Week 13 Recap

Game 1: 206
Game 2: 161
Game 3: 248
Series: 615
Week Avg: 205
Season Avg: 194

First off, I finally got around to updating the SPL page with three weeks worth of results. I plan on analyzing the data thus far and writing a post sometime in the near future.

I felt pretty good heading into league this week, perhaps it could be attributed to taking Monday off to recover from the holiday house guests. Since I had the realization a few weeks ago that I needed to make an effort to stay upright at the point of release I have been throwing more consistently and accurately. My hope is that after a few weeks of making a conscious effort to stay upright eventually muscle memory will be retrained and I will continue to do so automatically.

The first game was a fairly uneventful, I believe clean, affair. I was in the pocket every shot and my leaves were mainly corner pins as I fine tuned my line. I really like how the Python has been reacting lately and it has resulted in more strikes. Even though I was striking this game, I didn't group them together enough for a big score and I finished with a 206.

In the second game I threw all strikes on the right lane, but the left lane started to give me problems. I rushed an early shot and left a 3-6-10, which I chopped for an open.  Two frames later another bad ball left the 2-4-5 that I also chopped. When I threw well on the left lane I came in high so I adjusted by moving a few inches up on the approach.  I left a 10-pin late in the eighth frame and during the spare attempt my ball hit some dead wood in the gutter. Even though I'm pretty sure the ball was going to hang on and convert the spare anyway, because I hit the pin in the gutter the spare was negated.  I will not make the mistake of leaving dead wood ever again. I spared in the tenth frame on the left lane, but was still coming in high.  I decided that to start the last game I would move a half board left and swing the ball out a bit into the pocket. I finished the second game with a 161.

The third game started with a pocket 5-7 split. I'm still not really sure how either pin was left standing, as both were wobbling pretty bad when the rack came down. I converted a 10-pin in the second frame and then threw four strikes in a row. The next frame was a lighter pocket hit and I left another 10-pin to break up the streak, but was able to strike the last five in a row to finish with a 248 game and third straight 600 series (fourth if you count the charity tournament).

As a team we only took 2 of 7 points from a team that was well below us in the standings. Three of us were well below average the second game and we lost by nearly 100 pins. Hopefully the three teams above us had an off night so we won't lose any momentum.

While it seems that many of the problems that plagued my game have been corrected, the one that is still haunting me is the ability to transition with the lanes. I average nearly 30 pins more in my third game than I do the second, which is unacceptable. This week was particularly rough because I anticipated the change, but made the wrong adjustment for about three frames before realizing my mistake. I second guessed myself initially, with my instinct telling me to move left first but then opting to move up instead. It all goes back to trusting myself. I know how to play the game, I just need to do it.

On the plus side, the past few weeks have shown me that I am getting more comfortable in stringing strikes together.  Last week could have just as easily seen me throw 11 in a row if it weren't for the 8-10 split. This week's slightly light pocket 10-pin could have been 10 in a row. The weak knees and butterflies in my stomach don't appear as quickly as they once did. My confidence is beginning to build and if I can start a game off strong who knows what can happen.

What I do know is that lately Monday nights can't get here fast enough.