Wow, time flies, blog has been idle, though I have been far from that! Time to rhyme....
Been absent from my blog
Coz been working hard like a dog
Found the secret to think clear and deep
Is to get sufficient sleep!
Have not lost time at the lanes (perfect attendance!)
With good practice, have made modest gains
Still battling for consistency
Mental toughness is always key
Finding my groove with Spinderella
In time i will learn to play her bettah
And i really can't complain
130 average i've maintained
And I find each time I'm confounded,
With bowling angels i am surrounded!
Their nuggets of wisdom worth pots of gold
Though when i'm stubborn I deserve the scold
So sometimes time is quite an issue
But practice and play will always continue
Committed to pursue each lofty goal
And to always, with joy, bowl for my soul
I wish for y'all to find your zen and the balms for your souls in this joyful but stressful season. See y'all at the lanes!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
11/28 Bowling with Angels
The Scatterpins played the PinPals at Wednesday Night Ladies League tonight. Kathie ("virgin" bowler at our league with no average and handicap) was subbing for Ruth, who is still out sick (get well soon!). So it was Sadie, me, Kathie and Ann Marie bowling for the Scatterpins. Sandy, Carole, Jackie and Bette bowled for the PinPals.
I came a little late and Kathie was watching me closely as I rolled my bag in and started getting all my "gear" out. She said the gear made me look like a pro! I had to let her know that the "gear" is meant to make me "look like I know what I'm doing", and is thanks largely to my dear GoPapa hubby Joel, who is a great bowler and makes sure I am well equipped for this game we both love. She asked what my average was, and I said I could do 150 on a good night, but was happy to get 100+ on bad nights. I was not sure what kind of night I was going to have but I was going to have fun and throw the darn ball!
The Scatterpins came out kicking on the first game - we all got good scores! Our team handicap was not set, but we probably won that first game. I got a great score of 156 - what a great start! Listening to my Hot Mama coach, lucky charm and bowling angel Ann Marie was truly doing me good! Dear Kathie bowled a 154 and started saying she should maybe bowl on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays with Ann Marie, since she had bowled so well - way to go, Kathie! Happy dance, happy dance...we all bowled well and were feeling real good.
Both teams struggled in the second game, with the lanes breaking down, and our drunken balls started to make some last minute hooks. I was happy to still get a 135, considering I hit no strikes and had too many missed spares.... Not sure who won that game, we were all anxious to move on and start fresh with the third game.
And boy, did the PinPals get hot in the last game. They beat us soundly with all of them getting good scores, and Bette narrowly missing getting a 200 game, awesome! Sweet Sadie (who I jokingly said would now play better since her sweetie was watching...), got the hot hand too and threw her share of strikes = good job, Sadie! I hit a few strikes after Ann Marie requested them ("just what the Hot Mama ordered"), but continued to struggle with my spares. My Cake Boss was taking drunken turns (the PinPals got a kick out of smelling my birthday cake ball, which does not smell like socks!), so I switched to using my Spinderella strike ball for my spares, with mixed results, hit and miss, some misses so narrow, "I missed by a roach"...
So my scores tonight were 156, 135 and 139, for a 430 series and an average for the night of 143. Not too shabby, my league average should increase from 128 to 130 after tonight's games. I am glad my "better" game showed up today. More work to do but at least I am not doing too bad. I still need to work on my spares, and told Ann Marie that I should bring her to my practices, as her advice on where I should stand and throw my ball were invaluable to me tonight. She is truly my Hot Mama lucky charm!
I wanted to give a shout out to dear Ruby and sweet Shirley, the heart and soul of this league, for taking good care of me, cheering me on, and also keeping me in line (and being patient with me when I give dimes when they ask me for nickels LOL). I am looking forward to the league's Christmas celebration, and am ever grateful for the blessing of getting to play this game I love with such a wonderful group of ladies. On my Wednesday nights, I truly feel like I am bowling with angels no matter how I play. Love yah all, and I hope it shows as clearly as the sheer happiness I feel when I bowl well (just a little bit happy, yah know...).
See y'all at the lanes!
I came a little late and Kathie was watching me closely as I rolled my bag in and started getting all my "gear" out. She said the gear made me look like a pro! I had to let her know that the "gear" is meant to make me "look like I know what I'm doing", and is thanks largely to my dear GoPapa hubby Joel, who is a great bowler and makes sure I am well equipped for this game we both love. She asked what my average was, and I said I could do 150 on a good night, but was happy to get 100+ on bad nights. I was not sure what kind of night I was going to have but I was going to have fun and throw the darn ball!
