Cyclone) does weird things on the lanes, but I tend to stick with Spinderella now as my go-to ball.  I have gotten a good share of strikes, even strings of strikes on good nights, with my Spinderella: she treats me well when I throw her right!

I still have to work on keeping it simple (KISS), keeping my cool and not panicking or over-analyzing or even despairing on the lanes.  There have been nights when I just start out bad and take a while to recover and find my groove.  Thank goodness for bowling angels who come around to build my confidence and lift my spirits up!  When play is bad, Ruth's words ring true: "Get back to the BASICS".  For me this means making doubly sure that my alignment is right, and then slowing down and being very deliberate and focused in my approach = basically calling on and employing all the tricks my dear Donna taught me.  Then it becomes just me and the lane, everything else fades away....

It makes a difference when I bowl happy and find my zen on the lanes.  It has been a busy time, lots of bowling and blogging going on.  But oh, what a joyful time it is too.  I am improving, not doing too bad, and still learning so much.  My journey continues: I am grateful that you are following along with my blog and sharing my journey with me!

OK, tomorrow, Sunday morning, we have bowling practice once more at 10:30 am, then the MFL plays at 7 pm: lots of bowling for one day, I am a happy girl. 

Bowl happy, my friends.  See you at the lanes!

 

Jing, Bowling at the MFL

9/15 IR = Instant Results!

Bowled my highest league night average and series tonight at my unsanctioned league, the Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL).  My scores were 170, 158 and 192, giving me a 520 series and 173 average for the night.  My league average in the MFL is now 169 after two weeks. UnBOWLievable, I just hope I can maintain it, but for now I want to celebrate: BEST SERIES EVER, may it get even BETTER, whoohoo!

BEST BOWLING APP, showing my Philly Pinoy League statistics

Shall I say IR, as in Instant Results?  I had met with Donna Roberts, my bowling coach/guru in the morning, very dismayed by my lack of consistency and my dismal spare shooting.  She said the code word for folks like me was IR, coz i keep wanting Instant Results.  Well, I had my instant results tonight:  THANK YOU, DONNA!!!  The effect of the fixes she gave me were immediate, i could feel and see the difference, and these were minor   adjustments to what I was already doing.  Awesome powerful mojo she gave me...  

Don't get me wrong, my spares still need a LOT of work, otherwise I would have gotten a 200 game in there (my one regret), but hey, I will take that.  I practice like one possessed anyway, especially when encouraged by such improvement.  That is what I needed, more signs of progress.  My confidence was waning, which is why I needed Donna.  I was not approaching my shots and spares correctly, and needed her intervention.  I was over-thinking in the wrong direction, professional help was needed!

I am even more convinced that I am surrounded by angels: bowling angels whispering words of strength, encouragement and wisdom into my eager ears.  Darling Shirley at league last week gave me tips on finding my spot while telling me my approach was fine.  Good ole Kevin reminded me that I am better than my average reflects, and that i should always play with confidence.  Tonight, i saw Jeff with my god sister Brenda, after not seeing them for years, and he told me to slow down, which WORKED and resulted in my string of four strikes in my third game.  And then of course Donna made sense of the madness I was putting myself through, simplifying what I had to do.  My GoPapa Joel, my original bowling angel (who also had an awesome night with a 196 average), has been telling me to simplify things, as he knows how I overanalyze, but Donna showed me HOW.  IR, baby!

I am hopeful that I continue to play well at my USBC league on Wednesday night, where i currently have a league average of 149 after two weeks.  I need to work on consistency, and on remembering and applying the KISS tricks and techniques that Donna has given me to work with.  I have been blessed with knowledge and tools to work with, now my challenge is to execute and deliver.

Unfortunately I am a bit sad that my MFL team, named BALUT, a Filipino delicacy,  lost tonight (1-3) and are at the bottom of the league standings.  However we played really well against pretty strong opponents from Team PISBOL (fish ball), and have high hopes that we can turn things around in future weeks (more details at my other blog).

FYI, here is the link to Donna's website (http://donnarobertsproshop.com/).  Give her a call for all your bowling needs.  Just tell her I sent you, she is the best!  

See y'all at the lanes!

8/27 Blog One-Year Anniversary

Wow, time flies!  Has it really been a year already?  Too bad today was a day when I truly bowled so badly it is un-blog-worthy.  But i still have much to celebrate on this anniversary feast day.

My USBC sanctioned Womens Wednesday league starts again with average setting tomorrow - another chance to reach some milestone goals on record.  Summer league with the Wednesday Women had my IncrediBOWLs team with Mitchie Masanga and Chelo Compendio ending in 7th place out of 8 teams - better than our last year last place finish!  My ending average was 138, which i hope to bring above 150 by year's end, we shall see! 

