It's been awhile since I've been here... some of it because I feel like i've been in a slump lately and need to learn how to bowl again because what I'm doing hasn't been working lately. It was only 3 or 4 weeks ago I bowled 3 700s in a week and then since then I've bowled like crap. Ever since I took lessons it seems like my ball does want to drive to the pocket anymore because something in my release has changed. I think bowl my averages have dropped down to 198 and 199 and my PBA average might be up to 181 now, but I feel horrible.
Last night, however, I decided to try some things I hadn't really done since I took the lessons and one of them was not to bend before I start my approach and hold my ball up high as well because everything else i've tried hasn't worked. So for now, whatever I did worked well yesterday.
I kept asking my hubby if my ball was looking like it used to pre-lesson and it was getting there. Driving much better to the pocket. I think we were bowling on the Scorpion pattern... I can't tell because they never know themselves but my hubby said it was similar to the prior week so it most likely was. I couldn't tell cuz I haven't been able to bowl the last three weeks.
I think I had one open in every game but was able to string a few strikes in each game and bowled a 201, 200, and 203 for a 604 series. I think it's my fourth or fifth 600 series in the PBA League... pretty good considerring I couldn't get one all summer when I bowled in the league.
So now I can only hope I can bowl similar to last night and keep having my ball drive instead of roll out like it has been lately. I don't think I've left as many 5-7, 5, and 7 pins in my life until the last few months, so hopefully I can change that from now on. Next time... note to self.. take lessons during the summer and not in the middle of the season... it's really messed me up even though I have my good nights, most nights are crap.
Will test it out Friday and see if I can make myself happy again... I want to get my average back above 200 again... wish me luck. laters
Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 11:12 PM MST
[General]
We had our final week of the Shark Pattern for the rest of the season today and I did pretty well. First week I had a 586 and last week a 495 so I've been up and down as you an see. Changed out my middle finge grip when I got there because even though I got the hole opened up a lil last time, I just got my new balls and grips in the mail today, so I put an 11/32 turbo grip into my ball for my middle finger. I ordered ten in each size for the next time I need to replace my grips and got turbo quads because I tried the vise grips in my hubby's black widow bite and I just didn't like it, so we'll have spares from now on.. yay!
Anyhow, that helped a lot for me cuz I didn't have to stuff my middle finger into the hole like i've had to do the past couple weeks. Used my Trifecta like i've been doing the last three weeks and felt pretty smooth today. Stood 18 and shot between the first and second arrow all night. Started off with three striked then pulled the next shot and left a 4-6 split, then stuck and spared and struck to end that game with a 225.
Second game I started with a couple spares and the rest strikes... left a 6-7-10 split in the 7th but picked it up, then struck up to the tenth and sapred my second ball for a 227 game.
Last game wasn't as good as the first two... I think I was either pushing it too far out or pulling it into the nose. Started with a couple strikes, then spares, then chopped a 3-6 spare and left a washout a couple frames later ending that game with a 175.
Our team lost all four, my hubby was pretty pissy from the second game on, but I got my 6 for the first time in a while now, so I was happy... I think we're bowling the scorpion the next three weeks, but I won't find out til I get there next week. I'm glad I kinda figured out how to play the Shark Pattern cuz it used to be one of my worst and now I think I've found my way to the pocket. I really think this PBA Experience has helped... had a really good weekend and now a good couple of days. Woohooo!!
I feel like I've been bowling a lot this past weekend considerring I bowled the last four days in a row because of ABT this weekend. My knee was even a little sore while I was at work today. But I ordered another one of those kneed-it knee braces last night so it should be in sometime this week, I hope. I used to have one but lost it sometime this summer while I was working out with it. I bought this cheap one from the BX last week but I have to make it all tight and it hurts the back of my knee and makes it all itchy.
Anyway, our teammate said it was our night to take up the slack since we didn't do too hot last week and he bowled well. He said he bowed his 8 last week so he probably wouldn't bowl well again for another month.
Started off my first game really well using the sure fire, but it was coming up so light and mixing the pins on the left so I was getting scared. Told myself I wouldn't change it if it ain't broke. had the front 6 and ended with a 258... my opponent bowled a 232 and we lost total by 2 pins because our teammate thought we had the game in the bag and "tried" something different the last frme leaving four pins standing... if i was anchor... I think I'd calculate max the other team could get before throwing my last ball. So oh well... made me a lil pissy cuz thats two points but whatever.
Second game, not as hot... had one strike the first few frames and switched to my black widow pearl in six frame... rolled a turkey and ended with a 203 that game against a 185... two points for me... and this time we took series by 15 pins.. hubby bowled a 257 that game.
Third game I started alright and stuck with the BWP because it was coming up better... strung up six strikes from frame 5 and ended that game with a 255 to a 196. We won total for that game by 28 so we were up 41 going into the last. I bowled my second 700 series in three days with a 716 tonight!!! woohoo
Going into the fourth game, all I needed was a 202 to get high series for women in this league... stupid me ... BLEW IT!!! ugh I was prob too worried about getting it I picked up 4-7-9 split in the fifth frame, but missed a 6-10 spare in the next frame and a ten pin in the 9th and had two strike and an eight count in the 10 to still bowl a 908 for the night. I just needed a strike spare or spare strike to get my second 900 of the season but I got it so woohooo...i coulda shot myself for F-ing it up in he 9th and not beating that other lady but oh well... I still got a bunch of weeks left to go for it.