The Scatterpins came out kicking on the first game - we all got good scores! Our team handicap was not set, but we probably won that first game. I got a great score of 156 - what a great start! Listening to my Hot Mama coach, lucky charm and bowling angel Ann Marie was truly doing me good! Dear Kathie bowled a 154 and started saying she should maybe bowl on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays with Ann Marie, since she had bowled so well - way to go, Kathie! Happy dance, happy dance...we all bowled well and were feeling real good.
Both teams struggled in the second game, with the lanes breaking down, and our drunken balls started to make some last minute hooks. I was happy to still get a 135, considering I hit no strikes and had too many missed spares.... Not sure who won that game, we were all anxious to move on and start fresh with the third game.
And boy, did the PinPals get hot in the last game. They beat us soundly with all of them getting good scores, and Bette narrowly missing getting a 200 game, awesome! Sweet Sadie (who I jokingly said would now play better since her sweetie was watching...), got the hot hand too and threw her share of strikes = good job, Sadie! I hit a few strikes after Ann Marie requested them ("just what the Hot Mama ordered"), but continued to struggle with my spares. My Cake Boss was taking drunken turns (the PinPals got a kick out of smelling my birthday cake ball, which does not smell like socks!), so I switched to using my Spinderella strike ball for my spares, with mixed results, hit and miss, some misses so narrow, "I missed by a roach"...
So my scores tonight were 156, 135 and 139, for a 430 series and an average for the night of 143. Not too shabby, my league average should increase from 128 to 130 after tonight's games. I am glad my "better" game showed up today. More work to do but at least I am not doing too bad. I still need to work on my spares, and told Ann Marie that I should bring her to my practices, as her advice on where I should stand and throw my ball were invaluable to me tonight. She is truly my Hot Mama lucky charm!
I wanted to give a shout out to dear Ruby and sweet Shirley, the heart and soul of this league, for taking good care of me, cheering me on, and also keeping me in line (and being patient with me when I give dimes when they ask me for nickels LOL). I am looking forward to the league's Christmas celebration, and am ever grateful for the blessing of getting to play this game I love with such a wonderful group of ladies. On my Wednesday nights, I truly feel like I am bowling with angels no matter how I play. Love yah all, and I hope it shows as clearly as the sheer happiness I feel when I bowl well (just a little bit happy, yah know...).
See y'all at the lanes!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
11/21 Happy Turkey Day :)
My super exuberant daughter oftentimes says "This was the best day ever!" Since the apple does not fall far from the tree, and I did have an awesome night bowling at league tonight, I can say the same.
The Scatterpins were hot tonight, which we needed to be as we were up against some formidable bowlers. We were missing Ruth who was out sick - I almost did not make it in myself with my asthma flaring up, but the Z-Pak made me well enough to play. So it was Sadie, me and Ann Marie playing for the Scatterpins. We were playing against the Pathetics: Sherry, Angela (who was absent), Barb and Mary Ann. The Pathetics were throwing strike after strike, and played excellent games. Mary Ann threw many strikes, even got a turkey, and had all her games at 170 and above! Sadie, Ann Marie and I were above average all night though. In the end, the Scatterpins were lucky to hold our own, and extremely happy to pull off a sweep, 4-0. We love yah, Sherry, but no mercy! Go Scatterpins!
Happy, happy, joy, joy: I bowled the best that I've done in MONTHS! Many happy dances on the lanes tonight, even I was finding it quite surreal and unbelievable (or shall I say "unBOWLievable"?). My scores were 150, 161 and 139, for an average of 150 and series of 450. I found my spot early, kept my rhythm and was hitting my spares (thanks to some expert coaching from Ann Marie, especially when I actually listened). My swing was consistent tonight, and my release felt smooth (only pulled it a couple of times). My Cake Boss killed some 10-pin and 6,10-pin spares (I threw it right most of the time). My 161 game had my throwing three strikes in the final frame (that's my turkey LOL). I struggled a little in the last game, with my ball skidding on residual oil and not hooking like it should, but I fought back in the last few frames, adjusting my hand to a 10 o'clock position. Looking back, consistency and focus were key, as I fought for each pin. My league average of 125 will be increasing to 128 based on my performance tonight. Good stuff, practice pays off!
Sweet Shirley commented that I was bowling like I used to - it did feel good to bowl as well as I did when league started. To say that I was extremely happy would be an understatement. It made folks laugh to see me celebrate so exuberantly, which made me even MORE happy (yup, my daughter got my sense of joy!). It was good to play well, even better to share it with such a fun crowd, my dear Wednesday Night Ladies, especially Ruby and Shirley and my Scatterpins. I like this improving trend: it makes me very optimistic, eager to work even harder so I get play even better. My mojo is coming back, hallelujah!