Our Sizzler league finals tonight had JC Squared (GoPapa Joel and me) in 2nd place vying for top spot against the Rum Rollers  Alas the bowling gods abandoned me tonight and gave me the curse of the open frame: dismal spare shooting plagued me all night and left me with another low low scoring 120 average night, far far away from the 145 average i had earned to date.  Need to work on those spares....  Can't complain coz i had some great nights on this league and know I am still evolving and improving.

Looking forward to our brand new Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League on Sunday nights at 7 pm.  We have kickoff scheduled on September 8, and just announced the 10 teams out of the 30 participants. We created the teams to have one female each and mixed players of different handicaps to give all teams a chance to win.  Joel and i are co-leads of the Bowling Committee organizing the league: lots of work but very interesting and rewarding to do!  I plan to chronicle the stories on this league in my other blog.

So i guess i have resurrected my neglected blogs just in time for all the fall league activities. I am excited about having another fresh start. Bring it on!

Till next, see yah at the lanes!

07/17 Milestone Monday!!!

Bowled both my first 200 game at league AND my first 500 series on Monday, July 15 at the Sizzler League at the Palace.  Scores were 211, 117 (let down!) and 178 (recovered!), all with my Spinderella Ebonite Cyclone.  Best league night ever for me, truly a Milestone Monday!

This is a welcome improvement from my last blog on one of the worst nights i have had at league in a long time.  After such a dismal display, I decided it was high time to check off one of my goals for this year: to seek coaching from bowling guru Donna Roberts.  I knew I was not going to get out of this rut by barreling through it like I have done in the past = professional help was needed.  I wanted to correct the fundamental flaws in my game so I could move definitively in the right direction, and be armed with the knowledge of what I need to watch out for, so i don't regress again or too badly.

I had my lesson with Donna on June 23, and have been diligently working on the key things she had me working on.  Lots of things to think about, which was not good for me in the beginning, but we had discussed about putting in the minimum six hours of practice (just like our piano teachers told us!).  I had noticed my ball speed increasing, and I was hitting my target more consistently, so it was only a matter of time before my scores reflected an incremental improvement in my game.  Putting in the work helped me get a sense of how "right" should feel, so my new and improved approach could become more instinctive... good to minimize the thinking! 

By this Monday, I had logged in 55 games (both league and practice) since my June 23 lesson, which was more than the minimum 6 hours, but hey, I am a stubborn cookie overcoming many bad habits and striving for consistency.  I had been doing the release drill Donna taught me, and was getting better at keeping my head down through my approach, trusting my swing (do not direct the ball!) and following through strongly, which all finally came together on Monday and made a difference!  

THANK YOU, Donna, my fabulous coach and miracle worker, for making it possible!  THANK YOU, Papa Joel, for watching out for me and sharing this journey with me (go JC Squared!).  SHOUT OUT to Romy and Blue of Pinoy Style, and our opponents from $Money in the Pocket, witnesses to the miracle.

In my typical fashion, i had to get worse before the lesson kicked in and sank in, but the results are worth it!  Hard work truly pays off.  I need to be realistic though = for sure it will be bad again, i have no illusions.  But now i know and believe i can do good and be truly great, coz my inner bowler came out to play this magical Monday and she was super awesome!  I am grateful to be on the right track, getting the help and support I need, and truly looking forward to even more milestones on my journey.

See y'all at the lanes!

6/12 Setback

Had my worst series in a long, LONG time tonight: bowled 101, 122 and 104 for 109 average for the night.  My 150 league average dives down to 140.  

I should shrug it off and move on, I guess, but it is disheartening.  Something was just very off.  Ain't that my trend, improve then get off track, get better then face another setback.  Still hoping for better play and better days....

See yah at the lanes.

5/25 FINALLY, a 200 Game!!!

FINALLY, I have achieved a much awaited milestone: my very first 200+ game.  Yes, this was only practice at Facenda but after getting so close so many times both at league and practice, i can at least say that i have done it.  May this be the beginning of better play and more milestones in my journey to a better game.

See y'all at the lanes!

5/24 Let the Summer Leagues Begin!

Big week, with two summer leagues starting for me: the Summer Sizzler league on 9 pm Monday nights and my beloved Women's League on our regular Wednesday night schedule at 6:30 pm.  The nights are getting quite warm, which could make for some scorchingly hot nights on the lanes....

The Summer Sizzler league was bigger than we thought, with a total of 16 two-person teams.  My GoPapa Joel and I are JC Squared, and we played against the blind scores (140, based on 150 average) of an absent duo.  Playing against another absentee team on the lanes beside us were Philly Pinoy bowling buddies Romy and Blue.  Romy had just played with three Filipina gals (Grace, Alice and Bicoy) on team Lucky Strike at the 6:30 pm Mixed League.  Philly Pinoy rookie AllStar Bicoy currently has an awesome 150+ average on that league, and AllStar Romy had just played 200+ games. 

