Random Thoughts

As one of the few people who is cursed privileged to have first hand access to the raw data from each week of bowling in the FSBL, I have the opportunity to see trends develop, watch people improve (or regress) and witness bowlers reach personal milestones.

Compiling the league results and updating the FSBL website is not my idea of fun but it has given me a unique perspective on what we do each weekend and I would be remiss if I didn't share a few of the things I've noticed from week to week.

Solomona A. of Ava Bowl got a season high scratch series of 666 last week. His games of 216, 204 & 246 weren't bad for an old guy. Yeah, you heard me Monti. The mere fact that his total is the mark of the beast makes me wonder if he sold his soul to the devil to knock my 646 series off the leader board.

After 20 weeks in the 170s, Chris T. of Threesome posted a 596 scratch series to break through the 180 average barrier (180.2). Congratulations young man, it's been fun watching you improve from week to week. Chris is also the only guy to have played in every single game this season (72).

Myrna A. of Hyphy has been on a tear lately. She has been blowing by her 140 average by more than 35 pins per game over the last 2 weeks, averaging a cool 175.8 ppg. Hyphy sports the 2nd lowest team handicap in the league and it will only get lower if Myrna keeps shooting the lights out.

Lu T. of Aeto has been showing some late season form. He has taken his average from 165 to 175 over the last 10 weeks. The anchorman is swinging into form at just the right time.

Three women have yet to miss a game this season; Nona, Ane and Easter.

No Fefe is the team on the move, Ben (+25.5), the captain (+28) and Vai (+11.5) are the 3 most improved players since last season, with Rach (+6.5) not far behind.

Matt Iuli continues to soar above everyone else this season. His 195.1 average through 60 games is a tribute to his remarkable consistency. When I grow up, I wanna be just like Matt I.

I heard a rumor that Perri of Okole Maluna had some serious health issues last weekend. If that is the case, we wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her this weekend on the lanes.

We face the #2 team, Abbey Road, tonight in the Ball & Chain league. Our 0-7 debacle  against Hanmi last week dropped us from a tie for 2nd place to 7th. I'm looking forward to playing tonight and win or lose it should be fun.

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One For The Books

Check it for last night's results

Rewrite the books, history was made on lanes 7 & 8 last night.

After numerous attempts, unsuccessful ones, I might add, Team No Fefe finally pulled off a historic sweep of Okole Maluna.

Pretty is not a word that can be used to describe the beat down we dropped on Okole Maluna.

Sure, they were missing a team member, Brandie had a sore tooth and Paris was, well, Paris but four points is four points and we'll take 'em, thank you very much.

Our girls were on fire last night. In all but one game, the result was sealed before I even bowled my 10th frame, that's how well they were playing.

Vai came in 8 pins over average with a 419 series while Rach came in 22 pins over average with a 421 series. Nice work girls! It was nice to have the night off.

I had a so-so night on the lanes, it could have been better if not for silly mistakes that led to open frames mid-game. I'm okay with an open frame in frames 1 or 2 but not so much when they come in the 6th or 7th frame. I left the 10th frame open in games 1 and 2 but fortunately the game was already in hand.

I had a 613 series, seemingly picking up where I left off from Saturday. I know that I can't keep shooting 50 pins over average so I'm readying myself for the inevitable letdown that is coming. I just hope it doesn't happen when we face Hyphy next Sunday.

Currently we lead the FSBL after 2 weeks of the final trimester. With every point worth its weight in gold, each game is going to be tougher than the last. A spot in the end of year playoffs would be a dream finish for us.

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A Successful Debut

I can still see the quizzical look on the tournament director's face when she looked up and saw me in the registration queue. 

Any confidence I had quickly drained from my body when she politely pointed out that I was in the tournament sign up line. 

Maybe it was the lost look on my face but when I told her I was thinking of signing up she smiled, shook her head and with a look that said 'hey it's your money', took my $90 and wished me luck.

I was in a squad with 4 others, all of who looked like real bowlers. They were talking the talk, you know, asking each other how many balls they brought, how they were going to approach the tournament oil pattern and making adjustments from lane pair to lane pair.

The only thing going through my head was try not to embarrass yourself too badly, Matt.

I opened with a 214, despite some early nerves and a few shaky shots. I managed to calm myself in the 2nd  (184) and 3rd games (185) but had some trouble figuring out my line to the pocket. Luckily, my spare game was solid, a pleasant surprise considering how bad it was the night before.

By the 4th game I found a good line and the strikes started to come in bunches. I closed with a 222 and a 220 to finish with a total of 1025, good for a 205 average for the tournament.

All in all, the tournament ran for about 4 hours which I thought was pretty good considering there were over 125 people competing in 4 divisions. 

After I completed my final game, I stuck around to await the results to see how I did despite my inner voice telling me I was wasting my time. 

My name was called out three times. I know what you're thinking, but no, that wasn't a typo.

The first envelope I got was for first place in the $5 survivor ($40).

The 2nd envelope I got was for 2nd place in the $10 survivor ($25).