Happy Birthday to Jackie, whose birthday is tomorrow, a National Holiday ;) Happy Turkey Day, everybody! See y'all at the lanes!
The Scatterpins were hot tonight, which we needed to be as we were up against some formidable bowlers. We were missing Ruth who was out sick - I almost did not make it in myself with my asthma flaring up, but the Z-Pak made me well enough to play. So it was Sadie, me and Ann Marie playing for the Scatterpins. We were playing against the Pathetics: Sherry, Angela (who was absent), Barb and Mary Ann. The Pathetics were throwing strike after strike, and played excellent games. Mary Ann threw many strikes, even got a turkey, and had all her games at 170 and above! Sadie, Ann Marie and I were above average all night though. In the end, the Scatterpins were lucky to hold our own, and extremely happy to pull off a sweep, 4-0. We love yah, Sherry, but no mercy! Go Scatterpins!
Happy, happy, joy, joy: I bowled the best that I've done in MONTHS! Many happy dances on the lanes tonight, even I was finding it quite surreal and unbelievable (or shall I say "unBOWLievable"?). My scores were 150, 161 and 139, for an average of 150 and series of 450. I found my spot early, kept my rhythm and was hitting my spares (thanks to some expert coaching from Ann Marie, especially when I actually listened). My swing was consistent tonight, and my release felt smooth (only pulled it a couple of times). My Cake Boss killed some 10-pin and 6,10-pin spares (I threw it right most of the time). My 161 game had my throwing three strikes in the final frame (that's my turkey LOL). I struggled a little in the last game, with my ball skidding on residual oil and not hooking like it should, but I fought back in the last few frames, adjusting my hand to a 10 o'clock position. Looking back, consistency and focus were key, as I fought for each pin. My league average of 125 will be increasing to 128 based on my performance tonight. Good stuff, practice pays off!
Sweet Shirley commented that I was bowling like I used to - it did feel good to bowl as well as I did when league started. To say that I was extremely happy would be an understatement. It made folks laugh to see me celebrate so exuberantly, which made me even MORE happy (yup, my daughter got my sense of joy!). It was good to play well, even better to share it with such a fun crowd, my dear Wednesday Night Ladies, especially Ruby and Shirley and my Scatterpins. I like this improving trend: it makes me very optimistic, eager to work even harder so I get play even better. My mojo is coming back, hallelujah!
Happy Birthday to Jackie, whose birthday is tomorrow, a National Holiday ;) Happy Turkey Day, everybody! See y'all at the lanes!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
11/20 Breathers and breathing...
BREATHER: I've taken quite a breather from blogging, seems like. It is a good thing I record my scores when I bowl, coz otherwise my bad memory would never allow me to accurately recollect what's been going on!
PREBOWL: I actually prebowled for league last week, since we were having company over. I hope the Scatterpins did well. My prebowl scores on Saturday, November 10 inched a little above my league average of 125. I had scores of 136, 140 and 118 for an average of 131, which at least results in an upward trend from my previous league night. I am very slowly getting back up to where I was at beginning of league at end of August. Hopefully I can continue my upward trend in league play, as this would allow me to reach my goal of improving my average to a consistent 150 or better.
PRACTICE: My practices this week have had me consistently playing in the 120-140 range (except this past Sunday, when the lanes were bone dry and I was happy to hover in the hundreds). I am getting the hang of my Spinderella (Ebonite Cyclone) and my Cake Boss (Storm Tropical Breeze). My spare shooting still needs work, but the consistency is improving, so I can't complain. I even learned how to shoot my ball down the boards from the left side of the lane this Sunday - add another option for dry lane play apart from sticking with the Cake Boss.
CELEBRATION: We celebrated my baby Joey's 12th birthday at the Palace with a bowling party with a few of her close friends. Joey has been getting better scores above her average at Adult-Child bowling league. Glad we can share our love for this sport with her.
COMING UP:
Until then, Happy Thanksgiving and see y'all at the lanes!
PREBOWL: I actually prebowled for league last week, since we were having company over. I hope the Scatterpins did well. My prebowl scores on Saturday, November 10 inched a little above my league average of 125. I had scores of 136, 140 and 118 for an average of 131, which at least results in an upward trend from my previous league night. I am very slowly getting back up to where I was at beginning of league at end of August. Hopefully I can continue my upward trend in league play, as this would allow me to reach my goal of improving my average to a consistent 150 or better.
