~Mrs STORM~
Revless Wonder...
It took me ten months...but I finally bowled in a tourny in the USA.
WASA [Womens All Star Association] was a fantastic experience...something that would be great for female bowlers in Australia.
The event was held in the suburb of Allentown, located in eastern Pennsylvania. Its approximately 2.5 - 3hrs from where I currently reside.
I made the trip with 5 other people that I bowl with, four of whom actually bowled.
The house itself looks fairly old, the lanes are still wood and look rather beaten up.
Overall reminded me somewhat of Bankstown.
Including the acoustics, which were almost identical to that of Bankstown.
For the first time since I can remember I was there with just two balls - VBP Gladiator Solid and a Brunswick T-Zone [spare ball].
Did something I rarely do at tournaments - had a practise game before bowling.
It was here I discovered I might be in a real lot of trouble...we were going to be bowling on a wall and unlike everyone else I did not have the option to make a ball change if necessary.
I shot a 217 for this game, spares were corner pins with the exception of one 4 pin.
I had a shot, it was carry that was going to let me down.
The lane draw was fairly decent:
I was on 14.
Cathy, my room mate for the w/e was on 13.
Sheila, the one that got me to come was on 12.
Helen, a friend of Sheilas was on 10.
Diane, our resident comedian was on 9.
So we were all next to each other, which was a good thing.
Lane changes consisted of moving two pairs right after every game with everyone on your pair.
This was good because I was going to be with someone I knew all day.
This was bad because I couldnt stand the way one of the other people on my pair threw the ball.
During practise I sucked.
There is no other way to say it.
I was full of tension, anxiety and nervousness.
I was missing my target right and missed alot of the spares I left up.
Didnt I feel good right about now?!
Game One: 204.
Lowest on my pair...Im game enough to say I can out average any of the other 3 people who were on my pair.
However...they were able to kick out the corners.
I was not.
I did however, spare each and every pin I left.
Relaxed me slightly...with the exception that I just watched Sheila shoot a rather tidy 279.
Time for a lane change - 17+18.
Game Two: 202.
I had experienced the same issues Id had in the first game.
I had made all the small moves...because there was nothing dramatic needed.
It still was not working.
Mentally I was going ballistic, Id tried everything I knew and nothing would work.
But I kept my cool and was again able to make my spares.
Sheila could see how frustrating this was for me and gave me a few reassuring words...thank God she was there.
Shes a legend.
Lane change - 21+22.
Game Three: 227.
The billionth change Id made late in game two continued to work here.
Carrying alot more was calming me down, as were my own little strategies that I use.
Lane change - 25+26.
Game Four: 256.
Freaking huge.
My first frame was a split, I will admit to throwing a bad shot, deserving the split.
The rest of the game I was obviously lined up, dialed in and trying to make a comeback.
Lane change - 1+2.
Game Five: 243.
After making the lane change every bowler hates and being on the pair that every bowler hates I knew it was going to be different.
This pair was as dry as a bone and every bowler before us had struggled.
Every bowler with me struggled.
Clearly Id found something down there.
Started with front 7 and in the 8th missed left a little bit.
Final lane change - 5+6.
Game Six: 225.
Was feeling peachy after my effort on 1+2.
Cant say the same for the other people I was with.
But whatever.
Its not my fault I figured it out...and FAST.
The corners had started wrapping again during this game.
Soon as I noticed it, which was after the first one, I moved.
No luck.
So all I could do was continue small adjustments and hoped they worked.
They did work but only for a frame or two and then it was time to try something else.
I know I needed another 240+ to have any chance of cutting...but due to lack of carry and inability to change balls it just wasnt to be.
With six games done all I could do was wait.
1357/6 - 226.1 ave.
I was happy with that considering I was there with two balls.
Sheila+Helen were continually reassuring me that I bowled awesomely with what I had.
My awesomeness was not awesome enough.
Cutting a long story short I missed the cut by about 40 to 50 pins.
Alot of the time I know that spares are what cost me a spot in the cut...this time that was not the case.
I missed one spare in 6 games: a freakin 4 pin.
From the 5 of us that did bowl, we had two make the cut. Sheila+Helen.
The both bowled like superstars and in the matchplay finals, Sheila fires through with a huge 251 average to take home the title.
Irony of the whole situation is that we were bowling in Allentown and her last name is Allen...and just so you all know, it was not me that figured that out.
Now that I can sit back and look at the whole tournament, I can really say Im happy with how I bowled.
I feel as though I did all I could and fought my hardest.
