Week 1 Recap

Game 1: 171
Game 2: 136
Game 3: 209
Series: 516
Week Avg: 172
Season Avg: 172

The first game started off pretty well.  While I didn't throw many strikes, I was in the pocket just about every shot. I missed a 10-pin by hair inside and opened on a late split, but other than that it was pretty uneventful. I threw a 171.

The second game was a reminder as to why I am not a great bowler.  I left four splits this game, in addition to a missed 6-pin. I was consistent, but unfortunately I was consistent in not hitting my mark. Every ball hit either light or high and the shots I did have in the pocket just didn't carry.  I didn't feel very comfortable, which was odd since I spent the entire summer on difficult oil patterns. This was supposed to be easy. My 136 begs to differ. I'll never make the transition from a good bowler to a great bowler without the ability to recognize and troubleshoot the errors in my game.

To start the third game I decided to concentrate on a few things. 1) Don't rush. Bowl at a comfortable speed for me. 2) Keep my shoulders parallel to the foul line and don't dip my right shoulder at release. And 3) Hold my finish. All of a sudden I was hitting my mark and carrying with more frequency. The leaves I did have were typically corner pins. I finished with a clean 209, but an underwhelming series.

All of my research into the strategies of a sandbagger must have slipped into my subconscious. This outing was well under average and rather disappointing. Luckily we were bowling against a team we knew, so I didn't feel too bad.

We are off next week for Labor Day, but I plan to pre-bowl on Tuesday and Thursday for the two weeks I will miss while recovering from my gall bladder surgery on September 14th.

Its gotta get better from here.