PRACTICE: My practices this week have had me consistently playing in the 120-140 range (except this past Sunday, when the lanes were bone dry and I was happy to hover in the hundreds). I am getting the hang of my Spinderella (Ebonite Cyclone) and my Cake Boss (Storm Tropical Breeze). My spare shooting still needs work, but the consistency is improving, so I can't complain. I even learned how to shoot my ball down the boards from the left side of the lane this Sunday - add another option for dry lane play apart from sticking with the Cake Boss.
CELEBRATION: We celebrated my baby Joey's 12th birthday at the Palace with a bowling party with a few of her close friends. Joey has been getting better scores above her average at Adult-Child bowling league. Glad we can share our love for this sport with her.
COMING UP:
- Philly Pinoy will be having its Jingle Bowl Potluck Christmas Party 2012 at the Palace on December 21. We're having the Palace set us up for 9-pin no-tap and lowest score, apart from regular games. Should be loads of fun!
- The Philly Pinoy Annual Bowling League kicks off on January 11 and will be playing through the winter into mid-April. The Philly Pinoy Sunday Bowling Club (me included) have been active participants in the bowling committee headed by our Sports Commish, Jay Lizardo. I will be playing with Mitchie, Chelo, Liz and Chona/String - we are the BowlStars, BS for short. My GoPapa Joel will be playing with Ivan, Roy and Jops, the Lords of the Lanes (LOL for short). This league is what got me started with bowling, and my need to improve my play is what got me (together with my girlfriends and the other Philly Pinoy bowlers) playing at USBC leagues at Palace. I am (we all are!!!) hoping to do well this year. Looking forward to blogging about all that next year - more cool stories to share!
Until then, Happy Thanksgiving and see y'all at the lanes!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
11/7 Hurricanes, Cyclones and Snowstorms, oh my!
I guess I ended up with a hiatus last week when Hurricane Sandy hit the NJ shore. The devastation was horrible to see, the loss of power in our area was minimal compared to what other people suffered and are still going through. Needless to say there was no league last week - my beloved Palace had no power from that Monday night when the hurrican hit, until Thursday at 1 pm. I was already planning to already hit Facenda-Whitaker lanes in Norristown, desperate to bowl for my soul, when I learned that they also had no power, but Palace was open. So I was able to bowl a few practice games on Thursday, and came back on Saturday with Joey, and on Sunday with the Philly Pinoy bowling crowd, desperate to "get to know" my new Spinderella ball, my Ebonite Cyclone, prior to league night.
Spinderella likes a smooth, slow release with a touchdown at 6:30, which took a lot of practice to discover and will take more practice for me to consistently deliver. The release, coupled with finding good rhythm and timing, seemed to be the key to my getting better scores during practice. I was also getting the hang of playing my Cake Boss, my birthday cake-smelling Storm Tropical Breeze, for the more pesky spares, and was quite proud of how I could hit the 10-pin with it! I certainly still have a few kinks, so my practice games have ranged from a high of 153 to a low of 83 with this new ball. So I wondered which game was going to show up at league tonight....
We were playing the PinPals, but only Carole was there to play Sadie, me, Ann Marie and Ruth, the Scatterpins. Ann Marie and I were comparing the markings on our almost identical Ebonite Cyclones, both drilled to perfection by Donna Roberts in Pottstown. Both Ann Marie and Ruth gave me grief about using my Cake Boss spare ball for spares other than the 10-pin, but I am a stubborn gal, and it took me about 4 throws with that ball before I got back what I gained during practice and started hitting the 10-pin and 6+10-pin spares (thank goodness!), so they let me be! The sweet smell of the ball may have helped with the convincing also....
The first game went to the PinPals - Ruth was awesome but most of us were still trying to find our groove. My score was 110, which is below my 125 average: more work needed...
Boy did Sadie get hot in the second game! She was throwing strikes and doubles and bowling up a storm, it was awesome to see, love her to death, she deserved such an awesome game. I found my groove in the middle of that game, getting a couple of strikes and finally getting some spares. Both Sadie and I ended up with scores of 147, and we beat the PinPals soundly. I am ecstatic coz this is the highest score I've gotten in league in WEEKS, hallelujah!
Ruth was my bowling angel, advising me on my adjustments, where to stand, how to hit my spares. Ann Marie, my original bowling angel, would tell me to keep loose, hit the second arrow and get a big strike. Both of them were advising me to stick with just throwing Spinderella (and ignore Cake Boss) so I could get used to it. I sometimes would smile and just do my own thing (as with sticking with Cake Boss, even if it was not the 7- or 10-pin), to which they would roll their eyes and tell me I was stubborn, and I AM stubborn, but I did try to listen. So when I got things right after Ruth had told me what to do, I had to hand it to her, coz she WAS right, absolutely right! It was actually cool especially when the adjustment I was planning to make (as figured out and noted on my Handy Dandy Pink Notebook), was exactly what she recommended me to do, which tells me that although I may overthink things, there are times when what I come up with is actually the right thing. We are not completely BAD with the analysis part of this game: go BowlVersity! And we are trainable, we are not a lost cause!