The final envelope was for first place in the 40 & Under Handicap division ($600).

I nearly fainted when the tournament director announced my name as the winner. The first words out of my mouth were, "You must be kidding". I thought she was playing a practical joke on me but here I am a day later, still smiling, with the cash safely tucked away in my wife's purse.

The roller coaster ride continues this afternoon when we face off against Okole Maluna in the FSBL. LESSSSSSSGGGGOOOOOOOOOO Team No Fefe!

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Smackdown on Lanes 37 & 38

Rach and I were on the receiving end of a 0-7 smack down at the hands of Kisu and Amanda of Team Hanmi last night. It wasn't the start to the weekend that I was hoping for but we played poorly, they played well and that's all there was to it.

The lane pair we we played on was bizarre. I spent the whole night trying to figure out why my ball wasn't turning like it normally does. In retrospect, I should have made a move to the right with my feet but was too stubborn to try anything but vary the pace of my deliveries. Another weird thing about lanes 37 & 38, not only was lane 38 continuously breaking down (BALL RETURN ON 38!) but when my ball came back it was covered in oil. Not just the track to the left of the finger holes but the entire ball was coated in the stuff. I've never seen that before.

I've got an hour before registration for the tournament and I'm trying to block out last night's weird ball reaction. I definitely don't need to let it get into my head today.

Weirdness aside, last night left me humbled. I didn't make any good adjustments and didn't deal with adversity like I thought I could.

I'm going to try to enjoy the tournament, have a little fun and treat it as a learning experience. Wish me luck, I'm going in.

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Little Steps

This ball would be great for 10 pins

In 2009, my first full season in a league, bowling was something I would do once a week for fun. I didn't own my own ball or shoes and had no real understanding of how a bowling league worked.

I was told we would get some money back at the end of the year, which sounded awesome but little did I know that the money you got back depended largely on where your team ended up in the standings.

I think I ended up my first year with a 138 average, which I was pretty proud of.

Last year, armed with the knowledge that our team standings actually meant something, I started taking notice of our wins and losses. I wanted to try to improve; the competitor in me wanted to compete with some of the better bowlers in the league. I had a long way to go.

Early in my 2nd season, I tried a hook shot instead of a straight shot, not because it gave me a better angle to the pocket, but because all the good bowlers in the league were doing it and it looked cool. The more hook the better.

There were two problems though. Firstly, I didn't know how to throw a hook and secondly, I was still using a house ball. I took care of the latter problem half way through the season but wasn't pleased with the results. I had invested over $100 in a bowling ball but the darn thing wasn't hooking as much as I had hoped for. I didn't know how to put some decent revs on the ball nor did I realize that throwing it at 16 mph down the lane didn't give the ball enough time to hook.

I mistakenly thought thought that it was the ball that was at fault so I decided to invest in a more expensive ball a couple of months later. The pro that sold me the ball noticed that I had a rather large callus on the knuckle of my thumb and remarked that I must be gripping the ball too tightly. He then showed me the proper way to grip and release the ball, right there in the middle of the pro shop.

Thumb out on the down swing. Fingers out last.

It was a revelation, to say the least. I had been releasing the ball all wrong. The desire to improve was there but the technique wasn't.

Nearly 8 months have passed by and I think I've almost got it. Almost. There are times when I get a little grippy at the bottom of the swing,  but by in large, I have found a swing I am comfortable with.

The next step in the quest is the mental game. Who knew bowling could be a cerebral pursuit? The difference between an average bowler and a good bowler, in my humble opinion, is the ability to focus and make consistent deliveries. Of course, practicing a couple of times a week helps too but where the mind goes, the body follows.

I'm a big advocate of clearing the mind before each delivery. It's not as easy as it sounds but if you can do that, you're already ahead of the game.

I have a big weekend of bowling ahead. Ball & Chain league tomorrow night, followed by the 23rd Annual 40 & Over Tournament on Saturday then the much anticipated rematch with Okole Maluna on Sunday.

Roll on Friday already!

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My First Tournament

During practice last week, I happened across a flyer for a 40 & Over tournament this weekend.

It's a USBC certified tournament with 4 divisions: Scratch, Handicap, Sr. Scratch and Sr. Handicap.

I have to admit, this tournament has piqued my interest. I've always wondered what competing in a tournament would be like and now I have an opportunity to not only see what a tourney is like but to take part in one too.

I spent the last 2 days trying to rationalize why I shouldn't sign up for it but even my wife thinks I should give it a go.

So I'm going for it.

I think I'll sign up for the handicap division (100% of 225). The fine print says I'll bowl a total of 5 games across 10 lanes. Winner of the division is guaranteed $500 and payouts are at a ratio of 1 in 6 (whatever that means).

This is going to be interesting, I can't wait for the weekend.

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Who Wants It?

Two teams in the FSBL have booked their berths in the end of year playoffs by winning the first and second trimesters. 

We want to be the third.

It's not going to be easy but we made a good start towards that goal by winning 4 points against Hang Loose last night.

