This final week was just a “fun” week on the lanes and that gave me the chance to try 8-pin tap for the first time.  Wait, I get a strike even if I only knock down EIGHT pins?  How sweet is that?  I mean, my first-ball average is over eight pins so I should be golden.  Not exactly…  I managed a ton of sevens.  Seemed fitting.  I defeated myself again.  However, this time I had a really great time doing it.  I didn’t think too much and even if the pins didn’t fall I was still enjoying myself.  When the pins had settled, I only worked my way into a 599 series, despite the no-tap.  Eh, not a big fan of that way of playing.  If I’m going to bowl, I might as well aim for all ten (or maybe I should be thinking 11 and then I’ll get more 10s…).

The prior Monday, the last real week of league action, was the least fun I’ve ever had bowling.  Nothing felt right and it was just an awkward display on the lanes.  My ball had another two miles per hour on it and since I don’t have many revs to begin with, it wasn’t coming back.  So, I switched from the Outlaw to the Defiant to get some more teeth and moved right.  Basically down and in.  That helped some, but even when I was striking it didn’t feel right.  It didn’t feel like me.

At the end of the night, after a lot of frustration that eventually boiled over into resignation, a fairly modest 504 (180-144-180) sat on the screen. Now horrible, all things considered.  I remember when reaching the 500s was a GREAT night.  I was done bowling but my mood improved dramatically with that perspective.  You have to remember where you’re from to know where you’re going.  I knew I wasn’t going to become a 200 average bowler overnight.

Driving home (back to this Monday), I reflected on the past nine months.  Was a real “bowler” born after those nine months?  Did I accomplish what I had set out to do?  I think I really had.  While I didn’t grab a lot of glory as it would be defined my most people, I can look back through my stats and bring back memories of my lessons with Steve and my first taste of the USBC Open Championships and feel some pride inside.  I wasn’t anything close to a legitimate bowler at the beginning and now I have the equipment, the coaching, and the experience to take my game further next season.  I think my body took a lot of tear through all those games and practice sessions and it needs a good rest.  But, mostly, I need to let my mind catch up with everything I’ve learned and experienced.

I have so much more knowledge now but my body still doesn’t always listen.  That’s where the frustration and the poor outings come from.  My form is two steps behind where my head things it should be and it’s been driving me nuts.  After a month or two of letting the dust settle in my gray matter, I really think I am ready to push into respectable territory and make those dreams become reality.

The greatest gift I take away from this season is the people, though.  It’s so easy to talk about the bowling side of things, but when it comes to real value within the bowling world, you have to look to the great, passionate people behind it.  Everyone at Roto Grip and Storm are phenomenal.  They are some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve met whether at work or personally.  Matt, Roger, Chris, and the whole gang have been super supportive and their awesomeness can not be overstated.  I will be forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me and the friendship that continues.

Also, all the friends I have made through blog comments, Facebook, and Twitter.  John, Dan, Alan, Rob, Matt, and everyone.  I appreciate all the comments, discussion, and help that you’ve given.  What you’ve shared and the kindness you’ve shown has been great and I look forward to continuing our friendships.  You have all shown that bowlers are genuine, real people that truly love the game.  That type of passion and drive makes others want to work that much harder and is what keeps the game going.  Oh, and you’re mad skills on the lanes.

I’ve crawled out of the gutter and I’m still still chasing glory… but for now, I’m hanging up my sliding shoes for a few weeks and taking in some summer sun.  Until the ball starts rolling again, take care.

View Final Statistics

Nothing like huge banners to make you feel welcome

It was a long journey to get to the USBC Open Championships.  Well, to the actual bowling part of it, that is.  After flying from Milwaukee to Atlanta and then to New Orleans, we drove the final stretch to Baton Rouge.  That was all Friday and there were still three days until the action happened.  In between then and now were 45 holes of golf, one video shoot, and a lot of walking and watching.