The third game had me bowling close to my average. I had a couple of strikes but struggled once again with my spares. I scored a 129, giving me an average tonight of 127. Bowled at average, can't complain. I hope this is the end of the "plummeting average" trend I had the preceding weeks at league. I maintained average tonight, hopefully we can initiate a slow and steady upward trend back to, and maybe exceeding, my initial 141 average.
For additional celebratory items, I had ZERO gutterballs tonight = none, nada, zilch! My Cyclone Spinderella came to bowl and scared my gutterballs away. Gutterball Reduction Initiative is a whopping success. Now we need to keep that going, and keep making every ball count!
So we did good tonight, but still have some work to do. Hard work pays off. It also pays to be surrounded by bowling angels during practice, at league and at the pro shop. I am so blessed!
I am praying that tonight's snowstorm (called Athena) does not wreck too much havoc in the already ravaged North East tonight. The roads were icy when I left the Palace, and the footage on the TV screens of the snow accumulation in New Jersey did not look good. Be safe, everybody!
See yah at the lanes!
Spinderella likes a smooth, slow release with a touchdown at 6:30, which took a lot of practice to discover and will take more practice for me to consistently deliver. The release, coupled with finding good rhythm and timing, seemed to be the key to my getting better scores during practice. I was also getting the hang of playing my Cake Boss, my birthday cake-smelling Storm Tropical Breeze, for the more pesky spares, and was quite proud of how I could hit the 10-pin with it! I certainly still have a few kinks, so my practice games have ranged from a high of 153 to a low of 83 with this new ball. So I wondered which game was going to show up at league tonight....
We were playing the PinPals, but only Carole was there to play Sadie, me, Ann Marie and Ruth, the Scatterpins. Ann Marie and I were comparing the markings on our almost identical Ebonite Cyclones, both drilled to perfection by Donna Roberts in Pottstown. Both Ann Marie and Ruth gave me grief about using my Cake Boss spare ball for spares other than the 10-pin, but I am a stubborn gal, and it took me about 4 throws with that ball before I got back what I gained during practice and started hitting the 10-pin and 6+10-pin spares (thank goodness!), so they let me be! The sweet smell of the ball may have helped with the convincing also....
The first game went to the PinPals - Ruth was awesome but most of us were still trying to find our groove. My score was 110, which is below my 125 average: more work needed...
Boy did Sadie get hot in the second game! She was throwing strikes and doubles and bowling up a storm, it was awesome to see, love her to death, she deserved such an awesome game. I found my groove in the middle of that game, getting a couple of strikes and finally getting some spares. Both Sadie and I ended up with scores of 147, and we beat the PinPals soundly. I am ecstatic coz this is the highest score I've gotten in league in WEEKS, hallelujah!
Ruth was my bowling angel, advising me on my adjustments, where to stand, how to hit my spares. Ann Marie, my original bowling angel, would tell me to keep loose, hit the second arrow and get a big strike. Both of them were advising me to stick with just throwing Spinderella (and ignore Cake Boss) so I could get used to it. I sometimes would smile and just do my own thing (as with sticking with Cake Boss, even if it was not the 7- or 10-pin), to which they would roll their eyes and tell me I was stubborn, and I AM stubborn, but I did try to listen. So when I got things right after Ruth had told me what to do, I had to hand it to her, coz she WAS right, absolutely right! It was actually cool especially when the adjustment I was planning to make (as figured out and noted on my Handy Dandy Pink Notebook), was exactly what she recommended me to do, which tells me that although I may overthink things, there are times when what I come up with is actually the right thing. We are not completely BAD with the analysis part of this game: go BowlVersity! And we are trainable, we are not a lost cause!
The third game had me bowling close to my average. I had a couple of strikes but struggled once again with my spares. I scored a 129, giving me an average tonight of 127. Bowled at average, can't complain. I hope this is the end of the "plummeting average" trend I had the preceding weeks at league. I maintained average tonight, hopefully we can initiate a slow and steady upward trend back to, and maybe exceeding, my initial 141 average.
