Week 18 Recap

Game 1: 223
Game 2: 200
Game 3: 226
Series: 649
Week Avg: 216
Season Avg: 195

After last week's bowling appetizer, I was really looking forward to hitting the lanes this week and getting back to league bowling. We threw on the same pair of lanes and against the same team as the no-tap fun night last week. All ten bowlers were present, so I was only able to throw two frames in our allotted ten minute practice session. I decided to lead off with the stronger C-System.

My first ball of the first game missed my target left, resulting in an ugly 4-6-9-10 split. I quickly shook it off and decided to concentrate on three things for the rest of the evening: stay behind the ball, follow through over my target, and hold my position at the foul line until the ball crosses my mark. Instantly I was more consistent, throwing strikes and nine counts with ease. The game was close but in hand when I came up for the tenth frame and finished with a 223.

The first game's success continued into the second. My only real problem all night was making sure that the ball crossed by mark at about the 8 or 9 board at the arrows and continued right to about the 6 board by the time it reached the break point. If the ball stayed straight down the lane at the 8 or 9 board at the break point it would still hit the pocket hard, but wouldn't consistently carry. Our team trailed the entire game, but coming down to me in the tenth frame we were within striking distance. My first ball missed my mark left and hit the headpin pretty high, leaving the 3-6-10. In the heat of the moment I made a bad read on how to shoot the spare, chopping the 3-pin for an open, blowing another easy 220 game at a minimum, and clinching the loss for our team. This was the first time we could recall all season that I didn't take a game that was within reach in the tenth frame. I called it a blown save, but it was really more not taking advantage of the opportunity.

I went into the third game with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I put more pressure on myself to perform and part of me wanted this game to come down to me in the tenth frame. I didn't disappoint, shooting a clean 226, but my teammates also bowled really well and the game was won before I took to the approach in the final frame. We have consistently won more points than we have given up and I like our chances in the second half of the season.

I stuck with the C-System all night and was really only forced to make small adjustments on the heavy front end oil. No one on our pair was playing my line, with the exception of our lead off man who shot about two boards right of that. I think that when we play more experienced bowlers with similar equipment I'll see bigger changes and probably need to make a change, but for the most part this is a laid back mixed league with not a lot of big scorers.

With this week's series I am averaging 195, putting me five pins shy of my stated goal to average 200 by the end of the season. If I can continue bowling like this and picking up on my mistakes this quickly, I see no reason that those five pins can't be overcome.