After golfing the University Club in Baton Rouge in the early afternoon, I headed over to the convention center to get the paperwork squared away for singles and doubles.  While waiting for the team that was going to adopt me for those events, I wandered around and took it all in.  48 lanes with huge screens above them, lots of noise, and a definite feeling of importance and scale to everything.  This isn’t some little tournament, this is the big time.  Well, for regular schmoes like us, at least.

That's intimidating...

I met up with my singles and doubles team by the check-in area on Saturday evening.  They were extremely friendly and very happy that I could help them round things out for them.  Just the perfect group of people to blindly walk into a big event with.  Humble, kind, and generally awesome.  A big thanks to Joel, Keith, Doug, Charles, and Jay!

One of the coolest things about being here was seeing my coach hanging in the rafters.  No, Steve wasn’t literally swinging around up there, as awesome as that would be.  There was his name on the 2011 team champions banner.  I must have looked up there five dozen times over the past few days.  How cool is that?  Going to be even cooler when Steve comes down to defend the title and his team destroys some more pins.

All that history will make anyone feel small

The bowling styles… now that was something really crazy to watch.  Looking to each side of me across the lanes, it was impressive how no two people resembled each other in the least bit.  From slow and steady to fast and furious.  There was even one dude that looked like he was sneaking up on the pins, real slowly, then would kind plop the ball out there.  Just about the oddest thing I’ve seen during my short time in the world of bowling.  The style didn’t match what you’d expect when you looked up at the scores, either.  They could look rough and be scoring great or look great and score rough.  Then, there were the two Nebraska alumni teams (I know at least a few members aren’t in school anymore, so I assume them to be alumni)—those teams looked great.  Smooth, strong, and consistent.  They stuck out from the crowd big time and the scoreboard showed it.  Impressive and inspiring.

A trip to the Storm and Roto Grip booth was mandatory, of course!

So, after getting everything squared away over the weekend, I got to bed early since I started bowling on Monday at 7:00AM.  Crawled into bed with a little anxiety but it quickly grew out of proportion and ruined my entire night.  I think I got about 90 minutes of solid sleep by the time I called it quits and got out of bed at 5:00AM.  It was difficult to get my mind off of the upcoming day and my nerves twisting and causing my stomach all kinds of pain (my stress goes straight to my gut).  I was definitely not in good shape for nine games of bowling on Monday morning.

I am pretty sure I was the first bowler to show up at the lanes.  The only other people around were workers.  I sat alone in the stands for a good thirty minutes to get my head as clear as I could.  There was no getting rid of all the anxiety, but I needed to even it out as much as possible.

Striking a pose with mini-PDW!

At around 6:30AM, I headed back to the squad room to get organized for doubles and singles.  I found the chairs with my starting lane on it and sat down to await my fate.  Thankfully, Joel and the others were lively and loose and that helped me let out some more stress.  After getting the lowdown from the MC, we got into two big lines and walked out from the back, through the center of the lanes, superstar style.  Of course, Eye of the Tiger was blasting throughout the center to get us all revved up to bowl.  Revving wasn’t what I needed.

The rundown of the struggle...

Doubles went fairly well, all things considered.  My thumb was still tight and not releasing properly but I adapted as best I could.  The line that Steve told me to take (start between 7 and 9 and moved left as the lanes allow) worked great… when I actually hit my spot.  I was inconsistent on whole but still managed some decent shots.  My head was still a big player, though, breaking my focus and moving my attention around on to all sorts of little things—my thumb, my second step, my third step, staying behind the ball, keeping the ball close to my body, following through, etc.  I know I shouldn’t be thinking while executing my shot, but my brain didn’t see it that way.  At the end of the doubles event, I had posted scores of 166, 169, and 145 for a 480 series.  Not horrible for a schlup like me.  The last game of the series didn’t end well, though, and that would continue into the singles event.

Two generally awesome dudes

At least I didn’t have a partner to let down during singles.  That’s the positive of the situation.  The rest of pretty negative.  Let’s get the scores out there right away—138, 125, 133 for an awe-inspiring 396 series!  I half expected confetti to fall when I was done, celebrating the lowest series score for 2012 so far.  Alas, no confetti.  Just some frustration, body aches, and a really tired bowler.  I wasn’t tired from the actual bowling, I was just exhausted from having not slept and then taxing my brain mentally preparing and then attempting to execute “up on stage.”

