And so it begins...

And so it begins. For a little background on myself and my life in bowling, it goes back to about 1984. Being a military brat and traveling the world, there is one consistent thing no matter where you are stationed and that is they all have a bowling center. So as a strapping young lad, with lots of time on my hands, I joined a youth league and so my journey began. Back in those days it was referred to as YABA (Young American Bowling Alliance). You could win patches and awards for just about everything. Over average, high scores, number of strikes... you name it. It was a great way to keep kids involved in the sport and give them goals to achieve. For me, it was a little more. At a young age I wanted to be the best kid on the lanes. Even at 10 years old, I looked around the lanes for the next person I was going to bowl better than. Egotistical, yes, but I was 10... go easy on me. As I continued to grow in my game I learned that my grandmother was very skilled and recognized bowler in Japan. Winning several tournaments and always a threat to take it all on the lanes. This gave me the drive that I needed. By the time I was in high school, urethane balls were dominating the market and fancy cores were becoming all the rave. My Yellow Dot and Brunswick Phantom had taken me to the next level. Top 10 in the nation for team scores, league high games, and still carrying that attitude of 'I can beat anyone' everywhere I rolled. Even though I was averaging about 180-190, at the time I was very proud of it. I was at the point in my life where I had to make the choice to pursue bowling or pay bills because I was starting my adult life. Bills won... for the next 10 years.

Time marches on as they say and I was well into my military career. Not having much time on my hands due to my job, I was able to make one season in a local league. I missed the reactive revolution and knew I needed an upgrade to my old gear. My first new ball out of the gate, the Columbia Out Rage. This was the most frustrating season of my life. Mentally, I was still a competitive bowler. My game, nothing short of a travesty on the lanes. I managed to pull out a high 170 average, but I was upset beyond belief. Using the excuse of deployments and working long hours, I accepted the fact that I would be nothing more than a casual open bowler. 

About 10 more years roll by and my gear collects more dust. Problem is, I get the itch again to hit the lanes. Once again, the gear has changed as time went by. Reactive resin, particle, solid, pearl... my head was spinning with all of this new technology. So I jumped right into another set of Columbia balls, the Action and Action Max. You might start to see a theme here. I was still approaching bowling with a teenagers mind. That being, it can't be the bowler, it must be the ball. I was sucked into that trap like quicksand. It takes about 3 seasons of me floundering around a 180 avg to finally get it into my thick skull that I need to have my game evaluated and get some coaching. Now out of the military and having a bit of stability in my life, I quickly immersed myself into the community. Reading and researching everything about the game. Equipment, oil patterns, and coaching techniques engulfed my spare time. I even got to the point of pursuing my Bronze level coaching certification and taking over head coaching duties for a high school team and leading them to the state championships for the first time. I was now ok with my lack of game and enjoying seeing the success of others, until I found out that the PBA Experience league was going to be available at my home house. 

A new found love of the game inside of me grew as I challenged myself on Team USA Sport shots and PBA Experience leagues. I was to the point where all I wanted to bowl on was the most difficult patterns I could find. Carrying about a 180-190 sport average, I was again finding that fire inside to compete. I was ready for tournaments. Looking for something to ease myself back into competition, I found a small tourney in my home turf that I knew I could do well in. What happened was a mess. I barely rolled a 615 in the opening shift. The cut, 690. Day 2, I post a 590. The cut now moved to about 715. I knew I was done. Demoralized, I didn't enter another tournament for about 3 years. I wanted to make sure the next time I did, I was a real threat to win. 

Christmas of 2012 was upon me. I had gotten my mental and physical game where I wanted it to be. A couple of practice 300's had been notched on my belt, several 279 games paired with 700's every few weeks, and my mental game as strong as it ever was. Now I am where my mental game was solid and my body was feeling the toll of years of hard living. If it's not one thing, it is another. However, still wanting to prove that I could do it, I entered the last big tournament of the year. All the high rollers in town were there. I saw names and faces that I hadn't seen since the '90s that used to be my rivals on the lanes. Problem is, I stopped bowling and it was obvious that they stuck with it. With my new resolve, I went in focused. The end result was an avg of 232 over 31 games and a 9th place finish. I was very pleased. I went head to head with the guys that everyone 'feared' and beat some of them. 

Life took the front seat for the next year, which brings me to today. Looking back at my game and skills, I know for a fact that I am a schlub bowler. Better than the average Joe, but no where near where I need to be to compete. Bad thing is, I still have something to prove to myself. So this brings me to this blog. Some of my goals are to roll the US Open, Team USA Trials, and Nationals to prove that I can compete and not come in last. I plan on sharing bowling news in the industry, track my progress, and share what is on my mind about the sport. In short, this is where I will document my new endeavor in life and bowling...