Mixed Bag

1st Set: 367 series (188 ppg)

My first two games were on the voodoo pair by the wall (47 & 48) where I always seem to struggle. The oil was on the heavy side, I suspect it was because it was the last lane to be treated, so I went with the Defiant for the first time in more than a month.

In short, I didn't bowl as well as I would've liked but my opponent, who I had to give 37 pins of handicap to, struggled in the heavy stuff more than I did. I took 5/5 points from the first set and was happy to leave the spooky end lanes behind me.

2nd Set: 529 series (264 ppg)

My second pair was friendlier (less oily) than the first so I went with the Crossroad and had a ball reaction that I was more comfortable with. I gave my opponent 38 pins of handicap but he didn't make his average in either game while I was +123 pins over average to win 5/5 points going away.

I had the front 10 in the 2nd game but rolled the 11th ball a smidgen too slow, resulting in a high shot that left the 3-pin. What a waste.

The Good

• Despite a mixed bag of results, I took maximum points and should gain some ground in the standings.
• My release and balance at the foul line is improving.
• My average went up 6 pins and now sits at 214 and some change.

The Not-So-Good

• I was 3/5 on 10-pins (60%). My misses were to the right which means I'm not squaring up at the line. It's maddening because I know what I shouldn't be doing but I end up doing it anyway.
• I had 5 open frames in the first two games; a chopped bucket, the Big 4, two guttered 10-pins and a chopped 2-5. Sloppy stuff.
• I had a nice string going in the 3rd game but rolled my worst shot of the night in the 9th frame which resulted in the Greek church and an open frame.

In Summary

I'm still riding the wave. I averaged 237 ppg over the 11 games I played this week, set personal bests for high game (300) and series (777 for 3 games and 925 for 4 games). Surely this can't continue because that's just how bowling is but it's been a fun ride.

A Perfect Night

777 series (259 ppg)

It took me a while but I finally chased down that USBC sanctioned perfect game in last night's Summer Youth/Adult season opener.

Yes, when a donkey like me gets a 300, you know there's truth in the old saying, it's better to be lucky than good.

I was getting great carry on lanes 3 & 4; high hits were tripping 4-pins and light hits were chopping out the 10-pins like nobody's business.

I can honestly say that I wasn't nervous until I stepped onto the approach in the 10th frame. That is when I have fallen short in the past, nine in a row followed by a nervy shot, but I kept it together somehow and rolled a good ball to keep the string alive.

Ten in a row! It seemed like it took forever for my ball to reappear in the ball return but when it did, I took a deep breath and rolled another good ball, high flush in the pocket for another strike.

So with half of the eyes in the bowling alley burning a hole in my back, I stepped to the line and let the ball go. Off my hand it felt good. About halfway down the lane, I knew it had a chance. Just before it hit the pins I was thinking of how embarrassed I would be if I didn't strike, with all these people watching.

As it turned out, the 12th ball was, you guessed it, perfect. 

What happened next was a blur; people were shouting, high-fiving and clapping while I made my way back to the settee area. My son greeted me with a high-five and a hug before I was mobbed by well wishers as my 300 was announced over the PA system.

A few minutes later, my hands started shaking uncontrollably when I realized what had just happened and didn't stop shaking until halfway through the 2nd game. 

I nearly did it again in the 3rd game, I had 11 strikes and a spare for a 276 and a new career high 777 series, besting my previous high by 21 pins. What a night! Maddy and I swept the points to get our season off to a great start.

I used the Storm Crossroad for all three games, it matched up perfectly with the lanes conditions last night. I should retire now; I don't think I could ever top 29 strikes in a set (80% strike rate) with a 9.67 first ball average.

But then again, it'll be fun trying.

 

The Dynamic Duo

925 series (231 ppg)

We had a better team night last night, winning 20 out of a possible 30 points.

Our anchorman, Shawn, had a breakout 968 series (242 ppg), Gil had a 769 series (192 ppg) and I broke 900 for the first time this season with a 925 series (231 ppg).