I had a ton of splits through those first six games (8) and converted only one, the 2-4-7-10.  I had a great read on the lanes and the pins were there for the taking.  It just wasn’t in the cards for me.  With two events done and an early afternoon start to the team event (yep, I bowled it backwards, I know) I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep.  And thankfully, the sleep came.

I woke up after two hours of real, actual sleep.  My mind was much more at ease and the anxiety I felt for team was excitement-based not stressful.  I wanted a bit of retribution if I could get it.  I know I’m better than a 396.

Preparing to head out for the team event was much more relaxed.  My boss, Jim, being there was a huge help.  He’s the one who got me into bowling and it calmed me a lot to have him there.  Also, I wanted to show him I could do it and make him at least a bit proud.  I knew we’d both start out playing a similar line, so it was great having him bowl lead-off so I could keep tabs on what the lanes were throwing at us.

Having more than four warm-up shots helped get me comfortable out there.  I started off my team series feeling like the real me.  My delivery felt natural and my thumb was playing nicely (strangely, it loosened up with two frames to go in singles… weird).  I rattled off four strikes in a row, picked up a three-pin split, and dropped a nice 212 onto the scoreboard.  Wow!  I can actually do this.  But for how long?  For the last few frames of that first game, I could feel my lower back and knee starting to protest and get ready to throw some poo on the parade.  Even though I’m still fairly young, my body doesn’t agree.

I worked hard against the inevitable during the second game and squeaked a 143 out.  Three opens right smack in the middle made a mess of things and there was no turning back.  I wasn’t bending my knee like I normally do and instead of getting a good back angle at release, I started turning my right shoulder down to compensate.  There was nothing I could do about it either, since the muscles and joints are really in control.

Maybe someday... If I work hard enough...

To round out my experience at the Open Championships, I threw a real bummer of a ninth game.  Five, yes five, straight opens to start the game will ruin any intentions of greatness (or mere mediocrity).  A couple of strikes and spares at the end saved me from sub-three-digit territory, but a 114 never feels good.  I don’t care if it’s Wii bowling, you walk away a least a little bit disappointed.  I had to earn that 114, though.  The pain was in complete control at the end and I had to will the ball to cooperate with what I intended.  One nice takeaway, though… converted three out of four splits during team.  Go figure.

Surfed some of the wildlife while in Baton Rouge

I need to start working out more frequently and get back to doing my Yoga to keep my back and joints loose.  I can’t expect any sort of success if I fall apart.  Also, less golf before I bowl nationals.

It was a great experience in the end.  I wasn’t too frustrated when things didn’t go well.  I was realistic about my chances and did the best I could with what I was dealt.  There is no one to blame but myself for the issues that came up and it’s great to be humbled a bit.  It drives me to get back to improving my game and preparing for next year.

I will be reviewing all the Super-Mega-Ultra Guess My Score entries with Roto Grip and we’ll announce a winner as soon as possible.  Please be patient as we figure out who guessed low enough to walk away with the goods!

The Final Scores

Doubles — 166, 169, 145 / 480
Singles — 138, 125, 133 / 396
Team — 212, 143, 114 / 469
Total — 1345 / 149.44 average

Individual Results on Bowl.com

The Stats

First Ball Average — 8.04
Strikes — 26% (25/96)
Spares — 43% (30/69)
Single-Pin Spares — 52% (9/17)
Multi-Pin Spares — 40% (21/52)
Splits — 33% (3/12)

There are all sorts of styles going on across those 48 lanes, wow.  Definitely some “unconventional” approaches mixed in with some decent stuff.  So far, though, the Nebraska teams were the most impressive.  There scores through the eight frames I watched show it, too.  Just about all strikes and a few spares in there and just a sprinkle of opens.  Those two lanes were a sharp contrast to the others.  As good as someone can bowl, there’s a definitive from that and great consistency.  Those guys gave me something to aspire to (I’m not talking tomorrow, more like someday before I turn 90).

