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!

A Twitter message from Diandra Asbaty?  The one and only.  That is where the next segment of my coaching began.  I had been following the International Art of Bowling for a while and was intrigued by their mission.  Bootcamps with great coaches and notable professional bowlers and internet-based coaching seemed like a great step for bowling to take.  A step into the future (or the present, really).

So, there on the table, was a frame-by-frame swing analysis.  To go along with the excitement of the offer was a bit of fear.  With Steve Richter watching over my game, I was hesitant about introducing another angle or complication into the mix.  I hadn’t exactly perfected the lessons that we’d worked on, so what would additional and different coaching do to me?  Would I suddenly start throwing in the low 100s?  Would I grow a giant mustache and start speaking Russian?  One never knows…

So, I asked Steve what he thought.  When confused, ask an expert (no, don’t replace your alternator by yourself if can’t even find the hood latch).  Steve said that he used to be wary of mixing coaching styles but has started to ease on that stance and sees the benefit of different perspectives.  He gave me the thumbs-up and I messaged Diandra back with the good news.

The entire process of the frame-by-frame analysis was quick and easy.  I received account information from IAB, set-up a tripod and camera to film myself from two angles (back and foul-line).  I uploaded the videos and waited patiently.  While waiting, I imagined all the giggling and pointing that would be done regarding my form.  ”Look at the wrist, does he think he’s setting a volleyball?” or “I’ve seen poodles throw a better strike ball.”  Of course, they’re not mean like that and I’m almost positive I’d beat a dog at bowling.

A week or so later, I saw an email in my inbox about my completed analysis.  With a bit of nervousness, I clicked the link and downloaded the videos.  Provided to me where two videos, each covering one of the angles I’d shot.  Each was about 10 minutes long and full of all sorts of goodies.  Ron Hoppe, Gold Level USBC coach, provided the smarts and narrative.  Thankfully, he was very kind and kept any jokes to himself.  The videos were honestly eye-opening.  Almost as ground-breaking as my first lesson with Steve (I was mentally exhausted and nothing will compare to that day when my bowling was set on it’s current course).  The way Ron coaches isn’t too far from Steve’s.  He explains things in detail and gives the reasoning behind why it’s important, why it happened, what to do, and why doing that will fix it.

Ron started with the back view and talked a lot about footwork, balance, and the path of the ball.  He drew a bunch of lines and pulled up video of Jack Jurek to show examples of correct form.  He even threw in some praise for me game, saying I’d obviously been practicing a lot and that my body angle at release was close to “pro position.”  After the latter comment, I could have watched no more and still been happy.  I’m the next Jack Jurek!

Okay, so only a small portion resembled anything pro.

I’ve watched through both videos a few times and I’ve implemented just a few things into my game so far.  That’s another thing Steve taught me—don’t try to fix everything at once.  Work on just a few things at a time so they get the proper attention.  So, I’ve added a fifth step into my approach to get closer to the foul line at release and shorten my steps.  This has been HUGE for me.  Not only the fifth step, but the placement of each step and what that does to let the ball through and maintain balance and angle.  I needed to get my right foot out of the way on the downswing so that I wouldn’t end up wrapping the ball around my back.  It’s important to have as straight an arc as possible and I certainly wasn’t helping my case with that.

Since implementing the new footwork, I’ve been averaging above 170 or so for both league and practice sessions.  My accuracy has improved (didn’t see that coming) and I feel like I have more time to get the ball into the right timing.  Suuuuuuuper awesome.

After working on the footwork for a few days, I added the second item: lean forward.  In the second video, from the foul line/side perspective, Ron showed how set back my shoulders were at the third step (of the final four steps) and that I should be leaning forward more.  By the time I got to my final step, my shoulders and head were behind my knee and that was affecting my thumb timing.  My thumb occasionally getting “stuck” or feeling weird on release was a problem and this was the solution.  So, I’ve been practicing getting myself forward a bit more and I’ve had a TON less issues with my thumb release.  I’ve even seen some improvement in my revs and hand placement (which Ron went into but I haven’t implemented anything specifically).