Shawn and I took 4 points each but Gil got blanked, his opponent had a 1007 series (251 ppg). Ouch.

I used the Crossroad for the first 2 games and then switched to the Tropical Breeze for the last two. The Defiant remained in the bag for yet another week. With my new dynamic duo, I've been able to stay within 2-3 boards of my original starting position the entire night which has been a huge plus for me since making adjustments is not my strong suit.

I had a good spare shooting night, my only misses were a 10-pin (3/4 on the night) and a 3-6-7-10 split. I'm still using a plastic spare ball for 10-pins but after 12 games I'm only 15/19 on 10-pins (79%) which is something of a concern. I mean, it's not like the 10-pin is a moving target, I should be able to hit it at a higher clip than what I've been doing.

The Good

• After averaging a measly 1 point per week over the first two weeks, it felt good to take 4 last night.
• I'm getting better at bowling a down-and-in line to the pocket and my dynamic duo is perfect for it.
• After starting 8-22, we've gone 18-12 and 20-10 the past 2 weeks. As a team, we're moving in the right direction.
• My average is a healthy 217 after 12 games so I don't feel so out of place in a scratch league anymore.

The Not-So-Good

• I needed the first strike in the 10th of the 2nd game to win but got 9 pins instead and then whiffed a 10-pin.
• I had the front 7 in the last game but fell short of something special. I'm fairly consistent but not quite consistent enough to have a realistic shot at a perfect game every week.
• After winning all 5 points last week, Gil got hit by a freight train this week and dropped all 5. In a league with so many good bowlers, somebody is bound to go off on any given week. I'm just glad it wasn't me this week.

The Bottom Line (Season to date)

AVG:  Matt 217.4, Shawn 217.3, Gil 197.6
Individual Points Won:  Shawn 11, Matt 6, Gil 5

 

Bowling Better

1st set: 424 series (212 ppg)

My Wednesday night Head to Head Singles team (of one) is named Just Bowl Better, a name I managed to steal away from Simon who wanted to use it too. Simon did me one better though, by naming his team JustBowlBetterThanMatt.

Hah! We'll see about that!

In my first set, I gave my opponent 54 pins of handicap which he put to good use. He had a breakout night (+84 pins over average) and my +20 pins over average wasn't nearly good enough to collect any points. Not the start to the night that I was looking for but I felt like I was rolling the ball pretty good so I tried to stay even keeled and moved on to my next match.

2nd set: 436 series (218 ppg)

As it turned out, my 2nd set was against Simon. We were pretty even through 8 frames until Simon left a 4-7-9-10 split unconverted, which was enough for me to pull away and take the first game by a hair. The 2nd game wasn't as close, Simon was striking on the left lane but sparing on the right. I, on the other hand, was using my pearl Tropical Breeze on the drier right lane and the Crossroad on the oilier left lane, using identical lines on both. I got lucky; Simon had an off night and I caught a few breaks to win 5-0, ending up with a record of 5-5 on the night.

 

On a totally unrelated note, I haven't used my Defiant for quite some time now, mainly because it doesn't give me the shot shape that I crave on medium to light lane conditions. The Crossroad goes long and straight with an aggressive snap in the back while the Defiant has a more of a wide arcing shape to it. It's hard to explain, maybe I'll shoot a video of the different ball shapes in a future post.

The Good

• The Tropical Breeze was perfect on the dry lanes. It coasted over the burn and still had plenty of energy at the pins.
• My release is still a work in progress but I think it's heading in the right direction with the help of my team mates and our local house pro shop operator.
• The Crossroad was a beast. It is the best ball in my arsenal right now.

The Not-So-Good

• My first 2 shots of the night were poorly executed, resulting in open frames. I need to buckle down and focus in the beginning instead of trying to ease my way into a match.
• I missed a 6-10 and a 10 pin. I'm not going to score well if I can't convert easy spares and single pins.