It took a while for the earlier league to wrap up, so it was 9:30 pm before we could start playing.  Romy and Blue were bowling up a storm beside us, throwing strike after strike. Joel got hot as well and ended up with a 230+ game!  I struggled in the first and last games (bowled 118 and 121, uggh) but got a 194 in my second game - SO close (again!) to a 200 game but not quite.  Romy and Blue were done early, sweeping their opponent.  Joel and I won the first two games and were on the last two frames of the last game when we realized were down by a few pins.  We want a sweep too! Our competitive juices kicked in, with Joel converting on a hugely improbable 3-6-7-10 split, allowing us to win the game by FOUR pins!  Sweep for us too! The guys all had averages in the 190s, i had to be content with my 144 average.  Great bowling, guys, awesome start!

Wednesday night for the ladies started out with a bit of chaos.  I could hear the Mission Impossible theme playing as we strove to figure out how our 8 teams could play on only 6 lanes, since two lanes allotted to us had apparently been assigned to the Men's League!  After much discussion, two of the eight teams, my IncrediBOWLs and the Split Enz, were assigned to two lanes on the other side of the building: poor Shirley was able to work this out for us but she was going to make sure we had our lanes together, as always, by next week.  On the Split Enz are Anjeanette, Sherry and Angela: all great players, and such a formidable opponent to be matched against on the first week, when our averages will be set.  My teammates Mitchie/Carmina and Chelo had had no practice for a while, and so i was voted anchor until my perrenial anchor woman Mitchie could get her confidence back.  Both Chelo and Mitchie played better than I did most of the night though - great for the IncrediBOWLs and a great start for us all!  We tied in the first game then won the second game, then the Split Enz, who had a hard time getting all warmed up, got their groove later on, especially after both Sherry and Angela got done selling raffle tickets during the second and third games.  They wound up winning the third game and total pins, so we lost, 1.5 to 3.5.  Anjeanette and I took a while before we got any strikes, i just struggled the whole night and could not recover like Anjeanette did.  Mitchie got hot in the third game and bowled a 178: that's my madam anchorwoman!  Chelo and I both ended up with a 141 average, what are the odds?  We had great fun, with all the high fiving and dancing we were doing, although Angela noted that I was not as noisy as i usually am, hmmm...maybe coz i was playing awful?

I brought home that night goodies from the Womens Fall League banquet that was held at the Thorndale Inn on May 15, which I missed coz i was home sick with a low grade fever and bad asthma, and could hardly breathe.  My dear Scatterpins did well as the #2 team for both the first and second half of the year.  I got a towel for bowling 60 pins over my average, the 197 i bowled when my average was 136.  I also got $15 for our team rolling a high team series.  Overall I received a whopping $133 in cash, together with a lovely handmade tissue box from Shirley and Ruth, some homemade lotion (which my daughter immediately claimed coz it smelled heavenly!), and some cool giveaways from the bank.  Awesome, I tell you... I truly feel like a winner and am so BLESSED to have found this lovely league!

On a related note, another Philly Pinoy team made its debut on the Tuesday night mixed league.  Angie's List is comprised of Angie (of course!), Raul, Desi and Roy, who is new to the Palace leagues.  Our newbie had awesome beginners luck on Tuesday night, bowling his first 200 game at league with a 230+ no less!  Way to go, Royster, i think that makes you our player of the week!

So we are off to a good start, folks, let us keep the momentum going.  See y'all at the lanes!

5/19 Reflections and Lists

Been doing a lot of reflection as my two leagues have ended regulation play. It has been a good long year since i decided to join my first USBC-sanctioned league on my quest to a better game. This week marks the start of my second year on the Downingtown Womens Wednesday Night summer league.  My GoPapa Joel and I are also set to start this week with the 2-person team Summer Sizzler League on 9 pm Monday nights.  How time flies (well, I AM having fun!).  My journey and my struggles continue, although i know i can, and should, so proudly say that i have improved as a player and hopefully also as a teammate.