Getting the Roto-grip Cell in tomorrow and my hubby is getting his Hammer Anger in, so we'll probably go down to SLC on Wednesday to get it drilled so we can free up Valentine's Day to sit on our ass and maybe drink the Asti Champagne in our fridge that we brought back from Vegas. I think I'm going to try to get it drilled aggressive... maybe a lil pin up an to theright of the ring with the CG kicked out a lil... we'll see.. i'm sure our driller will know best.
Anyway, I'm out for now... time for bed... just wanted to blog and say these past three days have been pretty damn decent. Yay!!! night!
My hubby and I decided we would start bowling ABT again after getting back from the Military Bowling Tournament down in Vegas cuz we knew that would cost us a lot of money while down there so we made a deal that whoever bowled better thispast friday night would start it off and we'd switch off bowling every week... if I can afford it of course.
So Friday night we were bowling on lanes 3&4 and I guess the shot was really swirly because even people who were bowling in the middle of the house were complaining as well. EVERY game I had to play catch up in the last two frames because I opened two out of the first three frames... EVERYTIME... ugh. In the first two games I had to strike out the 9th and 10th to make my average and I think I bowled like 204 and 201 or something like that... then I started off bad again in the third and opened again in the 7th or so and wound up bowling like a 170 something and wound up with the high series on our pair with a 579 so off I was to bowl the next day in ABT.
I'm always reluctant to bowl in these things cuz they just seem to drain my bank account... so I eventually go ready and we head outta the house around 1245 or so I think. We prob got there around 1:15 because i was down in Salt Lake and the ladies were like "OMG she's here." and I was like "yeah the hubby made me." Well considerring the next squad was starting at 130 and by the time I was ready to chec in was five minutes til, I decided to bowl in the next squad at 3 pm because I hate having to rush and get my stuff ready. So we went and had a couple drinks at the bar to relax my muscles and prepare for my shift.
Going into my shift I wasn't expecting much because all these people were complaining about the shot talking about carry down and all... so that was prob another factor in why I chose to bowl the last shift.
Soo... I started off really well... i think i got he first front five... can't remember... but I ended up with a 245 and +70 the first game... missed high game by one pin... damn 7-10 on my second shot in the 10th. Second game two pairs down, shot a 219 and not expectingly, last game I was clean going into it and in the 5th or 6th left a damn 5-7 split.. the fve slid all the way over to between the 6 an 9 spot... damn dirty backends... don't know why they can't clean it... so i messed up my clean set :-(... that was worth $575... ugh!!!!! But I ended that game with a 242 and shot my second 700 this season with a 706 and wound up with 786 with my 25 pin a game handicap and +181... so I was top qualifier for the day by 11 pins.
Semis were the next day and that's usually when all the high average dudes come to bowl... probably so they don't have to go down there two days in a row. But Saturdays are 1 in 4 qualifying and sunday i either 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 so there were 31 semi-finalist.
I started my first game not so hot wth a 207 when I compare it to th previous day... then followe with a 201 and ended with a 196. I ended up +79 in the semis and pretty muh thought that wouldn't be good enough because the previous cuts that day were around the 90s and my hubby said he was going to hit me if the cut was in the 90s because I missed not one, not two... but THREE four pins... i have no idea why but whatever. I was rushing my hubby says so I was all that relaxed.
Waited around a lil and I made the cut... two other people in the 60s and maybe even 50s made the cut so I wasn't the lowest... I picked lane 41 and this dude I knew from bowlig down in SLC last year picked 42 and he's a 224 or better average bowler so I knew I'd have to bowl better... but nope... had an 8-10 split in the 3rd frame and he had the front six so unless he messed up majorly it wasn't happening. He did have a split in the 7th frame or so and I had a pocket 7 pin shot working two strikes in the 8th and I coulda used that but instead I spared the 9th, struck out the tenth and lost 243 to 201 + 25... so 226 with handicap. Oh well... it was my first time in a long time so maybe next time will be better.
My hubby gets to bowl next week with the money I won. I won $125 for the sweepers I won, and another 125 for making the semis... so I basially won $100. Sweet!
That's it for now... just thought I'd blog about this before I blog about tonight.
Well I assume we had the Shark pattern tonight on our PBA league since it seemed to be quite flooded early on and I started right of middle, which I don't do very often unless I run into oil. Before we headed out to the bowling alley, I sanded two old balls (trifecta and messenger ti) with a green scotch brite pad. Wasn't sure at the time if I'd use either of them but like I said yesterday, I don't want to do anything to my other balls since they're working ok on the THS.
Got there early enough considerring it was snowing and we were driving slow to get there safely. I needed to change the finger grips in those two balls so I didn't get to throw a couple balls with them before we started, so I threw a couple lines with my Sure fire then went to get my finger grips switched out.
Started off the night standing around 15 and aiming around the first arrow. Left a seven pin the first frame and missed it cuz apparently I'v mssed so many times right I pulled it left... then got six strikes in a row... left a 6-10 cuz I went high and missed that... then another 7 pin and missed that again... then struck out in the tenth for a 225. 9 strikes for a 225??? ugh... my damn spares killed me... but rest assure, I did better the next game.... at least with my spares.
I had a clean game my second game making all my spares and only throwing a strike or two... no doubles, so I bowled a 195.
Last game didn't fair as well... missed a few spares and ended with a 165 for a 585 series. Should've gone to a less aggressive ball cuz it cutting in at the last minute a lot, but considerring I've never done well on this pattern, I'm pretty happy with the outcome and our team took all four tonight considerring three out of four of us bowled 560 or better. So yay!
We'll see how the shot is next week... and if it really was the shark... if it isn't then it was probably the scorpion.... how can some leagues be so unorganized that they can't even tell us what the shot is sometimes. Oh well.
Time to get ready for bed... two days off, so til next time. byeeee