I now look forward to my next experience at the next event in about a months time in Howell, New Jersey.
WASA [Womens All Star Association] was a fantastic experience...something that would be great for female bowlers in Australia.
The event was held in the suburb of Allentown, located in eastern Pennsylvania. Its approximately 2.5 - 3hrs from where I currently reside.
I made the trip with 5 other people that I bowl with, four of whom actually bowled.
The house itself looks fairly old, the lanes are still wood and look rather beaten up.
Overall reminded me somewhat of Bankstown.
Including the acoustics, which were almost identical to that of Bankstown.
For the first time since I can remember I was there with just two balls - VBP Gladiator Solid and a Brunswick T-Zone [spare ball].
Did something I rarely do at tournaments - had a practise game before bowling.
It was here I discovered I might be in a real lot of trouble...we were going to be bowling on a wall and unlike everyone else I did not have the option to make a ball change if necessary.
I shot a 217 for this game, spares were corner pins with the exception of one 4 pin.
I had a shot, it was carry that was going to let me down.
The lane draw was fairly decent:
I was on 14.
Cathy, my room mate for the w/e was on 13.
Sheila, the one that got me to come was on 12.
Helen, a friend of Sheilas was on 10.
Diane, our resident comedian was on 9.
So we were all next to each other, which was a good thing.
Lane changes consisted of moving two pairs right after every game with everyone on your pair.
This was good because I was going to be with someone I knew all day.
This was bad because I couldnt stand the way one of the other people on my pair threw the ball.
During practise I sucked.
There is no other way to say it.
I was full of tension, anxiety and nervousness.
I was missing my target right and missed alot of the spares I left up.
Didnt I feel good right about now?!
Game One: 204.
Lowest on my pair...Im game enough to say I can out average any of the other 3 people who were on my pair.
However...they were able to kick out the corners.
I was not.
I did however, spare each and every pin I left.
Relaxed me slightly...with the exception that I just watched Sheila shoot a rather tidy 279.
Time for a lane change - 17+18.
Game Two: 202.
I had experienced the same issues Id had in the first game.
I had made all the small moves...because there was nothing dramatic needed.
It still was not working.
Mentally I was going ballistic, Id tried everything I knew and nothing would work.
But I kept my cool and was again able to make my spares.
Sheila could see how frustrating this was for me and gave me a few reassuring words...thank God she was there.
Shes a legend.
Lane change - 21+22.
Game Three: 227.
The billionth change Id made late in game two continued to work here.
Carrying alot more was calming me down, as were my own little strategies that I use.
Lane change - 25+26.
Game Four: 256.
Freaking huge.
My first frame was a split, I will admit to throwing a bad shot, deserving the split.
The rest of the game I was obviously lined up, dialed in and trying to make a comeback.
Lane change - 1+2.
Game Five: 243.
After making the lane change every bowler hates and being on the pair that every bowler hates I knew it was going to be different.
This pair was as dry as a bone and every bowler before us had struggled.
Every bowler with me struggled.
Clearly Id found something down there.
Started with front 7 and in the 8th missed left a little bit.
Final lane change - 5+6.
Game Six: 225.
Was feeling peachy after my effort on 1+2.
Cant say the same for the other people I was with.
But whatever.
Its not my fault I figured it out...and FAST.
The corners had started wrapping again during this game.
Soon as I noticed it, which was after the first one, I moved.
No luck.
So all I could do was continue small adjustments and hoped they worked.
They did work but only for a frame or two and then it was time to try something else.
I know I needed another 240+ to have any chance of cutting...but due to lack of carry and inability to change balls it just wasnt to be.
With six games done all I could do was wait.
1357/6 - 226.1 ave.
I was happy with that considering I was there with two balls.
Sheila+Helen were continually reassuring me that I bowled awesomely with what I had.
My awesomeness was not awesome enough.
Cutting a long story short I missed the cut by about 40 to 50 pins.
Alot of the time I know that spares are what cost me a spot in the cut...this time that was not the case.
I missed one spare in 6 games: a freakin 4 pin.
From the 5 of us that did bowl, we had two make the cut. Sheila+Helen.
The both bowled like superstars and in the matchplay finals, Sheila fires through with a huge 251 average to take home the title.
Irony of the whole situation is that we were bowling in Allentown and her last name is Allen...and just so you all know, it was not me that figured that out.
Now that I can sit back and look at the whole tournament, I can really say Im happy with how I bowled.
I feel as though I did all I could and fought my hardest.
I now look forward to my next experience at the next event in about a months time in Howell, New Jersey.