I’ve practiced these two tactics every time I’m on the lanes and I feel more confident than ever.  I look forward to digging deeper into the analysis and working on even more.  Most importantly, though, I want to watch the videos with Steve and have him see what I should work on next and how that fits into his plans for me.  Unfortunately, the past fews months and the following couples weeks are the peak season at work and time is at a premium… don’t know when I can get back together with Steve for another session.  That saddens me and worries me—I don’t want to lose steam or fall behind.  I am motivated to reach glory and become a truly good bowler.

The biggest lesson I learned from the IAB analysis was extremely simple: get coaching.  Even if you’re not trying to get on tour or win every tournament you enter, you can make bowling more enjoyable and rewarding.  There are lots of USBC certified coaches out there like Steve and Ron that may be in your area (if you live in Wisconsin, seek out Steve Richter, seriously).  Make sure you find someone that explains things and is easy to work with.

Definitely look into the International Art of Bowling and all the services they offer.  If you can’t make a bootcamp, try the frame-by-frame analysis.  Talk to them and find out what the best approach would be for where your game is and where you want it to go.  They’re extremely friendly, knowledgeable people.  If they’re willing to help out a schmuck like me and make a difference…  HUGE thanks to the IAB for being at the forefront of awesomeness!

Go, find a coach!  Your average will thank you.

When it rains, it pours.  At least, that’s what it seemed like when it came to the lane condition today.  Maybe it was just having a bad day and wanted to take it out on us or perhaps it had some new oil it had purchased online and wanted to show it off.  Either way, there was enough oil on the lanes that King Pin can probably join OPEC now.

We won two of seven points but won the "most splits" contest...

Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating a little (tons), but we definitely weren’t playing with training wheels tonight.  The outside wasn’t acting like a bumper and finding a consistent strike line was difficult as the oil moved around.  Thin margins of error that forced everyone to either dial in their game and focus or deal with less than marvelous scores, which was excellent.  I like a good challenge and it was a great progression from the week before.  The last thing anyone needs is the exact same pattern out there every week.  We weren’t on a US Open pattern, but for us it was tough enough.

The lane conditions were perfect for my Defiant (the almighty pin-destroying monster with a mean streak that’s on a mean streak).  The Outlaw and Bandit cowered and fell apart just past the arrows and asked to be put back in the bag (my new four-ball Rolling Thunder has been dubbed “Bagatron”).  Even given the strength of the Defiant, I was still playing more inside to start than last week.  I played from 18 and eventually ended up at 22 by the time the oil dried up a bit (throwing over 10-12).  It made for an enticing and frustrating line at once—strikes that hit had lots of energy in them, but miss by a few boards and a split was almost ensured.  McGutters through somewhere between 10 and 30 splits (I lost count and doubt every frame was a split… but it seemed like it) which was part sad and part hilarious.

I think somewhere along the line, McGutters really ticked off the bowling gods—438 tonight for a guy that used to be a solid 180 average bowler.

A sure-fire 200 ruined by a really poor delivery in the 10th—shameful

Once the dust/oil had settled, I had games of 175, 192, and 159 (third game being destroyed by back-to-back splits in the 8th and 9th) for a 526 series (yes, I care enough to give you the total and save on unnecessary mental math or calculator usage).  My spares percentage was above 50% for another week after being in the 40s for the last couple of months, despite four splits.  Somehow, I only left one 10-pin all night and went about missing it soundly.  A 175 average for the week is still a win for me and I’m way above where I was just a few weeks ago.  Instead of occasional forays into the 500s, it’s feeling more expected.

The shining highlight of the night was not the scores or the oil, however.  It was the first ball I throw once the pins started counted.  I totally gaffed and left the ball out waaaaay too far right and stuck a nice goose egg up on the board.  McGutters was gushing with pride…  I followed that lost frame with a big, fat turkey, though.  Go figure.

Stay out of the gutter!  Trust me, it isn’t worth it.

Want to see our group in action?  Check out the photo album on Facebook, right over… here.
(We give away free stuff, so liking our page wouldn’t be the worse thing you did today)

For those following along at home:
EPIC Creative League Results (updated each Monday morning, unfortunately)

*** Random giveaway: I will give away free Roto Grip swag to a random person selected from those that comment and correctly guess how many posts I’ve written now ***

Comfort is a powerful thing.  It’s what draws us towards the familiar and is a fuel for loyalty.  Nobody complains about how comfortable their shoes are and how they wish they had a few more blisters.  We create comfort around us.  We build our homes to fit our comforts and then we keep returning.  Home is the ultimate comfort.  I have now returned home… to my home center.

