They keep on rollin'

[Phonetek]

Today was the HS regionals. They took first once again. A few weeks ago it was the invitational, today this and next weekend the sectionals. If they do well at the sectionals then in two weeks it's state!

They didn't exactly dominate today. They jumped out to an early lead the first game then fell apart the second. They were down by 230 pins. Third game they killed it and bounced back to 104 pin lead. They didn't lose the lead for 4,5 & 6 but the margin was really close. They pulled it off in the 9th and 10th as all 5 off then threw a hambones to finish in dramatic fashion. Very proud of all the boys.

I never imagined this stuff could be so much fun to watch. Not just the ones with my son but the collegic tournaments we have at my center. They are so intense and really some awesome bowlers. I see what I missed out on in my youth.

[Aslan]

I used to (back when I was between jobs and didn't have anything to do all day) love watching PBA50 tournaments on BowlTV. I especially liked watching qualifying where it was anyone's game. To see 220+ bowlers...all with a chance to win it all...and slowly they'd get down to about 45 and then things go pretty serious and you started to see the same names. But still, there were some guys...some new names each time...that would make the cut. And you almost HAD to root for those guys because you knew that it meant even more to them than it did for the guys that had been there 100 times before.

The only problem was watching those tournaments took FOREVER. I think it was 4-5 days straight. And they could only show 2-6 pairs at a time so you couldn't really follow a bowler...you had to wait for the bowler you wanted to see until they got to that pair. And if you happened to miss them...better hope they qualified.

I made it to a couple PWBA events and it was better watching them live...because you could move around and watch whomever you wanted. But, hard to devote 2-4 days to watching a bowling tournament if you don't work in a. bowling alley. I used to envy the pro shop guys because they'd have the tournaments on in the pro shop on the flat screens during the day.

[Phonetek]

They won the Sectionals today! They came out of the gate killing it and got a nice 200 pin lead and just sailed through all 6 games. My son did well with 1398 on the day. So on to STATE! Congrats Boys, a week earned victory!

I have to say it was a blast to watch the 6th game match, they really got hyped and had more fun as a team than I've seen to this point. It was awesome to see the teamwork and team spirit!

[boatman37]

That's awesome!

[Phonetek]

The only down fall is that they are allowing no spectators for State this year.😟 Given the tournaments we've done at our center with a couple thousand people coming through the center on those days it seems a little silly.

It is what it is though. He gets to bus down near St. Louis, stay in a hotel with his team for a couple days and gets the full experience of it all. It's about him and his team anyway not spectators. That's what we've all worked so hard to accomplish. We get to watch it via Web stream. Honestly we'll probably get to see move via the web anyway than in person.

You just get crammed in wherever you can find a spot and the kids never sit down the entire time anyway. When you do get a little glimpse then the coach statue plants his fat head in the way. Usually the only way you know what's going on is by hearing the reactions of the kids, listening closely to the pin fall or seeing the score.

Our team when they throw a strike they all shout "Sooooooooo!" Pronounced "Sue" only longer. I dunno what it means, it's something from Tiktok. Whatever right? It's good to hear it because we know it's a strike, see it or not. I'm happy they are at least doing the stream, it's better than nothing for sure. Plus it saves us the gas, time, hotel room and I don't have to take time off work.

[SRB57]

Congratulations and good luck the rest of the way. Steve

[Phonetek]

It's kinda funny. My son told me that they really aren't worried about how they place at State. Our school has only been a part of bowling for five years. They made it down 2 years in a row. Then when Covid hit and they qualified both years but they cancelled the State competition.

They had a "dream team" the first two years but best they did was 12th at State. All those players from the team all know the current and are still a pretty tight knit group. The goal of this current team is to try to do better than 12th but they feel that they already accomplished their goal just by getting there.

They already brought the honor and recognition to their school by getting to State. They are building their reputation as a force to be reckoned with. So the whole team already feels like winners regardless of what actually happens at State. They are just happy to go and have fun.

I know once they get there they will still do their best but I think it's great they will be happy no matter what. That's a hell of an attitude to have for a team. I really respect that.

[Phonetek]

They made it the final round tomorrow! Today was very never racking but they made the cut by 121 pins. Sounds like a lot but with this group that's nothing.

He finished top 24 out of 142 as an individual. His teammates finish 57th only 30 pins behind him. THAT'S how tight the field was. My son 1287 and his teammate 1257 and that big of a placing difference individually.

So he averaged 215 on the day. These kids are amazing, I'm very proud of them all and it's been ridiculously fun. Sadly the web steam was awful.

https://i.postimg.cc/ThKWDHVy/21233537-1-F69-43-E2-A24-A-42-CEDEBD4727.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ThKWDHVy)

Looked worse than an 80's video game

[Phonetek]

I've been so crazy busy I forgot to update.