So, off to bed now to rest up and dream of pins colliding and all falling down.  Or, at least most of ‘em…

I will be Tweeting as much as I can tomorrow (which is before, between, and after bowling), so hit me up on Twitter.  Otherwise, look for a post later tomorrow (or Tuesday, if I end up disappointed and can’t bring myself to admitting it right away).  Good luck to everyone who guessed my score, win or lose!

I had the great privilege of a coaching session with the might Steve Richter this past Wednesday.  After seeing where I was at since our last session a few months prior he made two comments: I have come a long way from where I started and my footwork was all kinds of horrible.  He took some side and back angle video and showed me how my feet were destroying my timing and delivery.  It was really easy to see once it was pointed out and shown in slow-mo.  My second step had my right foot crossing over WAY too far (which I kinda knew already) which was forcing my next step with my left to have to lift up and wrap around my right (which made it a REALLY short step and screwed everything up).  Watching it over and over again, I saw myself lift my right leg to cross over which made my timing late, then that short third step would really screw up my back swing and make a joke out of my fourth and fifth.  It was ugly and could end up being a huge issue if I let it continue.

We worked on getting my second step in front of my first, extended my third step (all while building speed as I went, nice and evenly), and then a short fourth before the final slide step on the fifth.  Miraculously, everything started to click again.  My accuracy went up and my delivery was a ton smoother.  In addition to the feet, we also added some work on getting behind the ball better and not pushing the ball away from my body.  As Steve said, you need to clear your body and legs while swinging the ball, but instead of an inch I was pushing it out a mile.

By the end of the our session, things were working and, more importantly, feeling great.  I was ready to take on the USBC Open Championships (bowling Monday, April 23 and will be reporting from the event).  I was ready to take on Wes Malott!  Okay, that might be stretching it.

Then came Monday.  A day of anticipation to show off my new form on the lanes.  To see all the Xs on the screen.  To conquer all.

Pop!

First throw during warm-ups and my thumb stuck in the thumbhole.  How peculiar.  Another attempt, another pop.  And another.  Something was seriously wrong.  I hadn’t had any thumb issues in the previous 200+ games I’d bowled this season in league and practice and then this sudden plague.  Throughout the night, I battled against my thumb and tried to figure out what was wrong.  I didn’t matter which ball I threw.  If I flattened everything out and took away my hook, the thumb came out clean.  Must be a hand position or timing thing.  Problem was, I felt like I was delivering the ball naturally so I couldn’t get my brain to recognize exactly what was going on or how to remedy the situation.

I left the lanes equal parts frustrated, worried, and happy.  Happy?  Yep, I was a little pleased that I still managed a 528 (191, 167, 170) against all odds.  I played straighter and just did my best to release my thumb when I could.  Not too shabby, all things considered.

Scariest part of the night was the near-Blanchard during the second game.  Thumb completely stuck and pulled me onto the lane, planting my right foot onto the oil.  Luckily, I kept my balance (Josh can out-bowl me but I have him beat on staying on my feet).  I can only imagine the pain of falling with a 16 pound balling ball onto a hard surface/gutter would feel like.  Had that happened, I might have had to change the blog to Gutter to Gutter and just throw in the towel…

Next step: fix the thumb.  With “nationals” coming up next Monday, I really need to get this figured out.  Last thing I want to do is make a fool of myself in front of a bunch of other people.  Practice on Wednesday was difficult, with the same issues, but I think I have a solution in the works.  Managed a 236 (second highest game for me yet) after 8 games of futility.  Ahhh… thumbs…

Stay tuned Sunday through Tuesday for my reports from the USBC Open Championships.  It may change your life.  Or, at least, a few minutes of it.

Stay out of the gutters!

Nope, someone else did not bowl for me that last game.

…Bowling game.  Though, at times, I would have finished the title of this post with something more profane to describe how I bowled on Monday.  It wasn’t the ugliest night on the lanes and it ended with a nice, humorous twist, but I still got in my own way.