Sandy Cashman throwing out the inaugural ball

I have practiced at least twice a week at King Pin Bowl in West Bend, WI for the past five months or so.  It’s where I have been really working on my form and putting in the time and effort that is helping to pull me out of the basement and make somewhat of a real bowler out of me.  King Pin is where I am calm, focused, and comfortable.  Now, my league bowling has come home and I couldn’t be happier.

This Monday was the first week of the new league at King Pin.  They were nice enough to allow me to create my own league through work and we’re now off and rolling.  Two-person teams, consisting mostly of my co-workers (as though spending all day together wasn’t enough).  A whole lot of fun.

The first night turned out great.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and the small teams allowed for some great rhythm (even if McGutters didn’t have the desired beer intake).  We had some new bowlers and some seasoned veterans.  Jan Schmidt showed off her professional form that everyone could only hope to attain.  The big boss man struggled a bit before finding the soft spot on the lane and tore it up for the last game.  There was a great feeling across the lanes.  Another league was going on across the house, so almost the entire place was filled.  A full bowling center is such a great sight.

A slight hiccup ruined the clean game, but I walked away happy

Personally, I had a decent night.  I started out with my Outlaw but it was just a shade off for the line I was working on so I switched over to the Defiant and had some good success.  I picked up spares at a respectable rate, hit the general proximity of my target on most throws, was able to control my timing, and managed to put down a beer and a half to keep the muscles loose (special gratitude to McGutters for shepherding the drinks).  197 to start, with just an inch in the 8th between me and a clean game.  Games of 190 and and 180 rounded things out for a toasty-worthy 567.  Didn’t break any records of cause fair maidens to faint, but it’s a win for me.  A couple small mistakes in the second and third game cost me bigger fireworks, but I felt really good and that’s much more important in the long run.

It’s going to be great having league on the same lanes that I practice on, but I also know that I have to be versatile and work with whatever conditions are in front of me at whatever center.  I plan to take in games at other centers in the area whenever I can.

Coming up soon… a new take on coaching.

Stay out of the gutter!

The Pizza & Beer League at Bowlero has come to an end.  It was with mixed emotions that we stepped onto the lanes on Thursday.  McGutters and I were both happy it would be the last time we saw this oil (or lack thereof) but there were also some fun teams that we enjoying bowling with.  It would also be the last time we bowled with the doctors.  Not bowling with Dr. Matt (The Machine) and Dr. Jay (The Laser) is going to hard.  Matt for his phenomenal form and ability to score ridiculously and Jay for his straight-ball magic and ability/willingness to sub constantly.

As the end to many relationships go, there were some “tugs” to stay.  The oil was decently fresh and available.  The approaches appeared to have been thoroughly cleaned or redone.  We enjoyed ourselves on and off the lanes, with a fajita buffet that was much better than it looked (Jay ate a fajita for every strike he through, so we were all rooting for him… or maybe that’s against him…).  The third game we completely threw away by throwing the ball in every conceivably goofy way.  Backwards, opposite hand, two-handed, granny, twisting, and such.  I managed a nice 94 to end the league, throwing most of my shots from the 50th board over the 25th in my best (or worst, I couldn’t see myself) Jason Belmonte impression.  For everyone, it was just a giant exhale from the previous 19 weeks.  Unloading monkeys from backs.  Allowing the inner child to remind us that it doesn’t always have to be serious.  It definitely made me appreciate the joy that comes from the game, not just all the hard work that I’ve put in.  Also, I am intrigued by the massive revs I can get two-handed…  All in all, it was a great end to a fun adventure.

The next step for me is the new Monday night league at King Pin Bowl in West Bend.  That’s where I’ve been practicing twice a week and I absolutely love bowling there.  I am really looking forward to what this new league brings.  It’s a two-person, 14 week league.  Sanctioned and all!  McGutters and I will be bringing back the Team Ramrod name and we hope to show our new competition just how awesome we can be (and not be, which is much more likely).  Tonight is the first night, so wish me luck!  I’ll take all the luck I can get…

Stay out of the gutter!