Summary

I did better this week but not by much. My only goal this summer is to bowl better than I did in the fall. One or two pins of improvement would be a win in my book.

Steamrolled

814 series (203 ppg)

I got steamrolled again for the second week running. Bowling in the lead off spot, I managed a weak 203 ppg over 4 games, which was only good for a solitary point. My opponent, a smooth rolling lefty, hit me with a 886 series (221 ppg).

Despite losing the lion's share of the points, I enjoyed myself last night. Scratch bowling is growing on me. There's no room for excuses, what you bowl is what you get and there's nowhere to hide. I don't feel like I've been bowling that badly but in this league, low 200 games just don't cut it and that's pretty cool.

The Good

• The swing felt pretty good and for the first two games, I was getting good ball reaction with the Crossroad.
• I didn't leave any 10th frames open this week.

The Not-So-Good

• Too many opens, 4 splits and two missed 10 pins, killed any momentum I had at the time.
• I lost my line in the 3rd game and didn't do too well when I had to move my feet left. I could have really used my pearl Breeze but I didn't have it drilled up yet.
• I missed a 2-5 spare to start off the 3rd game due to some spotty concentration.

The Bottom Line (Season to date)

AVG:  Matt 210.5, Shawn 204.9, Gil 200.3
Individual Points won:  Shawn 7, Gil 5, Matt 2

Uninspired Start

1st match: 401 series (200 ppg)

I had a rather lackluster start to the Wednesday night Head to Head Singles league last night.

I had the usual open frames at the most inopportune moments due to poor concentration. For whatever reason, I was rushing through my shots and not paying attention to my ball reaction like I should have.

2nd match: 408 series (204 ppg)

In a nutshell, I got what I deserved.

The Good:

• We went from 14 teams last season to 22 this season. More people means more competition and more money.
• We bowl 2 x 2 game sets instead of one 3 game set.
• Nigel, Simon, Paul and Ernest signed up for this league. It'll be fun bowling against them at some point this season.

The Not-So-Good:

• I was only 1 of 4 on 10 pins.
• I left two 10th frames open.
• I was between balls for the majority of the night. I can't wait for my light oil ball to arrive in a couple of days. The lanes were dry and I was not comfortable looping the Crossroad so far out on each delivery.
• The guy I bowled in the first match was establishing his handicap and the guy I was supposed to bowl in the 2nd didn't show up so I won't know if I won any points until next week.

 In Summary

If I want to do better next week, I'll need to focus on what I'm doing and block out the rest. I let too many little things distract me but if there was ever a good time to be average, last night was it. Spoken like a true sandbagger, huh?

Summer Games

870 series (217 ppg)

The first of my three summer leagues, the Monday night Scratch Trios, got underway last night. Gil, Shawn and I, will be known as Team MSG during the short 12 week season.

Yeah, I know, real creative, right?

The Good 

• I didn't bomb. I picked a good time to break out of my slump of recent weeks.
• It was cool (and a li'l nerve wracking) to be surrounded by good bowlers. It seemed like everyone was better than me.
• My teammates talk a lot of trash, not to the opposition, but amongst ourselves. This is gonna be a fun 12 weeks hanging with the fellas.
• Bowling 4 games instead of 3 is a bonus.

The Not-So-Good

• Our lanes broke down in the middle of the first game. We didn't get done until 11pm. I was sleep bowling in my final game.
• I bowled a 870 series (217.5 ppg) but only won a single point. My opposite dropped a 900 series (225 ppg) on me. Welcome to scratch bowling, Matt!
• I have yet to figure out the scoring system. Shawn, who invited Gil and I to this league, knew how to score but didn't explain how we won 8 out of the available 30 points. I like the elevated level of competition but something tells me that this league will be over before I get a grip on the scoring system as well as the strategy involved in matching our lineup to the opposition's.

The Bottom Line (Season to date)

AVG:  Gil 192.7, Matt 217.5, Shawn 206
Points won:  Gil 0, Matt 1, Shawn 4