How many times have I been here?  At that point where you’re trying to think yourself out of over thinking?  In a game that taxes your mental fortitude as much as the physical, I anticipate that there won’t ever really be an end to it.  The trick is how to deal with it.  In the context of bowling on Monday night, I took the fun approach.

After two sub-par games of 166 and 156, including four splits and a heavy dose of crappy shots, I decided to bowl the entire third game with nothing but my spare ball (oh, how glorious you are, Mr. Ice Storm).  Yep, I lined up on the seventh board, slowed things down as much as I could comfortably do, and rolled it out the first arrow.  Thanks to conditions on the exact opposite spectrum of the US Open, I got just a little bit of hook out of it along it’s slow roll and bowled a completely clean game.  Rattled off a five-bagger in there, too.  It really got my head out of my, you know, and let me get back to bowling.

What else is there to say?   I still beat McGutters.  Throwing the plastic apparently inspires all, as everyone on our pair bowled above 200 after struggling before that.  I had the high scratch game for the night.  Spent time next to the gutter to prep a little bit for nationals.  Overall, not as horrible a night as it could have been.

Only four weeks or so until league runs out of gas.  Glory is still far, far off on the horizon but I have made some steps towards it.  My form has started to resemble an actual bowler as opposed to a spasming zombie that just happens to have a bowling ball in its hand.  Yes, that was a zombie reference for no good reason.

Lesson for today… buy a spare ball.  Something to pick up single pins as well as play on super dry conditions.

I don't like seeing red, it's evil!

I swear I’ve been here before, but it felt a lot different than this…  Looking up at the scores on the screen at the end of league on Monday night, something wreaked of familiarity.  I knew it wasn’t how I’d bowled—this week had a much better feel than last week.  I looked through my stats on the night, but that was definitely a different story since I actually found a strike shot this week.  I clicked to go back a screen the listing of all the scores for the league and there it was… Despite the fact that everything felt completely different and a ton better than last week, the scores were almost identical.  195, 188, 152 last week.  195, 190, 153 this week.  How could polar opposite series end up with the same scores?!

It’s simple.  Scores don’t matter.  I’d learned that a while back, but it was reinforced on Monday.  Sure, when you’re bowling a tournament or trying to make McGutters feel inferior to you the scores are extremely important.  In the grand scheme of life as a bowler, though, you can’t get obsessed with them.  They’re only important when the pressure is on.  Up until things become serious, it’s all just practice, right?  Don’t discard a good night because the scores chose to stay at home and watch a crappy reality TV (no apologies to reality TV fans, sorry).

Splits really know how to ruin a good stats sheet

Execution was good for the night.  I kept my arm in, didn’t force my backswing, and delivered the ball smoothly (the beer was delivered smoothly, too, thank you Cory and Kristy).  It was luck that wasn’t on my side.  The first two games went well but, instead of fatigue hitting my the week before, it was unfortunate leaves.  A 6-7-10 in the second frame that should have been just a 6-10.  Then a wicked 3-6-9-10 that I just barely missed picking up in the third.  The sixth frame featured a 1-2-10 that was really not bad luck, just a really horrible lapse of judgement and bowling ability.  I can’t use luck as a scapegoat all the time.  Then another open split in the 10th to close the night early (3-10).  I knew something was up when I left a 7-10 in the ninth frame of the second game on what appeared to be a PERFECT ball.  Obviously it wasn’t.

Some other interesting points from the night: dropping the starting height of the ball helped get my timing back in line, my revs continue to go up as I move slowly from crappy bowler to less crappy bowler, and spares are still not my strong suit.  Also, my Bandit took back some space in my heart, tearing up the lane on any throw that I didn’t screw up for it.  It may not get all the attention of it’s brothers and cousins in the Roto and Storm lines, but that is a really good ball.  Respect.