I never like seeing that red, but it didn't get my raging or anything...

Describing Thursday’s night on the lanes doesn’t take much… bad.  Simply and without any fanfare or debate.  I can completely accept what happened and took it in stride while it happened.  After three games of sloppy throws and many pins standing, I walked away learning… nothing.  Nope, not a darn thing and I’m happy about that.  I walked out of the bowling center, drove home, and felt just fine.

I have gotten comfortable with what I’m capable of.  The ability to hit 600.  Roll a 250 game.  Hit six strikes in a row.  And just as I learned the week before, my capabilities cover the bottom end of the spectrum, too.  It’s just part of the game and a huge part of this little adventure.

So, what was the real damage?  Really, the scores weren’t so horrible (159, 153, 144).  That was a result of something that I haven’t given a lot of attention to lately: equipment.  Thankfully, even though I was missing my target by enough to make people question whether I was even looking, the power that is Roto Grip would do it’s best to try to save the shot.  Fight back from the edge, claw through heavy oil, and whip pins around violently.  I have really great equipment that covers me across a lot of conditions and makes me look good even when the goods aren’t worth looking at.

Three splits and I'm still happy? Say it ain't so!

Today’s practice was a different story.  It was rewarding and then a bit painful.  After running through some one-step drills and getting loose, I charged onto the screen with a decent 209.  One missed 7-pin away from a clean game and I was feeling really good.  I had some new tips and tools I put into effect (a post on that to come) and it was feeling easy out there.  Then, a 205 in the next game despite a 6-7 split in the second.  Wow, maybe those capabilities would make an appearance.  I was excited to possibly reach the 600s again, but I didn’t let it get to me.  I had a practice plan for the day (form tweaks and work through different balls from different spots) and I stuck to it.  I played a tough/uncomfortable line for the third game, as planned, and squeaked out a 177 for a respectable 591 to open up practice.  Also, I added another step into my approach.  Yep, a 591 after screwing with my footwork!  That’s not too shabby.

Yes, just open it up.  I wanted to get in 60 frames, including warm-up.  I know I’ll have to bowl more than just a series when I head out to “nationals” and I’d really like to eventually play in some tournaments.  So, I hit OK on the screen and took on another two games.  Problem was, my back didn’t think that was a good idea.  By the end of that third (or fourth, depending on what you’re counting) game, things were getting tight and my flexibility and form took a big hit.  I struggled with a bit of pain and a ton of bad timing to finish off my lunchtime practice with a 150 and a 156.  Everything fell apart and I was still just a bit below average.  I can deal with that.

This week is my last of Pizza & Beer league at Bowlero on Thursdays.  Starting next Monday, I will be bowling at King Pin Bowl in West Bend.  I have to get in a sanctioned league so that I can go to “nationals” without having to sport an “average” that isn’t realistic/kind.  The plan is to do some blogging and reporting from there and… we’ll have a WICKED cool contest to go along with it.  Details on that will be decided upon and announced soon but, needless to say, it’s going to be really awesome.  At least, I think so.

Keep it out of the gutter!

There’s a reason they say law of averages.  It’s because it can’t be avoided.  Sometimes you can get away from breaking the law, but in the end the law always wins.  If you speed enough or don’t pay your parking tickets, eventually it’ll come back to you.  The law of my bowling average is no different.  I can deviate from it, but in the end it wins.  I can only adjust it in increments to create a new law but it still holds the power.  Last week reminded me of that.

I rolled the best game of my life during practice.  I struggled mightily before and after that.  I had a horrible first two games of league night.  Then a very strange third game to bring it all back to the middle.

Six pins left standing... Now that will turn any day into a good day!

