Wed. Night Mens Classic

[Fatal]

So I joined a Wednesday night men's league. First league I have joined since I was 16 and actually good. Tis a Handicap league btw. I am 2 weeks late into the season.
I have never seen/met my teammates before. Actually, funny story is that I bowl with these regulars on buck night sundays and one of the brothers says someone else is joining them. He told me he was cool and I would get along with him. Basically he is good at bowling (these guys are 2 handers who rely on luck.. mostly).
He gets there and we start talking about where he bowls, leagues, etc.. Well come to find out he just left his Wed. night(same night I joined and only had 1 single opening) league team because his work schedule interfered, so he has to switch to the tues night. He also implied one of the guys on his team was a drunken A-hole (But his AVG is 230). Another guy a 240 AVG bowler. He said the team was solid and they were cool for the most part.
So to wrap up a not-so-funny story is I met some random bowler on sunday.. and come to find out I took his spot on the team he could no longer be on. Small world.

Time to take my balls to the pro shop and get some polish on the jigsaw corner for length. Drill the Attitude III for my hand, and buy cleaners and a new towel..maybe some tape. Im thinking about getting a thumb slug for the new drills and my new !Q (that I can't wait to use). What am I forgetting..? I want to be prepared on Wednesday as much as I can be. Any advice? Im done rambling, I think i'm just getting the jitters. Might be because I found out i won the Strom !Q.

Thanks in advance for the input.

[floridanative772]

Good luck and just relax and have fun. You will have a blast and meet a bunch of good people.

[Davec13]

just relax and have fun

Some of the best advice I have ever read on this forum.

[billf]

Have fun and prepare for the humidity change with all the people.

[Fatal]

Thanks guys. RELAX said the wiseman. Will do. Bill, you say prepare for the humidity change. Are you implying that the temperature will rise (or coarse). Or maybe it will mess with reaction and the lanes?

[Tampabaybob]

Humidity is an evil part of bowling and you bet your a** it makes a difference. Heat and humidity will dry out the lanes a lot faster than in a cooler (winter) temperature. We deal with it most months of the year here in Florida, so we're used to moving our shot after a few frames in the first game. If you've ever bowled on the end lanes next to an outside wall, you'll 'usually' notice the lane closest to the wall plays differently than the one away from the wall. Just a difference in temperature.

Bob

[billf]

Plus how it swells thumbs, causes fingers to stick a little, sweat in your eyes, etc

[Fatal]

Thanks for the advice, I will put those in my mental notes.

Tonight went well. We won. I have a pretty solid team. I was a little nervous but shot okay I guess. Shot 209,199,187. I have a few really talented guys on my team. One is leaving because of home issues I guess so we will be down a player.. so I guess we need a man in 2 weeks. I feel like I walked in at the wrong time.. but you have to start somewhere right?

All in all it was fun, and I will be returning for the weeks to come. I'm so glad I started bowling competitively again. Why did I quit for all this time? WHY?! I know I can do better and look forward to fine tuning my game.

[JaMau24]

Thanks for the advice, I will put those in my mental notes.

Tonight went well. We won. I have a pretty solid team. I was a little nervous but shot okay I guess. Shot 209,199,187. I have a few really talented guys on my team. One is leaving because of home issues I guess so we will be down a player.. so I guess we need a man in 2 weeks. I feel like I walked in at the wrong time.. but you have to start somewhere right?

All in all it was fun, and I will be returning for the weeks to come. I'm so glad I started bowling competitively again. Why did I quit for all this time? WHY?! I know I can do better and look forward to fine tuning my game.

I did the same thing... Was bowling "OK" in my youth bowling days, from age 14-18, then I just quit for 5 years for a reason I don't know lol. Bowled for about a month of just practice in December, then in January joined a couple teams for leagues that were half way done, and averaged about 207 or so. Then when those leagues were done, I bowled a summer league and averaged 223 and was like wow, this is more like it. I pictured myself as a better bowler then the 207 and it showed. Now for the start of the winter leagues, a few weeks in, I'm averaging 231, 227 in a couple leagues.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say in so many words is, you'll get your game back QUICK and more than likely, you'll be better than you ever were before you quit. I was never that serious about bowling in the youth leagues, but after I came back, I've been real serious, and have made so many changes to my game, and it has paid off big time. Just keep practicing, and eventually, you'll be closer to where you want to be. I'm not where I want to be yet. I always set goals further than my immediate reach (if that makes sense) so that way I'm always improving (that's the idea anyway).

[Fatal]

Jason I understand completely and know where your coming from. The difference between you and I, is that I was bowling competitively when I was younger. I have 1st place trophies, I used to bowling in the Kansas City Open and have a big ol' plaque with achievements on it. I was asked to join my house's team and compete. I feel like I was a young prodigy. I quit for some reason.. Most likely anger issues and I started using alcohol.. Wow.. how stupid of me..

You are the bowler I want to beat and avg higher. Your words are motivational. I'm real psyched to change what needs to be changed in my game, and work hard at it. Setting goals higher than immediate reach makes perfect sense.