It was a closely fought contest; the first game was decided by a single pin, the second by 16 and 19 pins separated us in the final game.

Three things worked in our favor last night; Hang Loose bowled a blind, our girls bowled above their averages and Willie and I canceled each other out.

Vai and Liz combined to bowl 28 pins over their averages, which was huge. As long as our girls hit their averages, we will always have a chance to win and that's what they did.

I rolled a 646 series which was just enough to counteract Willie's season high 607 series. I'm proud of the way our team dealt with the pressure. Three months ago, we would have found a way to lose a close match like this.

In other news, Hyphy swept Apolo, Aeto swept Ava Bowl while Okole Maluna took 3 points off of Threesome.

Next week we have Okole Maluna, the one team we can't seem to beat this year. I have a feeling things are about to change!

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100 Pins

That was the difference between our team handicap and our opposition's last night. It was a David vs Goliath match up and for once, we were playing the part of Goliath.

When your opposition is happy to break 100 in a game, there's a natural tendency to ease off the accelerator but since we were down 300 pins before we even started, we were aiming to make our averages and hope that would be enough.

And that's what we did, and then some. I came in 16 pins over average with a 586 series while Rachel set the house on fire with a smokin' 430 series, 49 pins over her 127 average. Rach carried the team to a 7-0 win last night!

I took my 8 year old son to the lanes this morning for a practice session. I wasn't happy with how I was delivering my strike ball last night. I felt kind of timid with it so I wanted to iron out the kinks before tomorrow's game with Hang Loose. I think I figured it out, a 654 series in my first 3 games and a 207 in the 4th and final game has restored a small measure of confidence for tomorrow night.

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Congrats to Team Aeto

How does that pie taste, Matt?

I mentioned in a previous post that we would (a) beat Ava Bowl and (b) finish higher than them.

It turns out I was wrong on both counts.

We started off well, winning the first game by 20 pins. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

Easter dropped a personal best 197 on us in the 2nd game and Monti followed that up with a 222 in the final game. It was a close game all the way to the end but we couldn't close out our final frames and that was the difference.

Aeto swept Hang Loose, who were without Matt Iuli and Karen, to take the second trimester in convincing fashion. Our loss tonight locked us into 4th place, an improvement from our 6th place finish in the first trimester.

Next week the standings get reset to 0-0 and we have 11 weeks to try to take first place and get into the end of year playoffs. Wish us luck!

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Regression To The Mean

We had a nice relaxed game against Team 7 last night in the 3rd week of our Friday Ball & Chain league. 

It's always a bonus to play against a team that puts you at ease with pleasant conversation and encouraging words when your game isn't going to plan.

As expected, our scores are regressing to the mean. Last night, I came in 14 pins under average with a 561 series. Rach came in 7 pins under average with a 377.

The lanes were slick and I didn't make good adjustments with my spare shooting, yet we managed to win 5 points against the top team. The points should help us get off the bottom of the standings after 3 weeks.

We welcomed a new team to the Ball & Chain league last night, Team 10, who were tearing up the pins something fierce. The woman shot a 730+ scratch series. Did I mention that it was scratch? I didn't catch the guys score but I was told that they will both be scratch handicappers next week so he must have shot over 645.

Our Friday night league is looking tough, there are quite a few good teams with experienced players. I'm going to learn a lot this season!

In the FSBL, we have a big game against Ava Bowl tomorrow. 

We know what we have to do. Win 2 points to hold on to 3rd place. Win 4 points to have an outside chance of 1st or 2nd place. Win less than 2 points and we will fall out of 3rd place, possibly as low as 5th place.

So to take all of the craziness out of it, we are going to simplify things by winning all 4 points tomorrow.

Of course, Ava Bowl might have something to say about that.

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Setting Goals

With 12 weeks remaining in the season, it is time to set some end-of-year goals.I don't know if I can achieve them all but it's going to be fun trying.

Goal #1:  Win the final trimester of the FSBL. We came close this trimester so with some continued good form and a li'l bit of luck, this could be an attainable goal. We're in it to win it!

Goal #2:  Finish the trimester with a 190 or better average. I'm closing in on a 184 average as this goes to press so with 12 more weeks of bowling remaining, why not set the bar a little higher?

Goal #3:  Get a 700 series. This is a rather lofty goal and a tad on the unrealistic side but if I add up my top 3 league scores this year (246+245+247=738) they add up to a 700 series. The trick will be to get them again but on the same night.

Goal #4:  Bowl 3 clean games in a series. I've come close lately but those pesky 10 pins stand in the way of a truly great breakout series. An open frame here and there is the difference between a 180 game and a 200+ game.

Goal #5:  Average a 600 series in the final trimester. This is another lofty goal, coming from a guy who only has three 600 series out of 18 tries. Having said that, instead of playing it safe, I'm going to let it all hang out and see what happens.

Well there you have it. I'd consider this season an unqualified success if I managed to achieve just one of those goals. Let's do this.

As Chris T. says, "LESSSSGGGGOOOOOOOO!"

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