Let’s start with the good news.  Two hundred and fifty six.  256. 44 from perfect (six in my head).  No open frames.  I finally broke the 250 barrier and it wasn’t just a fluke.  I really earned it even if it was during practice.  I threw five games before I reached single-game glory and it took a lot out of me and taught me quite a bit during those five games.  The lanes were really dry and I had a hard time finding a comfortable line.  I’m not the most versatile of bowlers (yet) so I only inched left a bit here and there and moved my target only a few boards as well.  Through five games it was up and down will lots of nasty leaves and even nastier thoughts going through my head.  Then, after leaving three straight open frames to end the fifth game, I pulled my head out of the ball return and took a big step to the left (10 boards to the left of center) and aimed at the third arrow.  Something I’m not used to doing.  Or even considering.  I knew it’s what Steve would tell me to do.  Find the line, don’t expect it to come to me.  I dug deep to our last lesson about lines and reading oil and that’s what my gut told me.  My first ball left the 3-9, but that was mostly due to hesitancy in my throw.  I saw good things, though.  From the second throw on, it felt great.  I picked up two 6-10s in the 5th and 6th frame, but was all strikes the rest of the game.

Then Thursday arrived.  And, oh, what a strange day it was.  I had a particularly bad day at work and was actually looking forward to bowling quite a bit.  Until the lanes slapped me upside the head and made me wish I’d just stayed in bed all day and skipped league.  Sort of.  It ended up being very entertaining but warm-up and the first 18 frames weren’t even close to pleasant.

I think McGutters put it best when he suggested that maybe they’d put down some 80-grit at the end of the lanes.  Every hook thrown would cut sharply at the last second, taking whatever it’s normal angle would have been and tripling it.  Or quadrupling it.  It was insanity.  Scores on our pair were down sharply for anyone not throwing a straight ball.  You couldn’t find enough oil to prevent the ball from crossing over and clipping a few pins on the left side (more as a mocking gesture than anything kind).  Increasing speed only went so far, too.  I played from left of the gutter right through the middle of the lane.  Still wasn’t enough.  Frustration compounded and anxious laughs followed just about every shot.  I tried to find humor at first until I had no choice.  It was just silly.  That made everything better.

We loosened up and stopped worrying.  Tried our best and let the lanes decide our fate.  Scores were low the entire night… except for one flash of brilliance…

Me: “This is ridiculous.”
McGutters: “You’re ridiculous.  Try your spare ball.”
Me: “That won’t work, I’ve never gotten that thing to hook more than a board even when trying.”
McGutters: “What do you have to lose?”

That was the 8th frame of the second game.  So, I stepped up onto the approach with my trusty 10-pin smasher and threw a normal ball over the second arrow from one dot to the right of middle (still don’t know all the veteran bowler lingo for this stuff) and to my surprise… it HOOKED.  My Ice Storm hooked quite a bit, as in left a solid 4-pin because I got a little bit too much hook.  No joke.  I moved left two boards and found a sweet spot.  Rattled off a 211 despite the conditions.  The proof is in the video to the right.  I threw a few bad shots, but otherwise had great success when I hit my mark.  Absolutely ridiculous.  McGutters had a hunch and it turned out to be right (a much better hunch than we he thought Facebook would never surpass MySpace).

All hail the mighty Ice Storm spare ball!

So, after that 211, I was just short of my average.  As the law dictates.  Even though we had Saharan conditions, it still won.  Thanks to McGutter’s crazy idea and my willingness to humor him.  It made for a really hilarious/awesome third game and made the entire night worthwhile.  I think the best part is that I learned more about my game and about bowling in general.  I saw extremely dry conditions.  I made drastic moves.  I tried something that seemed ridiculous.  I grew my versatility, even if just by a little bit.

And that is why I keep coming back.  Not because of the scores on the screen but because I know eventually I am going to rewrite the law of my average…

Keep ‘em out of the gutter!

I’m going to stress the “to” part of “Gutter to Glory” today.  As in #2.  As in how I bowled last night…  Yeah, it was stinky.

It did its part, but I didn't hold up my end of the bargain...

It wasn’t exactly shaping up to be the best formula for success at the start of the week.  Three rough practice sessions produced only incremental improvements and latent frustration behind them.  My body just wasn’t listening and I tried to find my way back to the fluid motion that I had for two weeks prior.  It just wasn’t in the cards.  My muscle memory was intent on mucking my form up and reestablishing its prior dominance.  I could feel the pulls and tugs towards my old bad habits.  It was quite odd, like a ghost of my former bowling self had strings attached to me and just wanted to see me fail (that or it was McGutters using some sort of magical invisibility cloak).  On top of that, the oil during Wednesdays practice would have rivaled a middle eastern country’s exports… copious!  I couldn’t get my ball to hook if I had attached it to a rope and pulled it.