So, enough about bowling, let’s talk about bread.  Yes, bread.  Check this out:

Does that saying sound strangely familiar?  Uh huh, it’s starting to spread.  Like butter.  On bread.  Get it?  Yeah, I’m not as funny as I think I am…

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Don’t forget to enter the Super-Mega-Ultra Guess My Score Contest!
Click here or someone else will win the goods.
****************************************************************

Yeah! My first 100% single-pin night, baby! 5-for-5

There are a lot of advantages to a two-person team.  For instance, you only have to find one person that can put up with your antics.  That’s only one person to potentially let down on a bad night or be let down by on their bad nights.  Bowling goes by quickly and a good rhythm is easier to find.  However, there is a dark side to the story.

Bowling with only two people per team can become a sprint when you have absent bowlers.  With 25% traffic on the pair, you can whip through three games a piece in just under 60 minutes.  If you have something important to get to like your child’s birth or the release of the new iPhone, that can be a good thing.  But more often than not (babies and technology allowing) it means that you’re moving way, way too fast.  Rhythm isn’t about moving fast, it’s a balance and a tempo that you have to groove into and ride out.  Monday night was not groovy.  With our opponents missing a team member, we were a three headed sprinter tearing up the lanes.  That meant sweat dripping down my brow during the second game and fatigue finding it’s way as the hydration levels dropped despite my best efforts to keep up.  I felt really good last night, but the blazing speed we were playing meant I’d pay for it during the final game.

We even tried taking extended breaks, going to the line casually, and putting on the brakes in any way we could.  It wasn’t enough, though.  With so little action taking place, you can’t just stand around and let your brain over think every shot as you take your time.  Inevitably, we flew threw the night and I was heading home while the sun was still clinging to the horizon.

What I lacked in strikes I made up for in awesomeness

I can’t complain about the results: 195, 188, and 152 for a 535 series.  It wasn’t like the week before were all logic and reasonability were forgotten (I hope to never sink into the 400s again) but it still wasn’t pretty at the end.  My strikes shot evaporated along with our perspiration and I was forced to play “damage control” during the third game.  Plus, sweating that much during bowling just doesn’t make sense.  I’m all about getting into it and putting a lot of physical effort into it, but I was downright uncomfortable and sticky and my timing started to get all screwed up as it tried to keep pace with things.

On top of all that, the oil also started to play games with us down the homestretch.  I know at least part of it had to do with our opponent bailing on his normal shot due to poor performance (a 210 average shooting in the 130 range… ouch) and throwing plastic through the oil and trailing it right over my break point.  That is in addition to what seemed like a flood of oil down the middle and really dry outsides starting to blend into a horrible mess across the boards.  Now, I’m know I’m definitely not a good enough bowler to know what to do with that and how to adapt.  I’ve learned a lot but there is still a point I reach where I’m just throwing the ball.

All in all, it wasn’t such a bad night.  It was respectable and I got home early enough to enjoy some delicious beer in the backyard with my neighbor and enjoy the caribbean-like spring weather we’re having here in the dairy state.

Remember, stay out of the gutter.  And keep the speeding to a minimum.

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Don’t forget to enter the Super-Mega-Ultra Guess My Score Contest!
Click here or someone else will win the goods.
****************************************************************

Want an entirely new arsenal?  How about not having to break out the wallet to get yourself three wicked Roto Grip bowling balls and a three-ball roller to go with it?  I don’t think there are a lot of people out there that would turn that down (if you are one of those people, you can stop reading here and make yourself busy elsewhere).

Presenting the new, never been done before, because it’ll be a bunch of fun Super-Mega-Ultra Guess My Score contest presented by Roto Grip.  All you have to do is submit a guess for my total, all events score (scratch) at the USBC Open Championships.  I will be bowling “nationals” at the end of April, so your guesses need to be in by April 15th.  There will only be one winner, though.  If you guess my score right on the head, you could win what I mentioned above.  If more than one person hits it exactly, I will draw for a winner and solemnly apologize to the loser.  If your guessing glands are malfunctioning, we’ll move to within 10 pins, I will draw for two balls and a two ball deluxe tote.  Maybe I channel my inner Norm Duke and the closest is only within 50 pins of my amazing score…  the drawing will be for one ball and a tote (okay, so that’s not an arsenal, but it’s awesome nonetheless).  Again, only one person will win.  Winner take all!