My analytical mind gravitates towards lists to summarize my musings, so here goes the first list:


Accomplishments from May 2012-May 2013

1. Became a USBC member, playing continuously at USBC leagues for past 12 months

2. Increased USBC average from 117 to 137 over 12 months

3. Logged close to 1000 games over a one year period, both in practice and through league-play

4. Currently bowling a minimum of 8 games per week, 3 at league and 5-9 for practice

5. Played in two USBC-sanctioned leagues with the Downingtown Women (summer and fall/winter)

6. Played in two unsanctioned leagues, Adult-Child 2012 summer league, and Philly Pinoy 2013 winter league

7. Served as team captain for Bowling for Nachos (with Joey) and the IncrediBOWLs (with Mitchie and Chelo), summer 2012, and for the BowlStars (with Mitchie, Chelo, Liz and String), winter 2013

8. Was ranked #3 female player at Philly Pinoy league (all star player)

9. Increased Philly Pinoy league average from 110 to 154 in one year (graph from my bowling app tells the story...)

10.  Decreased injury and strain to knees and elbows by playing smarter, using correct form

Am I proud?  Heck, yeah!  But i also know i can do better so part of me is still a trifle disappointed.  So my lists continue:


Old Goals I Still Need To Reach

1.  Play my first 200 game (and then the next, and the next...)

2.  Increase my USBC average to 150 and above

3.  Consistently hit the 10-pin spare (and all my spares for that matter!)

It seems to be a shorter list than when I started, which is a good sign.  Why my first 200 game still eludes me is baffling, but part of my saga.  To each his own journey....

NEW Goals To Aim For

1.  Obtain coaching from Donna Roberts and successfully apply learnings

2.  Experience tournament play at least once within next 12 months

3.  Consistently play 450+ series at league (then, next aim is for consistent 500+ series)

4.  Play a 300 game, no-tap or otherwise (almost did!)

5.  Keep improving, keep learning, bounce back quicker from setbacks

My eye saga continues, so I am at risk of losing time at the lanes again.  The fact that i still improved overall despite my hiatus for my eye drama is another good sign.  But I hope if i take time off again, i will not slip down as low or take as long to bounce back.  Or, my most fervent hope is that all goes well and there is NO time off from the lanes!  

I pray, then I play.  I pray as I play.  Let the bowling gods smile on me, smile at my joy and laugh at my persistence.  

See you at the lanes!

4/10 Beach-A-Bye Golly-Wow!

Took a break from the blog for a couple weeks while on vacation in the Philippines but definitely did not take a break from bowling.  Had a date with an awesome bowling alley at the beach place (Pico de Loro) we found in the Philippines, and had a blast bowling with family. Then of course when we came back last week, I played at the Fun Night scheduled for my Filipino League last Friday night.  That was REAL memorable coz I got close to bowling a perfect 300 game in 8-pin-no-tap: was perfect till the first ball in the 10th frame but then threw a dud with my eleventh ball and ended with a 282.  Can't really complain about such a great outcome but, oh! what could have been!  Folks were telling me I should go on vacation more often, if I was to come back playing like that: beach-a bye-golly-WOW indeed!  My GoPapa Joel scored his second perfect 300 game at 8-pin no-tap = he truly is a clutch player, Go Papa!

Alas my mojo ran out after 8-pin no-tap this Friday night, coz I played dismally in lowest score (got a 170, NOT low at all) and in the scratch scoring game (got a 126, uggh, could not hit my spares).  I tried addressing my super awful spare shooting at Sunday morning practice, where my Beast Ball seemed to work best as a spare ball.  I had found sweet spots for the 6-pin and 10-pin spares (my favorites, uggh) at practice also, and had been hitting them consistently.  Had I finally addressed that weakness of mine?  We shall see.... 

So of course I was hopeful for good play tonight, coming back to play with my beloved Scatterpins who were up against the BOB.  It was Sadie, me, Ann Marie (so glad she kept in touch with me while I was on vacation!), and Ruth playing for the Scatterpins, and it was Lynn, Diann, Donna and Kitty playing for the BOB.  We had Ruth's super adorable grand-daughter Emma with us tonight, and we made sure we were giving her high fives with every good ball. 

And boy, was Emma darling our lucky charm tonight!  We ending up sweeping the BOB even through some super hot mama streaks and strikes from the BOB.  I started out cold (was it the jetlag-induced stupor?  not sure...) but I did get some well deserved raps in the butt from Ruth coz I couldn't seem to find my groove and make marks on that first game....  Thanks to the bowling gods, things got better as the night wore on.  Thanks also to Ann Marie, who I was trying to keep up with on the second game.  And thanks to Sadie who lent me some of her mojo on the third game.  I had scores of 114, 157 and 167 for an average of 146 and series of 438, allowing me (thank goodness!) to maintain my league average of 136.  I was hit and miss with the 6-pin and 10-pin spares, but I at least hit more than missed more tonight = good trend for me.

Seems that there are only a couple more weeks remaining for the league, with our banquet scheduled for May 15 and the summer league starting by May 22.  The IncrediBOWLs, my summer league team, is planning a comeback, and hopefully we do better than last place this year (11th out of 8 teams, LOL), all for the fun of playing and for the love of bowling.  I am still on the hunt for my first 200 game in league play, it is just around the corner, I can smell it.  And you know I will share it with you here, where I get to share my bowling adventures with y'all!

Thank you for reading, and see you at the lanes!