Now, to be fair, I bowled above my average and putting perspective on it makes it seem a lot better.  Failure and disgust now come in the form of a statistically average performance.  That’s legitimate progress.  Didn’t make me feel good while I whiffed on a ten pin or missed my target by four boards, but hey… can’t win ‘em all.  Even against yourself.  Which begs the question, if you’re going up against yourself and you lose, who wins?

I’m not going to get into too many gory details because reading numbers is really only exciting to the CPAs in the audience.  Sorry, today’s post is going to be editorial.  As you can already see.

Over-exaggerated display of sadness...

Anyway, I bowled games of 144, 166, and 165.  Or as I like to call them Car Wreck, Disaster, and Failure.  The scores say less about what happened than the look I sported on my face most of the time (nothing like what’s on the right, but the feeling was similar if you add some more anger and frustration).  Sadness and dejection.  Even when I did get a strike, it was on the wrong side covered in luck.  I seriously think I threw four good balls all night (hit my target, good revs, in the pocket) and when I did the pins went BAM!  I tried changing my ball, where I lined up, and would have switched out my underwear if that would have ensured some consistency.  Basically, I was all over the place last night.  Mentally, physically, and emotionally.

There’s always a silver lining, though:

• I didn’t break any bones.
• I didn’t break anyone else’s bones.
• I wasn’t arrested.
• No one was watching.
• Failure is a higher number.

Joking aside, I can deal with what happened.  475 isn’t starvation or global warming.  I can learn a lot from what did and didn’t happen and now I am even hungrier to get better.  Because the floor keeps rising so that must mean the ceiling will too.  That, or I’ll be crushed to death…

Stay out of the gutters!

…and other ridiculous lies to compensate for my terrible season.

I’m baaaaack!  That’s right, I’ve taken over the blog again for a super-special, extra annoying post chock full of random thoughts and a little bit about bowling to keep Tim happy.

First, I’d like to say congratulations to Tim for a wonderful 600 series and hope he stubs his toe, because I’m petty.  Seriously though, good work and keep on truckin’ my friend.

Secondly, Happy New Year!  With a glorious new Outlaw in my possession, I shall retain my position of dominating the world of bowling the only way I know how, with plenty of beer and a sub-200 average.  I thank Tim and EPIC for upgrading me to a far superior product.  Now to build up the effort to get it drilled and then wreck some pins!

Next up is… Holy crap!  We are doing a live chat on Facebook with Pete-freaking-Weber?!?  I grew up watching this pin slayer!  Forget you guys, I’m the programmer of the live chat system.  I’m just going to add like 100 questions I have for him and say they are from you.  It’s good to know the internetz!  Ahem, seriously though, mark your calendars, January 16th.  More info coming soon…

Here’s some randomness:

I guess the NBA is back…  Yep…  And the crowd goes silent…

I want to be a hockey fan, but having no team in Wisconsin kind of hinders that.  I would name them the Milwaukee Moo Cows.  The possibilities are endless for marketing and a fantastic mascot.

A tip from a parent, never eat your standard decorated sugar cookie for Christmas.  It most likely was decorated by a young kid who has zero respect for hygiene or an understanding that you don’t pre-taste the toppings and then add them.

New Glarus – Spotted Cow is my new beer of choice.  I have no problem shamelessly plugging them in the small chance they send me free beer.

The guys/gals from Roto Grip/Storm are beyond a dream to work with.  Very laid back and they all truly love bowling.  I have no problem shamelessly plugging them as well in the small chance they send me Spotted Cow.

A new year, new attitude, and Defiant only a day away.  Rip some pins and have a fantastic 2012 folks.

I’ll be back.

I hope you read that in an Arnold Schwarzenegger  voice in your head.  I know I did.