For additional celebratory items, I had ZERO gutterballs tonight = none, nada, zilch! My Cyclone Spinderella came to bowl and scared my gutterballs away. Gutterball Reduction Initiative is a whopping success. Now we need to keep that going, and keep making every ball count!
So we did good tonight, but still have some work to do. Hard work pays off. It also pays to be surrounded by bowling angels during practice, at league and at the pro shop. I am so blessed!
I am praying that tonight's snowstorm (called Athena) does not wreck too much havoc in the already ravaged North East tonight. The roads were icy when I left the Palace, and the footage on the TV screens of the snow accumulation in New Jersey did not look good. Be safe, everybody!
See yah at the lanes!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
10/28 Cyclone-Playing in the face of Hurricane Sandy
So what do bowling addicts do in the face of the impending direct hit of Hurricane Sandy? Play as many games as physically possible at the Palace, of course!
It is always great fun to play on Sundays with the Philly Pinoy bowlers. Angie & Edmer, Mitchie & Ivan, Raul & Joy, Desi, Dennis, Romy, Blue, and Paolo were there tonight, laughing with each other about playing and being at the Palace in the face of the approaching storm. We had yummy palabok (Filipino noodles) c/o Desi's wife and some food for the gods c/o Mitchie. Yummy food, fun with friends and bowling - what more can I ask for on a rainy Sunday afternoon? Maybe a better game, as I always seem to be on the cusp of something great!
I played five games with my IncrediBOWL teammates, Chelo and Mitchie, on Friday - I figured I can play one last time with my Beast Ball before I "divorced" it. Then I played four games solo on Saturday, eager to try out my new Ebonite Cyclone and my old Cake Boss spare ball, courtesy of my bowling guru and pro shop professional Donna Roberts. And this Sunday afternoon, I played a total of six games with Papa Joel, my Joey, and the Philly Pinoy bowlers. That's a total of 15 practice games for me in three days! I am happy to now be able to bowl close to as many games as I used to. I took my time to build up my stamina, and am glad to be well on my way to recovery.
I am also very happy and excited about playing with my new ball, my Ebonite Cyclone that I have christened my Spinderella. I guess it does look like a pretty marble... It hooks just like my Misfit did when it was new, but packs enough power to have wicked pin action when it hits the pocket. Now I just need to work on finding my line quicker and throwing my Spinderella with good control and consistency, as that seemed to be my limitation this weekend. I had good balance and timing on my approach but was experimenting with my release. The tucking and untucking of my pinky was a good exercise but messed with my adjustments and maybe even with my brain (pinky and the brain...) - next time I will just focus on a good solid plain-jane release. But I am still "getting to know" Spinderella, after all, and should only get more comfortable over time. I look forward to eventually taking Spinderella to the "bowl" to meet my first 200 game! But we will be working hard towards a higher and more consistent average. I seem to be anchored on my current league average of 124, although I got some scores in the 130-140s.
It is always great fun to play on Sundays with the Philly Pinoy bowlers. Angie & Edmer, Mitchie & Ivan, Raul & Joy, Desi, Dennis, Romy, Blue, and Paolo were there tonight, laughing with each other about playing and being at the Palace in the face of the approaching storm. We had yummy palabok (Filipino noodles) c/o Desi's wife and some food for the gods c/o Mitchie. Yummy food, fun with friends and bowling - what more can I ask for on a rainy Sunday afternoon? Maybe a better game, as I always seem to be on the cusp of something great!
I played five games with my IncrediBOWL teammates, Chelo and Mitchie, on Friday - I figured I can play one last time with my Beast Ball before I "divorced" it. Then I played four games solo on Saturday, eager to try out my new Ebonite Cyclone and my old Cake Boss spare ball, courtesy of my bowling guru and pro shop professional Donna Roberts. And this Sunday afternoon, I played a total of six games with Papa Joel, my Joey, and the Philly Pinoy bowlers. That's a total of 15 practice games for me in three days! I am happy to now be able to bowl close to as many games as I used to. I took my time to build up my stamina, and am glad to be well on my way to recovery.
I am also very happy and excited about playing with my new ball, my Ebonite Cyclone that I have christened my Spinderella. I guess it does look like a pretty marble... It hooks just like my Misfit did when it was new, but packs enough power to have wicked pin action when it hits the pocket. Now I just need to work on finding my line quicker and throwing my Spinderella with good control and consistency, as that seemed to be my limitation this weekend. I had good balance and timing on my approach but was experimenting with my release. The tucking and untucking of my pinky was a good exercise but messed with my adjustments and maybe even with my brain (pinky and the brain...) - next time I will just focus on a good solid plain-jane release. But I am still "getting to know" Spinderella, after all, and should only get more comfortable over time. I look forward to eventually taking Spinderella to the "bowl" to meet my first 200 game! But we will be working hard towards a higher and more consistent average. I seem to be anchored on my current league average of 124, although I got some scores in the 130-140s.
