Summer League Recap - Week 6

This week featured a matchup between The Has-beens (that’s us) and The Powder Puffs. But don’t let their name fool you—they were sitting comfortably in second place in the league standings going into last night’s game. Meanwhile, following a dismal showing last week, we found ourselves once again at the bottom of the barrel.

We entered the night with a +268 handicap compared to their +241. The Powder Puffs were on a hot streak: after starting the season 2–5, they had compiled a 23–12 record. We, on the other hand, brought a humbling 11–24 record to the lanes—but we were ready for the challenge.

🎯 Goals for the Night:

  1. Play the handicap – Bowling around or slightly above our average would help keep us ahead.

  2. Convert spares – Strikes are flashy, but spares win games. No giving away easy points.

  3. Stay consistent – One bad game can sink the night. Focus and teamwork were key.

  4. Win the majority (2 out of 3 games) – That would earn us 5 points (2+2+1), a big step up from 2—or worse, zero.

We were assigned to lanes 17 and 18. We’ve only played one series on this pair all year—ironically, my best night of the season. Back in Week 2, I rolled a season-high 519 series, averaging 173. Sadly, history didn’t repeat itself.

Lane 17 had constant scoring malfunctions, which delayed play the entire night. Thankfully, a couple of us knew how to manually score and make edits on our house’s outdated Brunswick 2000 system. It was chaotic at best, but we still managed to finish all three games in just over three hours.

🎳 Game Breakdown:

Game 1:
Historically, Game 1 has been my best of the night. Not this time. I finished 26 pins below average, making it my lowest-scoring game of the season. The first five frames weren’t terrible—just one open in the third—but I didn’t hit my first strike until the fifth. Things unraveled quickly after that. I started with the GB5 and stuck with it until the ninth frame, when I switched to the Black Venom in search of a spark.

Game 2:
A slight improvement, but strikes remained elusive. I stayed with the Black Venom until the eighth, then tried the Destiny Hybrid. I ended the game with a strike, spare, strike, and an open. Final score: just 5 pins below my average.

Game 3:
I opened with a strike and kept a clean game through four frames. Then I missed a single-pin spare in the fifth that really irritated me. I’d rather miss by a mile than miss by a single board. I stuck with the Destiny Hybrid through frame nine and switched back to the Black Venom in the tenth. I finished +13 over average—finally, a strong ending.

📊 Final Stats & Reflections

  • Strike Percentage: 21% (7/32)

  • Spares:

    • Single pins: 2/6 (33%)

    • Multiple pins: 8/15 (53%)

  • Splits: 0/4

  • Open Frame Percentage: 46% (way too high)

These numbers have to get better. Period.

I have some great teammates this year. We’re all working hard to improve, and while some nights are better than others, one thing is clear: spares are killing us. Strikes are fun, but spares win games—and we haven’t been converting them. It showed last night. We only picked up 2 points, winning just Game 2, and dropping the other 5. Despite a +27 handicap advantage, we let them beat us simply because we couldn’t finish frames.

Next week, we’ll face another team near the bottom of the standings. Let’s hope we can turn things around—and start converting those spares.


Location: United States

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