After ending 2011 with a 600 series in my portfolio, this week felt great at the start.  Couple that with a bit of breathing room at work and there was a lot to feel good about.  I was still holding off on scheduling any press conferences or asking Roto Grip to name their next ball the Timmothy (or maybe just the Moth would work, hey), but I felt great and had some real confidence brewing inside me.  Or maybe that was just a bad dinner from the weekend…

Given the circumstance of last week, I was either going to continue to ascend to new heights or plummet back to reality.  Those are the choices, right?  Or can you redefine what reality is and just lightly plummet to this new standard?

Silly 10-pin ruined a perfectly fine game...

Practice on Monday felt a bit weird.  I took the first game to just throw corner pins and try to shake of the nervous jitters of expectation.  You know, those ridiculous neon graphics really present a lot of expectations after you throw your first 600… beckoning you to prove you can do it again.  After getting close, I pulled out the Bandit and decided to just throw a series and not think too much.  I don’t use the Bandit a lot and it was a good ball to break that shell of “I wonder if that was an aberration” off.  It’s really suited to drier oil and I haven’t seen a ton of that.  So, despite whatever the conditions were I was going to deal with ‘em and take that as learning.  I was definitely not going to try to repeat the Thursday before.

I played pretty far to the right and took a down and in approach.  The Bandit gives a good, late break for me but keeps some energy for the pins.  Was surprisingly fun to play from that spot and with that tactic and it definitely helped keep my mind off the 600s.  It was definitely a challenge and I paid the price with some splits in the second and third games.  Still managed 195, 174, and 161 for a 530.  530 would have been great any other day, but it just felt ordinary.  I took a different perspective but still managed to score at what used to be the top.

Typically, I practice Monday and Wednesday but forgot all my equipment on Wednesday after waking up too early and rushing out the door.  So, I did what I usually try not to do… practice on league night!  Ohhhhh nooooo!  Couldn’t happen that every time I bowl the same day as league I would suffer dire consequences at night.  Right?

Thursday’s “no-no” practice went great.  188, 220, and 189 for a 597 that felt smooth, awesome, and motivating.  A slightly high shot in the 8th of the final game cost me my second 600, but everything was clicking.  Good timing, nice slide, good targeting and follow-through.  The Defiant was giving me a great angle into the pocket and even did my taxes on the way down.  A new high-game score for the year, too.  Maybe I was capable of being better than crappy… just maybe…

I made it to the top! I don't care of it's handicap and the competition isn't fierce.

Then, league night.  I went in tired and unmotivated.  Warm-up stunk and I just couldn’t find my target.  I mean, it’s right there, why can’t I hit it?!  Frustration was in high supply.  I tried to stay positive, though.  No sense damning myself by letting my emotions steer my off the road.  However, it wasn’t meant to be.  Each shot felt out of control.  Instead of things being slowed down, it felt like I was behind everything.  I made adjustments, switched balls, moved around, but it was beyond equipment or conditions.  It was me.  If I had to score my night without seeing the scores on the screen I would have guessed low 400s or high 300s.  It felt like an all-time low.  However… 511 at the end, with games of 168, 167, 176.  Consistent.  Fourth highest series score through league so far.  What the?!

After a beer with McGutters (oh yeah, I threw the gutterball for the night… on the very first shot) I was in a much better mental state.  I bowled like crap and still salvaged a 511.  I persevered and stuck with it and it showed.  I didn’t fall apart.  I can buy that and feel good about it. Scores really aren’t everything.  They’re relative and I’m really starting to internalize that.

Now, I’m just anxious about next week.

Matt, on the other hand, tore it up with his new Frantic.  I figured he’d struggle adjusting a bit to something new, and he did.  To the tune of 655.  I bet that with his dinosaur equipment he would have shot a 555.  Instead of Matt trying to out-bowl a low ceiling, he could let his talent flow into the ball.  And it was beautiful… pins everywhere!   What a jerk!  Ha!

Sorta/almost on-topic—McGutters and I both decided we don’t want to bowl at Bowlero anymore, though.  Horrible approaches.  We’re not expecting a whole lot, but the approaches just don’t feel right and you can’t get much slide out of the them.  Which didn’t used to be a problem, back in my two marks per game days.  Now, it really puts a wrinkle in your groove to suddenly stick while swinging.  Bummer.  Nice place and good people otherwise.  Need to find a new league soon, since we only have four more weeks left there…

Stay out of the gutter (unlike me)!