Of course, there are rules… We have to keep this party civilized.

• Only your most recent guess as of 11:59 Central Time on April 15th will be counted.  So, if you guessed six times and the third was the closest, it won’t count and you won’t win.  Otherwise, someone will just leave two thousand comments, I just know it.
• Enter your guess ON THIS POST. And only on this post. Only those in the comments below are officially, magically entered into the contest.
• Your guess should include all events (9 games, scratch total) and should not be so low that I am offended or so high that I couldn’t possibly fulfill your ambitions for me.
• Only actual integer numbers will be accepted.  No equations, irrational numbers, or anything else that would involve thinking on my part.  I just want to give away some stuff!
• You must live in the continental United States to be eligible to win.  Sorry international folks!  Maybe we can get me to do an international only contest someday (in which I’d be flown to Japan for a month for a country-wide bowling tour… just a thought).
• Your guess must be on THIS post.  Guesses submitted anywhere else will be ignored and possibly mocked.

That should cover it all.  We’re on our way to giving away some free equipment!  Next step is for me to actually do the bowling and not embarrass myself…

That's a site for sore (aka bored) eyes!

It has been a busy and tiring few weeks in my life.  A few weeks ago, I set off on my journey to Las Vegas to meet with super-famous people and win massive amounts of money (sans anybody famous or any winnings).  We do a lot of business in the golf maintenance industry at EPIC and there are only a few of us that can handle the power and awesomeness of driving the big box truck full of trade show materials across the country (minus any power or awesomeness).  So, two weeks ago I headed out towards Vegas to attend the Golf Industry Show.

Driving 1,800 miles towards the west coast has it’s ups and downs.  Or, in Nebraska’s case, absolutely no ups or downs.  Talk about a boring state to drive through.  I’m not saying anything about the actual place or the people, but that drive along I-80 is extraordinarily boring through Nebraska.  Once you get west of Nebraska, though, things get really interesting.  Mountains are nothing short of awesome, despite the slow crawls up the inclines (our slowest speed was 30 MPH with the gas pedal floored).  I can deal with molasses while staring at snow covered peaks.

Arriving in Las Vegas, ready for some trade show "fun"

Once in Las Vegas, it was all golf and trade show excitement.  Unloading the truck, setting up a couple of booth, then running a wicked-cool game we developed for one of our grass seed clients (this involves me sitting for 8 hours a day and punching buttons… sounds boring but it’s only mostly boring).  I could barely think about bowling aside from trying to catch tweets, status updates, and videos on the internet when I possible.  Crappy cell reception and lugging heavy boxes prevented much of that, though.  At least we ate well out there, though…

The drive back was just like the drive there, except the other direction.  Don’t really need to get into that aside from one comment: southern Utah is magnificently gorgeous and strange.

I returned to the great state of Wisconsin this Monday evening and started the decompression process.  Sleeping in your own bed is a glorious thing after hotel hopping across the US.  I rested up and took Tuesday off the spend time with my two year old daughter, Lily, who was beyond excited to have her daddy back.  We went to the library, played at the park, visited mommy at work, and went to Discovery World (awesome science museum/something on Lake Michigan).  Nothing gets me feeling happy and at peace like a day with Lily.

Still, no bowling…

What? You thought I'd show the frames from my horrible games?!

Until Wednesday at lunch.  I pulled BAGATRON out and rolled into King Pin ready to see how much rust had collected on me.  After only leaving four frames open across two middle-of-the-road games of 170 and 173, I thought maybe it wasn’t as thick as I’d feared.  I puked out a 154 that was only that “good” due to some good luck on crappy throws.  Five open frames, many missed targets, and a lot of frustration later I was were I thought I’d be.  Covered in rust from head to toe.

