Winter Leagues Week 11 Update

Tuesday night    The Hasbeens       Lanes 9/10         

As we kicked off Round 2 of the season, we squared off against our friends, The Four Kings. These guys swept us 7–0 the last time we faced them. Their lineup is simple: one lucky bowler, one average bowler, one high-rev cranker, and a solid anchor. In short, they’re a tough team.

We were scheduled to roll on lanes 19 and 20, but since they were down, we got moved to the breakdown pair—lanes 9 and 10. We came into the night with a 128-pin handicap advantage, and we’d need every single pin of it to survive. Our scratch scores weren’t up to par, and it was a grind for most of the evening. Our highest game was a 181—mine, in Game 2.

To our surprise, their anchor didn’t show, so they used a substitute: the high school bowling coach, who carries a 196 average.

Both teams struggled throughout the night, with more lowlights than highlights. We dropped Game 1 by 45 pins, but that actually felt encouraging—we managed to keep it close until the final two frames. Game 2 looked a little better, and we squeaked out a win by 27 pins. Game 3 came down to the wire, even though our opponents gave us several chances to run away with it. Every time we gained the advantage, we couldn’t hold it for long or seal the deal. Somehow, we managed to edge them out by 39 pins and take the series by a single pin!

I used all four balls last night trying to find the right look, but never felt entirely comfortable. Others were struggling too, though that didn’t make me feel any better. I found something in Game 2 after switching from the Phaze II to the Destiny Hybrid, playing between the second and third arrows and standing around 25. I made the switch in the seventh frame and went strike, spare, spare, turkey. I opened Game 3 with a strike and a 9-spare before things started to fall apart. I dropped to the Black Venom but never got comfortable, so I straightened my line and finished with the Hybrid.

The word of the night was “splits”, and I had plenty—five, to be exact. A couple of 3-6-7-10s, a couple of 6-7-10s, and one 5-6 made it nearly impossible to string spares and strikes together. It’s been a while since I’ve had that many in a series. Hopefully that number drops soon—or my conversion rate improves.

Thursday night    RIGHT/LEFT/RIGHT    Lanes 7/8  

With lanes 19–20 still down, we were reassigned to lanes 7–8. Our lead-off bowler and highest average holder was out sick, so we used his handicap for scoring. Since we were bowling the BYE team, it didn’t make sense to risk using a substitute who might score below his average. It was just the two of us, side by side, enjoying a relaxed night of bowling. 

I found my line early with the Phaze 2—opening with four consecutive strikes—followed by two solid shots that left spare attempts, both of which I converted. One spare was a tricky 3–10 split, and the other was a single 9 pin. My first ball in the seventh inexplicably found the gutter, but I regrouped and picked up the spare to stay clean through seven. I didn’t open until the eighth frame, leaving a tricky 6–9 spare. From there, I couldn’t string together another mark and finished with a 182.

Game two started with a strike and a spare before turning into a roller coaster of peaks and valleys. The Phaze 2 began leaving splits that defined the game and set the tone for my luck. I moved to the Destiny Hybrid late in Game 2, hoping for a different look. Game 3 was a bit steadier, with only two open frames and a finishing score of 179. I ended the night with a 508 series, averaging 169.33. A 62% single-pin spare conversion rate was at least some comfort. We added seven points to our season-leading total and will hold onto first place for another week.

I’ll share a more in-depth blog post soon, but here’s a quick thought for now. I’ve always struggled with targeting during my release. I know which arrow or board to aim for, and I focus on it during my approach—but I had developed a bad habit of glancing down at where I was setting the ball instead of keeping my eyes locked on my mark. Over the past two nights, I’ve made a conscious effort to keep my head up and my eyes engaged, regardless of the outcome. It’s beginning to take hold in my muscle memory, and I hope to refine it even more in the coming weeks. I’m definitely seeing the results on the scoreboard and on the lane.

Keep Striking!