First night of Sport League

[Phonetek]

Lets just say it didn't go as expected. Right from the beginning I found out I was bowling anchor which is what I like so I was happy. Until I found out the other teams anchor was no other than PBA's A.J. Johnson. Um....seriously? I was going head to head with a pro? The shot was USBC Team 2017 pattern. Right from the first practice ball I got into my own head. First night of league in years, going against a pro, sport shot, new center and all new faces. I wasn't on the team I thought I was going to be on either so I knew nobody.

On the upside, I have some nice team mates. Two college level guys and the other guy is my age. The 4th guy I didn't get to meet as he prebowled. My son got to meet his first pro. A.J. was very nice, he talked to my son for a bit. After league he took a picture with him and gave him his autograph so my son was thrilled.

On the other hand, I beat myself tonight! I let my nerves get the best of me which is NOT me! I made stupid mistakes, fumbled around like an idiot and bowled WAY below par. I'm frustrated with myself and feel absolutely mortified! It wasn't the ball, it wasn't the shot, my shoe laces weren't too tight, it was all me. I even tripped on my own feet a couple times and came close to fouling. WTH? Good thing I was playing back on the approach. I was doing the Kung Foo death grip on the ball, chucking it out to the dots. I hit my leg one shot and hit my ankle on another. The ankle shot was my 2nd frame of the first game which went in the channel! Humiliating just humiliating. My concentration was terrible and I made so many fundamental mistakes.

Everything I've worked so hard on fixing all year, I did wrong tonight. I know I am so much better than this. I don't hit my ankle with the ball! What is that even about? For the first time ever bowling, I ask myself these questions "Am I out of my league? Am I just not ready for this? Are my best days behind me?" I guess the one positive is at least I'll have good handicap. Pfft!

I got one more week on this pattern then they switch it up. I need to get my head out of my arse and redeem myself next week, if for anything else for my own dignity. In case anyone is wondering how A.J. bowled I have no idea, I made a point of looking away when he was up because I knew I was getting creamed.

[got_a_300]

I would have loved to bowl against AJ it would have brought
out the best in me the better my opponent is the better I do
at least it seems like that is the way it goes most of the time.

The other way I look at it is I'm bowling against the shot and
against the pins so it doesn't really matter who my opponent
is it just matters if I hit my mark and throw the ball right way.

[Phonetek]

Back in the day, shooting against a pro or anyone better than me would have brought out the best in me. Certainly not this 12yr old type foolishness and fumbling about on the lanes.

[GrumpyCatFace]

You let the pressure get to you. Give yourself a day to be angry, then reflect and analyze.

What could you have done differently?

What did you lose by losing? Just your pride?

This experience will be better for you, in the end. You’ve seen that there are holes in your mental game, and you can now patch them before it comes up in a tournament or late in the season.

[Phonetek]

You let the pressure get to you. Give yourself a day to be angry, then reflect and analyze.

What could you have done differently?

What did you lose by losing? Just your pride?

This experience will be better for you, in the end. You’ve seen that there are holes in your mental game, and you can now patch them before it comes up in a tournament or late in the season.

Oh don't worry, I'll be pissed for at least a day. LOL Which I might add is also out of character. I don't know that I actually lost. I don't have an established average yet. I could still possibly beat A.J. handicap all kidding aside because he has zero of course. My team thinks we took 2 out of 3 without my handicap, who knows....we may have took them all? It's weird though, they said you can get 40 points a week but I don't understand that.

Yeah my mental game was less than stellar for sure

[JasonNJ]

At least you'll have a bigger handicap the next few weeks. =P


But seriously, it's just one week and this is something you'll learn from and leagues are more like a marathon, not how you start, its how you finish.

[Phonetek]

Indeed, a VERY big handicap. LOL I've cooled down quite a bit now. You guys are right, it's only one night. Considering it's a 35 week league, I'm sure I'll face A.J. again. Next time I still don't expect to win but maybe I can at least give him a run for the money and make it at least a minor challenge to where he won't yawn at it. (He didn't yawn, just saying)

I really just have to up my game a lot more than I thought. Tonight was just a well needed kick in my complacency and that's all there is to it.

At least now I get to look forward to my Thursday night THS drinking league at work. I can go shoot some easy 240's+ and look like a superstar to those people. LOL

[got_a_300]

Next time I still don't expect to win

No,no,no,no, Phonetek you can not think that way you have to have a positive attitude
and say to yourself "hey I can beat this guy/gal no problem" that is the
way to think about it.

[bowl1820]

Since no one else has asked, What were your scores?

[Phonetek]

Since no one else has asked, What were your scores?

You know to be quite honest I don't even know the exact numbers. I was too embarrassed and angry to look. I know it was under 600 without a doubt, probably 525 or less or something terrible like that. Plus after my last ball in the 10th being anchor they cleared the scores quickly enough to where they were gone by the time I put waited for my spare ball to come back and put it underneath so I didn't ask. I know for sure one game was low 140's. SMHIS What scores were you expecting to hear Bowl, just curious?

I'm not pissed anymore, still just bummed. You know the other problem I had I thought about later. I know when I missed right of my target and not by much that ball just kept sailing. A couple times I thought it was going in the channel but ended up with a lucky 5 or 6 count. That got in my head too so now I was so afraid I was going to dump it or send it into no man's land that then I was pulling it. When I pulled it, it caught the dry and wizzed right past the headpin. I had no self confidence and just assumed every ball was going to be out the window.

[Phonetek]

No,no,no,no, Phonetek you can not think that way you have to have a positive attitude
and say to yourself "hey I can beat this guy/gal no problem" that is the
way to think about it.

I know what you are saying and I appreciate that but I'm a realist so my mind doesn't work that way. It's good to stay positive I agree but sometimes you just have to tip your hat and look at reality of the situation. Otherwise I think it's better to just say to yourself "I know I'm gonna get murdered but I'm still going to give it my all and see if I can come out ahead" Thinking I'd dominate a pro would just be setting myself up to let myself down if I didn't. I knew I was getting on a league with some elite but I didn't expect pro elite.

[djp1080]

Too bad man! Sounds like you psyched yourself up pretty good. I was hoping that you did well and found a way to score as well as the others on your lanes. I thought of bowling at that same center, but our team came together again closer here and seems to be better. I'd have gotten some help from the coaching staff there to bowl in that kind of league.
Calm down and bowl well next week. You can do it!

[Phonetek]

Too bad man! Sounds like you psyched yourself up pretty good. I was hoping that you did well and found a way to score as well as the others on your lanes. I thought of bowling at that same center, but our team came together again closer here and seems to be better. I'd have gotten some help from the coaching staff there to bowl in that kind of league.
Calm down and bowl well next week. You can do it!

For what it's worth there were others the did worse than I did, just not on our pair. Overall I was probably middle of the road at best. My one team member didn't do as bad but not too much better than me but that wasn't much comfort. I was pretty psyched yeah up before I got there but as I said I let everything overwhelm me an get the best of me. Next week maybe I'll be calmer. At least I'll know what to expect going in this time and worst case scenario already happened...I hope it was.

I would get coaching there but well not for $80 an hour which is what they charge.

[bowl1820]

SMHIS What scores were you expecting to hear Bowl, just curious?



What scores? Why the scores you shot on your sport league. Whether they are good or bad, just the scores you shot.

[Phonetek]

I said I didn't know the exact numbers, I didn't care to look. I know my last game was in the 140s but I didn't get to see the others because they started the next game before I got back to the table from putting my spare ball away. My series was around a 525 or something horrible like that according to my son. I was too ashamed to look or ask what they were. If you are really that interested I promise I'll find out and post them.