My spare shooting is looking up with my Cake Boss in tow. On Saturday, I was able to consistently hit all my spares, including the dreaded 10-pin and 7-pin. Today was not as good, maybe coz the lanes were more oily and my stance needed minor adjustments. I almost always converted when I smartly determined my stance (thought it through) and then threw the ball with conviction. This tells me that working on my mental game is critical to my continued progress with spare shooting.
I have to give a shout out to Donna Roberts, without whom I would not have the perfectly drilled balls I have in my arsenal. THANK YOU, Donna, for taking care of all our pro-shop needs, for your expert advice and guidance and now for introducing me to my Spinderella. I look forward to working with you on improving my game once I am 100%.
So I really can't complain overall: got my new balls, got some good practice in, my approaches were balanced and well-timed, and more importantly, we are happy and healthy and playing again. Good things are in store!
Praying that everybody stays safe and that we all fare well through Hurricane Sandy. Lots of rain, strong winds, flooding and power outages are predicted. Schools are closed, public transportation is shut down, and there is no work for most everybody. I am hoping it is not as bad as predicted. The storm will have passed by Wednesday, a Halloween league night. If all goes well, I'll be blogging about how we survived Sandy as I recount how I played on Wednesday night league. It'll be an interesting week....
See y'all at the lanes!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
10/24 Bowling like a pirate...argh!
Tonight was my first night back with the Wednesday Night Women's League at the Palace in Downingtown, PA. Whoo hoo! It was great to be back! I did not realize how much I missed being with the wonderful women of this league until I was with them again. Love them all...
Tonight, playing for the Scatterpins, we had Sadie, then me, then Ann Marie (subbing for dear Ruby), and our anchor was Ruth, who I had not seen since the first night of league in late August. She had come back while I was out. My "blind" scores were used while I was out for the past three weeks, and my average had remained anchored at 127. We were playing against the "Ghost" team with their blind scores.
Please allow me to gush in utter loving admiration for my team, my beloved Scatterpins. We are not in last place (they lied!) and how I missed just being in their midst and in the heat of the game: Sadie fighting for every pin, Ann Marie telling me to throw my striped ball (strike ball, my ears are gone...), and Ruth telling me that it is the second arrow and not the first. I am so glad Ann Marie and Ruth were watching me, offering their advise, and yes, if I could only actually do what they asked me, I probably would have played better, but they know I truly tried, and I love them for their faith in me! Dear Shirley and Ruby I love to death, such sweethearts, the "guardian angels" and heart and soul of this league, always reminding me to slow down and take things easy, and repeatedly telling me how I was missed and how glad they were I was back. Sadie, Ann Marie and Ruth all had great scores in the first game, we had a mixed bag in the second game, then we all struggled in the last game, needing 40+ pins to win in the last frame! Ann Marie got a mark and Ruth ultimately saved us, such that we won 3-0 with two games and total pins. Great night for the Scatterpins.
I will say that I was overjoyed to be back at league, but not so overjoyed with how I played. My scores were 102, 120 and 103, giving me an average tonight of 108, which will drop my league average to 123. BUT I fought for every pin, did well with my right hand spares (better than the left hand ones!), and only had 2 gutterballs all night. So not bad for my first league night.
I had a bit of practice on Thursday night (right after I got clearance to bowl, of course!), on Saturday morning and also on Sunday night. Contrary to before my surgery when I would put in 6-8 games in each practice session, I have limited myself to 3 games on Thursday and Saturday and 4 games on Sunday, so as not to overdo things - I am still recovering after all! The first nine games I bowled over those three days had scores in the 69-130 range, but the last game was an encouraging 160 - yeah, we can play GOOD! That game and the few flashes of brilliance tonight with strikes and hard-fought spares give me hope that my game is on the upswing, just as I am ever so slowly on the mend.
SO I bowled like a pirate, argh, coz I might as well have been blind with an eye patch on each eye the way i kept missing my mark tonight. I could have distracted folks (and myself) with my rhinestone eye patch which I wear while driving, but during practice, it did not do good things for my game.... When I was told by Ruth to keep my eye on the arrow, I asked which eye! Still healing, the vision from both my eyes are still not aligned, and there is still an annoying gas bubble in my left eye. This may explain why my ball kept going right of my target somehow, and why I had such hard luck with my left hand spares. I had to slow down my approach and release considerably, and also concentrate really hard on where the ball in my hand was passing on the edge of the lane to ensure I would hit my mark. This worked for the most part but led to a few pulls when I was late on the release and muscled it too much: fine edge for me, and something to keep working on. I had a few good throws and need to concentrate on consistency. More smart and focused practice and play needed!