They finished 8th! No it's not top 5 and that doesn't sound glamorous but in reality what they did was amazing. The best their school ever did was 12th. They literally made school history and will get a hero's welcome on Monday.

Given what they went up against and what they did to get here they were a longshot to even qualify to the second round. Let alone get 8th. They had a big enough lead after a kick *** 7th game to where the 8th game the coach out in the two alternates that didn't qualify for state but we're there as needed subs if the main players were unable.

They were both seniors who wouldn't ever get another shot in high school and mediocre bowlers. They still managed to shoot low 900 as a team the last game which didn't hurt them to risk moving down. Had the regs stayed in they likey would have made 6th if they continued like they did the previous 11 games. Everyone was glad to give those boys their shot and settle on 8th.

My son did stay in all 12 and ended up at the top 35 spot. He shot 2398 total, 1269 on the day 215.5 average on the day, 208.2 total overall. Sadly the pocket 10 in the 10th game 5 today, that frame cost him finishing in the top 17. Had he simply marked and struck he would have made 17th. It was that close! His goal was to 20 but there's absolutely no shame with where he ended up.

The web stream was awful as it was yesterday but between my wife and I watching it sounded like a sports bar during the super bowl. All the cheering and yelling at the screen. It was super exciting for us all. After the ceremony was over the team asked the center if they could each throw one last ball as the team of 2022 and the center allowed it.

Ironically all of them threw a strike except for one of the alternates. When they finished they each got in front of the web stream camera and said a few words. My son said "I know you're proud of me dad, but it was all you why I was able to do it. Thank you! Next stop, Junior Gold!"

Take a wild guess of what dad was doing after he said that. I can't put it into words. I'm getting teared up thinking about it. A few short years ago he was sliding around in the kitchen learning the 4 step approach and look at him today. My mind is blown and I couldn't be more proud!

The final thing that happened was my wife texted me letting me know he made it back home and he wanted to come up and bowl! I said SERIOUSLY!? She said "He's serious about what he said about Junior Gold and he wants to come up and practice" He came in and I ran from behind the counter and gave him a huge hug and lost it. LOL I wasn't even embarrassed in front of my coworkers. He of course bowled until close then we spent 4 more hours just talking about bowling when we got home. What a blast! On that note, it's now nearly 5AM and I'm dead exhausted. What an awesome and crazy journey this has been and the first of many more to come in sure! Definitely a peak moment in my life as a parent, bowler and his coach! I'll never forget it! G'night!

[boatman37]

That's awesome! Great job!

[SRB57]

Nice accomplishment. Plus if you had fun and learned something that is a bonus. Steve

[Phonetek]

Nice accomplishment. Plus if you had fun and learned something that is a bonus. Steve

He definitely learned some things. Number one, he said he loved competing and that kind of atmosphere. He loved the pressure of the whole thing. He said he was the only one on his team that wasn't nervous under that pressure. He said from ball one to the end he was as focused as he's ever been. He complained about the 15 minutes of practice, he said one frame per lane was good enough enough he just wanted to get down to it. LOL

He said now that he got a taste of what this is all about that this is what he wants to do. Next thing he learned is just how good some people out there really are and he needs to step it up to compete with them. He said he knew right away when guys he was going up against were at the next level so he knew he wasn't going to beat them. However while doing so he watched them close to see what they were doing. Going against those guys didn't discourage him, it just made him focus even more.

Lastly he said that from now on in his practice sessions he's going to do more than simply put the work in. He realizes that only takes you so far. He admits practicing for score is not the way to go. Now he wants to practice with more purpose and work on things to get better. Putting in the work and bowling a ton of games is only going to get you so far.

Just about all of these are things I've been telling him from the beginning. LOL It took him to have that epiphany to realize dad wasn't talking out of his rear end and experience it for himself. That's good though. This seemed to really ignite a spark in him. He said the rest of his team doesn't have these same feelings and likely aren't continuing to bowl after high school other than maybe leagues. He said he doesn't understand their mindset. LOL

So he is now signed up for Junior Gold, it starts on 2/22. Plus he and I are bowling in a summer doubles Sport league together. It's setup where Juniors can in fact bowl with adults in that any prize money the Juniors win would be converted into scholarship money. For adults it would still be cash. Pretty awesome if you ask me. We're going to he have a blast!

I'm really looking forward to the coming weeks to see how things work out. I have high hopes that he keeps this hunger he is showing to get better and want to compete. It's certainly the right mindset to have. He's also focused on his grades in school, he knows colleges aren't going to look at anyone with a crappy GPA. He's had a steady 3.9 so far in high school even through the e-learning through Covid but he wants to step it up. That's great! At least he realizes a good average and high games aren't going to get you there alone.

[boomer]

that's awesome!