How has bowling affected your life?

[Hammer]

I started bowling on this league in 1987. When I started I was having emotional problems with depression and anxiety attacks. My wife joined the league in 1986 and talked me into joining the following year. As it turned out bowling gave me an outlet for the stress that was going on in my life. The longer I was in it the more interested I got. I got a new ball and put in much more practice to get better at it. When I got better my teammates showed appreciation toward me for sometimes winning games for the team being the anchor all of the time. I have been the anchor man for all of the 26 years. I never asked to be changed to a different position. I remember one time a guy on the team we were bowling against purposely said loud enough as I got onto the approach Stan has to get three strikes in the 10th
frame to win the game. I had no trouble hearing what he said. It back-fired for him. I got more focus and bowled three strikes in the
10th frame to win the game. I heard him say after the third strike I can't believe it. As the years went by my emotional turmoil faded and
I got more outgoing and better at the game. Then I was just hooked for good. I started when I was 40 years old and now I will be 66 this
Sunday and haven't lost interest yet. In that time I have bowled on three different teams and had a great time with the people that were on each of those teams. It was a lot of fun and still is. My thing always was to not take it too seriously and just have fun with it even on
those bad nights we all have. Anyway a bad night in bowling was not even close to my emotional turmoil days that were way worse. So the moral of the story is to have fun with bowling and don't take it too seriously. There are worse things that can happen to you in life then just a bad bowling night. So do the best you can on any given night and give yourself credit for that. ENJOY LIFE!

[Tampabaybob]

Hammer.......Happy 66th !! Your one and a half months younger than me and it's great to be 66. One of the best parts of being this old and still bowling anchor is beating some of the "stars" of tomorrow. Last night shot against a 230+ average shooter with "0" handicap. He shot 268 the first game, I struck out in the 10th and beat him with my handicap. ( I'm at 208) second game same story...thankyou handicap ! Third game beat him scratch with a 246 and took total points by beating him scratch with a 703. By the way, he's an advisory Hammer member and was trying a new ball out during the third game that won't be available til Feb 4th or 5th. That one didn't work either !

In answer to the original thread question, bowling has been a huge part of my life almost since I was born. My Mom and Dad both were bowlers and bowled duckpins for many years (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS8B59xuKz8 just in case you've never had a chance to do this). In 1959 the first large ten pin bowling center was built and from there it just took off. As a junior (after a couple of years) I averaged 188 (remember..rubber balls/wooden lanes) and got sponsored by the bowling center for all of my tournaments and free bowling. Dreams of turning pro were dashed when I went into the service in 1966 (Vietnam war). Did a little bowling at various assignments and got back into it, full steam, when I got out. Started coaching at the house I bowled at and received my first coaching certificate in 1973. 1975 got a PBA regional card, tried it for two years and found out how much money I didn't have, to be able to compete in the 4 or 5 required tournaments a year. Continued bowling in several leagues a week, high average in a couple, and then was elected to the local association board of directors. Fulfilled that position for almost ten years before leaving. 1994 broke association high series with a 856 series. 1996 honored with induction into local association hall of fame. 1997 - 2001 shot 5 300 games in leagues and two more 800 series. Bowled in 14 National ABC tournaments along the way. 2000 moved to Florida and started bowling right away. Consistent 200+ average every year.

This game, as you can see has been a huge part of my life for over 50 years. It has given me much and in return I try to give back the knowledge I have acquired over those years, in hopes that you, my fellow bowlers, will also be enriched as much as I have. Along the way I've met so many wonderful friends in this game and have many memories that will be treasured forever.
Thanks, to all those that I've had the pleasure of bowling with, coached, and will continue to bowl with and coach for as many years as I have left.

[Hammer]

HAPPY 66th BIRTHDAY to you too. It looks like you had quite a career in bowling. The highest average I got to was a 191. Never got that 300 game. Closest I got was strikes in every frame but the 8th. I got a spare in that frame with a dropped ball that came off my hand too early and didn't get the fingers into it like the other frames. Oh well! So tampabaybob you got into bowling with both feet and then some. For a guy 66 years old you are still doing very good. I just had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee a week ago and am still recovering. I hope I heal up quick and am able to finish this season that ends the beginning of May.So congrats on everything you did and accomplished in bowling. I hope we're both able to go a few more years at least. I guess we will as long as our bodies hold up.

[Loyer807]

Bowling is helping me get through the hardest time of my life.
I lost my Dad/Best friend in October, I picked bowling up in December for something to do to keep my head busy.
It felt good learning to throw a really good game then not be able to replicate it. I mean that from a stance, I was frustrated and mad at something else then losing my Dad.
It was always easy to just get up and go bowl when things got to much to clear my head and get it off other things.

[Tampabaybob]

Bowling is helping me get through the hardest time of my life.
I lost my Dad/Best friend in October, I picked bowling up in December for something to do to keep my head busy.
It felt good learning to throw a really good game then not be able to replicate it. I mean that from a stance, I was frustrated and mad at something else then losing my Dad.
It was always easy to just get up and go bowl when things got to much to clear my head and get it off other things.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Have been at that place and intakes quite a while to get back on track.