It seemed like most of my issues were with my timing.  I felt like my feet were alternately fast and slow.  Good and bad.  Lame and lamer.  The ball was early in one throw and super late in the next.  All the rhythm that I’d walked away from before I left (a career high 636 and then pre-bowling series the next day of 613 and 594) was just about gone.  I felt little hints of what I’d had, but there would be a lot of chipping to get there.  To reshape this statue of a decent bowler that now looked more like a polka dancer trying to break dance.

Nevermind, let's all get a chuckle out of some horrible bowling scores!

Back to lanes on Thursday!  That was the biggest mistake I could have made.  I took that frustration and fear and smothered the lanes in it.  Games of 130, 154, and 151 and only eight strikes total across them showed the world that just as fast as you can put up a beautiful structure, nature can tear it down.  I’d been climbing up the mountain to bowling glory and now I’d fallen into a grand canyon of failure.  What a shame.

There is hope, though.  I know how I got to where I was.  It’s like bowling GPS.  The lessons learned with Steve Richter.  The videos from the International Art of Bowling.  The motivational badgering from McGutters.  I can regain my form and then head for the next summit.

Just gotta shift gears, press the gas pedal down, and keep driving towards glory…

Nope, I didn't steal this score sheet from someone else

Strikes, strikes, strikes!  I haven’t seen this many strikes since Rob Deer played for the Brewers (obscure reference outside of Milwaukee, my apologies).  That is what propelled me to a new career best.  Big scores on the first ball and putting all the Xs back-to-back.  A returned to the promised land of 600!

I wasn’t feeling too optimistic about my chances going into last night, considering I have been battling a nasty cold the past few days and my head wasn’t exactly clear.  Thanks to modern medicine from the kind folks at Alka-Seltzer I did get some clarity and kept the congestion at bay for most of the night.  I got to the lanes early, watched my IAB analysis on my phone (mobile coaching at it’s finest) and got my head into the game and re-established my goals for holding my form together.  Warm-up went well on what seemed like a low-oil but fairly flat pattern. My Outlaw, Hans, found the line down the lane immediately, playing from 22 out to 12.

Stats, numbers, gibberish, etc.

I ordered a beer for McGutters and I to keep the muscles (and his comments) loose and we started on our way.  What would a night of bowling be without McGutters mocking my every mistakes?  I guess I’m probably in better shape for a high pressure situation thanks to him chiding me constantly.  Plus, it’s just dang funny.  Anyway, I flew out of the game with six straight strikes.  Yep, SIX.  My timing was on, targets were hit, and fair maidens swooned at my release (or not).  Seventh frame ruined the fairy tale with a 1-2-10 that I was able to pick up (split in my book, head-pin or not).  Just a poor release on that throw.  It was probably the barometric pressure on that lane at that exact moment.  Or me temporarily regressing into crappy-bowler-mode.  Wrapped up my first game with a 235, ruined by the ninth frame missed 6-pin (evil cousin of the 10).

The next game was about the same, with four straight starting in the second frame.  Then, two straight splits.  A wicked 2-7-8 and a light-pocked 7-10.  I could almost hear the sound of sad trumpets in the distance, signaling the end of a good night… Until, BAM!  A turkey to follow to recover and finish the second game at 223.  Heading into the final game with a 458 was unexpected but very welcomed.  I remember the good old days when I ended my night at 458…

The final game was ugly to start.  I sat on a 64 through five frames.  Four straight opens for three through six, with two 10-pins bookended by wicked splits.  I completely lost my strike line and my form had gotten a little sloppy.  So, I took a few deep breaths, mocked McGutters’ score, and set back to making things right.

The final game and final series score... note McGutters' 404

I wrapped things up with a four-bagger and a lame 1-3-6 spare.  A 178 would normally be dang good for me, but I felt like I’d wasted four frames of that game and a potentially much higher series.  Don’t get me wrong, a 636 is my best series by 17 pins and I’m really happy.  But, if only…

I upped my average in the new league to a ridiculous 192 (that’s not a misprint and I’m not doping).  Not sure how long that’ll last or when my next slump will be, but I’m enjoying the view from up here.  Now, if only the flight attendants would bring me another beer…

Stay out of the gutter!