Qualified for National Finals (non-US :))

[Hampe]

As I posted in Vdub's Nationals thread, I had qualifications for Nationals this weekend. After getting off to a slow start (53 after 4 frames), I bounced back to get 199 the first game and kind of kept it rolling from there. I ended up getting 5th place and taking the last qualifying spot in category C (<175 Avg.):

http://bowling.lexerbowling.com/zuri...lqualifregall/

The center I played at streamed the whole qualifying round on youtube, but it only shows lanes 5-8, so only my first 3 games were on camera. Here's the link if anyone wants to see (I know Aslan likes to check out other amateur bowler styles ):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAqlc84IbAk&t=202m55s

When the video starts I'm on the far left (lane 5...you can only see my ball). The guy on my pair with the same jersey as me (Andreas) is my doubles partner who I qualified for the National final for doubles with (that's not until April).

The final is in 2 weeks. It's the top 5 qualifiers from the German speaking part of Switzerland and the top 5 from the French speaking part. Each finalist plays each other once with the winner getting 20 points bonus.....Most pins+bonus after 9 games is the winner.

[MICHAEL]

Anything can happen, on any given day!!! Best of Luck!! Now go kick some ASK!!! LOL
Keep me posted, if you would! Enjoyed watching the video!

LOL,,, I LOVE THE style of the guy, I believe on 7 and 8,,, (with the shaved head), looks like a Soft Ball pitcher! LMAO!!! I have never seen a delivery quite like HIS!!

Aslan just sent me a private message... " Hey Iceman can you fix me up with either of those two dark haired chicks bowling on the lanes to Hampe right?"

I replied to Aslan: "What am I,,,, the Fricken LOVE BOAT!!"

[tr33frog]

Congrats and good luck Hampe!

[vdubtx]

Congrats Hampe!

That bald dude really has a real nice wind up follow through.

[MICHAEL]

Congrats Hampe!

That bald dude really has a real nice wind up follow through.

LMAO,,,,,,,LMAO!!!!!! Wow,,,, That made my fricken day!!!! I laughed so hard, I had to go take a leak!!!!! LOL

[Pauley]

Congrats Hampe!

That bald dude really has a real nice wind up follow through.

Congrats man!!

That follow through is awesome!!!

[Aslan]

I ended up getting 5th place and taking the last qualifying spot in category C (<175 Avg.):

Wait a minute. WHAT!? You are in a < 175 division!!? IM in a < 175 division!! So if we played in a tournament I'd bowl against the GREAT Hampe?? Something is askew.

The center I played at streamed the whole qualifying round on youtube, but it only shows lanes 5-8, so only my first 3 games were on camera. Here's the link if anyone wants to see (I know Aslan likes to check out other amateur bowler styles ):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAqlc84IbAk&t=202m55s
.

I'm watching the ***t out of that video when I get home tonight. I wanna see Hampe's "modern release" AND I wanna see some of those hot Scandanavian broads. If I win Powerball...I'm spending some serious time in the summer traveling the clubs in Sweden and Switzerland....hottest chicks in the WORLD live there!

[Hampe]

Wait a minute. WHAT!? You are in a < 175 division!!? IM in a < 175 division!! So if we played in a tournament I'd bowl against the GREAT Hampe?? Something is askew.

Yea, I was suprised myself when I found out that I was going to be in category C again this year. Apparently they use the official average from June 31st (the official averages get calculated every 6 months in June and December) for classification, and at that time my official Swiss average was 173. I also had it wrong....it's <180, not 175.

The league I'm averaging 200 in this year is a different organization and doesn't count towards "Swiss Bowling" competitions or averages.

I'm watching the ***t out of that video when I get home tonight. I wanna see Hampe's "modern release" AND I wanna see some of those hot Scandanavian broads.

Lol....you've already seen my approach and release here, and it's not really a textbook modern style. I only ever said you need to have that to compete at the highest level....something you and I will never reach. If I were starting out today, I'd probably go to a Slowinski clinic to learn how to bowl.....but it would take me probably at least two years to rebuild my game and get back to where I am now. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Also, Switzerland isn't part of Scandinavia :P. It's in the middle of Europe, between Germany, France, Austria, and Italy.


Thanks for the congrats everybody. That bald guy does have a crazy follow through. I've seen him at a few tournaments before, but I never noticed until Saturday that he's got something with his right arm (I guess a birth defect or something). It might be that that messes with his balance a bit....I still dunno how he ended up with that windmill motion though .

[Bunny]

Way to go!! Nice bowling!!

[Hampe]

The final was this saturday...so here's the update:
I only finished 7th place out of 10. The pattern on the lanes was super easy, but I went at it the wrong way at first which made it a bit impossible to catch up. All the oil was in the middle and outside of board 10 was super dry. Pretty much the only mistake you could make was getting outside of board 10 too early. I tried to go at it like I normally do on dry conditions, using more forward role/less axis tilt (less hand) which was going Ok, but was not the optimal way to play that pattern.

I also had some trouble with the approaches...I kept slipping on my 2nd step and then getting stuck at the line on my slide (4th step) the first few games. I nearly ended up on the lane a few times, and getting stuck like that kept making me miss my target just left. I corrected that by standing farther back on the approach, and I also started giving the ball more hand and opening up the lane. That was what I should have been doing the whole time. I averaged 214 the last 4 games after I got everything sorted out, but it was too late. The lanes were too easy to be able to catch up....The winner shot 215 avg for the whole 9 games.

It was fun though....the lanes were super easy/fun to play (once I figured out how), but I would have liked to do better. The experience showed me once again that I REALLY need to get some good shoes with switchable soles. It's not the first time I've had issues on approaches in a center that I've never played in before.

I also think this gave me some insight as to how so many people in the States can average 220+ so quickly, when some of the best players around here who have played their whole lives can't. If the lanes that Iceman plays on are anything like the lanes this weekend, then I can completely understand how someone can average 200+ the first season they start bowling . That might be the first time I've played on a pattern that was that easy.