Looking forward, I will be getting my old Cake Boss ball (my Storm Tropical Heat that smells like birthday cake) back from my wonderful pro shop professional, Donna Roberts, this weekend. I am also getting my new Ebonite Cyclone, which Donna had recommended as a replacement for my poor old Beast Ball (DV8 Misfit), which I played tonight. I am excited coz I watched Ann Marie play her own new Ebonite Cyclone from Donna tonight, and seeing that ball in action is making me hopeful about where my Cyclone may take my game moving forward. Still thinking of a name for that ball, maybe one will come to me when I actually get to see it and throw it down the lane. It will be good having a hard hitting new ball in my arsenal, coupled with a sweet smelling spare ball in my Cake Boss. My spare shooting needs work, and my Beast Ball left me with some weird, disheartening splits and ugly spares after hitting the pocket a couple of times tonight. Change is in the air, it is time to add more pins to my game with a couple of wicked new balls!
BTW, for more info on my eye condition, do check out my other blog: http://dodgingdarkness.blogspot.com
Tonight, playing for the Scatterpins, we had Sadie, then me, then Ann Marie (subbing for dear Ruby), and our anchor was Ruth, who I had not seen since the first night of league in late August. She had come back while I was out. My "blind" scores were used while I was out for the past three weeks, and my average had remained anchored at 127. We were playing against the "Ghost" team with their blind scores.
Please allow me to gush in utter loving admiration for my team, my beloved Scatterpins. We are not in last place (they lied!) and how I missed just being in their midst and in the heat of the game: Sadie fighting for every pin, Ann Marie telling me to throw my striped ball (strike ball, my ears are gone...), and Ruth telling me that it is the second arrow and not the first. I am so glad Ann Marie and Ruth were watching me, offering their advise, and yes, if I could only actually do what they asked me, I probably would have played better, but they know I truly tried, and I love them for their faith in me! Dear Shirley and Ruby I love to death, such sweethearts, the "guardian angels" and heart and soul of this league, always reminding me to slow down and take things easy, and repeatedly telling me how I was missed and how glad they were I was back. Sadie, Ann Marie and Ruth all had great scores in the first game, we had a mixed bag in the second game, then we all struggled in the last game, needing 40+ pins to win in the last frame! Ann Marie got a mark and Ruth ultimately saved us, such that we won 3-0 with two games and total pins. Great night for the Scatterpins.
I will say that I was overjoyed to be back at league, but not so overjoyed with how I played. My scores were 102, 120 and 103, giving me an average tonight of 108, which will drop my league average to 123. BUT I fought for every pin, did well with my right hand spares (better than the left hand ones!), and only had 2 gutterballs all night. So not bad for my first league night.
I had a bit of practice on Thursday night (right after I got clearance to bowl, of course!), on Saturday morning and also on Sunday night. Contrary to before my surgery when I would put in 6-8 games in each practice session, I have limited myself to 3 games on Thursday and Saturday and 4 games on Sunday, so as not to overdo things - I am still recovering after all! The first nine games I bowled over those three days had scores in the 69-130 range, but the last game was an encouraging 160 - yeah, we can play GOOD! That game and the few flashes of brilliance tonight with strikes and hard-fought spares give me hope that my game is on the upswing, just as I am ever so slowly on the mend.
Looking forward, I will be getting my old Cake Boss ball (my Storm Tropical Heat that smells like birthday cake) back from my wonderful pro shop professional, Donna Roberts, this weekend. I am also getting my new Ebonite Cyclone, which Donna had recommended as a replacement for my poor old Beast Ball (DV8 Misfit), which I played tonight. I am excited coz I watched Ann Marie play her own new Ebonite Cyclone from Donna tonight, and seeing that ball in action is making me hopeful about where my Cyclone may take my game moving forward. Still thinking of a name for that ball, maybe one will come to me when I actually get to see it and throw it down the lane. It will be good having a hard hitting new ball in my arsenal, coupled with a sweet smelling spare ball in my Cake Boss. My spare shooting needs work, and my Beast Ball left me with some weird, disheartening splits and ugly spares after hitting the pocket a couple of times tonight. Change is in the air, it is time to add more pins to my game with a couple of wicked new balls!
BTW, for more info on my eye condition, do check out my other blog: http://dodgingdarkness.blogspot.com
See y'all at the lanes!
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