Bowling is a very good outlet, to be able to get your head straight because it get's you thinking about several other things while you're bowling. If you have an opportunity to join a league, do so. You'll meet a lot of friends and have some fun.

If you have any questions about the game or how to improve your game just ask. We have "lot's" of good bowlers on this site and many of us are certified coaches as well. Good luck and stay well.

[Tampabaybob]

HAPPY 66th BIRTHDAY to you too. It looks like you had quite a career in bowling. The highest average I got to was a 191. Never got that 300 game. Closest I got was strikes in every frame but the 8th. I got a spare in that frame with a dropped ball that came off my hand too early and didn't get the fingers into it like the other frames. Oh well! So tampabaybob you got into bowling with both feet and then some. For a guy 66 years old you are still doing very good. I just had arthroscopic surgery on my right knee a week ago and am still recovering. I hope I heal up quick and am able to finish this season that ends the beginning of May.So congrats on everything you did and accomplished in bowling. I hope we're both able to go a few more years at least. I guess we will as long as our bodies hold up.

Hammer, thanks. Sometimes I think it's pretty tough to get old, you know waking up to creaking joints and things like that, but for the most part, being a part of this game we all enjoy, keeps me very motivated. I wish I had a secret that I could let all of you bowlers know, that would have you all averaging 210 and shooting a 300 game in a week. Unfortunately, it's a combination of a lot of practice, determination, mental attitude and focus that will get you all to that point. As good of a bowler I was in my early years, it still took me over 30 years to shoot the big one. As I tell my bowlers/students, that big one will come when you least expect it. You'll be so relaxed and focused you won't even realize it's happening or going to happen until you get towards the end of the game. Then it's like, "Oh wow, I've got a shot at this" ! Stick with it it'll happen.

Hope the knee surgery is doing well. Have had many friends go through it and they started back with good results. Mine have been bothering me more this year than ever before but I'm keeping my fingers crossed I don't have to do the same thing. Good luck, stay in touch.

[J Anderson]

Never got that 300 game.

Yet!

I started in 1975, and my high game is still only 279. Even that wasn't close since the 9 / came in the third frame.

Most of the time, while I always tried my best, I wasn't really a student of the game, and never practiced outside of warmups. About four years ago I got serious about learning to throw a hook and got some modern equipment. I'm still under the delusion that I can get better at this game.

[billf]

My mother passed the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I was at the bowling alley for the youth leagues and got the phone call during their warm ups. I hung up the phone and went outside for a few minutes. The league was a blur but I didn't let the kids know anything was wrong. I practiced afterward with a Revenge and Marauder. My camcorder was sitting on the table. Knowing what was going on and that I was in a daze one of the workers turned it on and stayed away. It wasn't until part way through the second game that I looked closely at the monitor....the first game was a 300 and I only had a couple of frames left for a second one. No thinking, just going through the motions for back to back perfect games. The third game I left a stone 8 in the fourth frame. My only non-strike of the series. And the only reason I have the proof is because a friend cared enough to turn on the camcorder knowing I record my practices. Now if I could just zone out like that during league I could have the house record officially (843).

[Tampabaybob]

Yeah Bill, it's one of those amazing things. When you're really hot, and I mean really hot, time passes very quickly and it seems like its over in an instant. It's funny because sometimes you can't nearly remember any of the 3 games you just shot. That's called being in the ZONE.

We all wish we could spend more time there.

[TheSheibs]

My bowling career has a long history to it. My dad started bowling when he worked at the local bowling alley in Farmington, MI, which is now closed. He in turn got my Grandfather into bowling and he bowled until he was 88 years old, now 95. My dad started teaching my sister and I how to bowl as soon as we where big enough to hold the ball. I don't remember not knowing how to bowl. My sister didn't have that much interest in it but I kept with it. As soon as I had a 130 average, I signed up for the youth league, which was right around 5 or 6th grade. I bowled on the youth league until I was 18 and no longer qualified for it. This was back when it was YABA. I got to go to the YABA state championship my last year of being on the youth league. It was a great experience. I learned how to focus on a specific thing and not let outside noises and other things to distract me. I then joined the US Coast Guard and stopped bowling due to being gone a lot. I then finished my enlistment and started to have more free time on my hands than I could fill. I started an online degree program but still had a lot of free time. So I decided to get back into bowling. That's when I found out that the ball I had was too light and that the shoes I had where also falling apart. But they both where over 10 years old. I did my first adult league in 2011-2012. I ended up realizing that I need to get a new ball and shoes. I finished youth bowling with a 154 average but had that first adult league season with a 124 average. Now I am up to a 165 average and continue to met some great people and have been able to reconnect with some friends from my youth bowling days. I am currently looking at volunteering with the youth bowling at the same bowling alley I bowl league at and am going to spend some time to get a coaching certificate from USBC.