When you lose your love of bowling :(

[Hobbit]

Hi,

Just curious whether others have ever lost their passion for bowling, it may have been a week,month, year or longer?

I have really spent the second half of 2014, being very "whatever" re bowling. Really felt like I lost my motivation, for practise and improvement.

I'm looking at going down lanes tonight, and get that spark back which I use to have.

just wondering if others have fallen in and out of love with bowling? and what got u back into it?

There are times when I feel my sport isn't appreciated, it's actually on the decline in terms of public perception and participation esp at junior levels, and that my center (AMF) just takes my money and runs..

Cheers guys, I look forward to reading some interesting thoughts on the subject here, as I want my mojo back here!
Love all thoughts , opinions anything

[Aslan]

Have I ever lost my passion? Sure. If I'm in a slump and it seems like maybe I am destined to just be a below average house bowler for the rest of my life…then yes.

How long and what got me back in it? Throwing a good game or a good series. Making a break-through in terms of mastering something. A clean game.

As for public perception…it's one of the few areas where I'm an optimist. I honestly believe bowling will make a comeback. It's such a unique sport in that so many people from every different walk of life can not only play it but can be successful at it…that I don't see it continuing to decline.

And thats part of the answer to your question…what keeps you motivated is the same thing that makes the sport great: 300 games!!

You can go to league and throw a 97-98-300 and it'll be one of the greatest nights of your life. Sure, you didnt break 500 for the series and your team probably only took one point…but its a sport where individual, sporadic glory is celebrated and revered. 300-games are one of the few stats that carry over to the pros. They might not know their average…or single-pin spare shooting %…but they know how many 300-games they've shot…and 800 series. And the list of 900 series…pretty darn small given the 100 years of the sport.

You'll never beat a pro boxer…you'll never hit a home run off a major league pitcher…you'll never beat an NBA player in a game of one-on-one…you can't outrace a jockey on a horse…and you couldn't skate 1-2 times up and down the ice with a pro hockey player or even come close to beating a PGA Tour pro or outracing a Formula 1 driver…or winning a pro motocross…or throwing an NFL touchdown, etc…etc…etc…BUT…

On any given day…you COULD beat a PBA pro. Maybe not in an "event"…with multiple rounds of qualifying…but in ONE game…you could beat a pro. Other than poker…there aren't many true sports or even hobbies where an amateur can beat a pro…maybe fishing or something. It makes bowling special. Perfection is it's own motivation. Like the Ring of Power in the Lord of the Rings (spoiler alert for the guy that decided not to see it and let his wife see it alone)…the ring is always calling to you…you never get tired of searching for it or desiring it.

As to real world advice…sport bowlers..old and young…SUCK at setting goals. I don't know why…like it's a lost art or something. But it's very simple…set some goals for yourself and strive to acheive them. And when you acheive them…set some higher ones. You'll never feel like quitting until you either reach the top or get to a realization that you'll never reach your goals.

But in the meantime…SET GOALS!! And not, "Bowl a higher average than last season, get a 300-game, pick up a 7-10 split, and win the WSOB." Those are "givens" in the sport. I'm talking taking a look at YOUR game…where YOU wanna someday end up…and charting a path. Don't try to shortcut and make some outrageous goal you'll never achieve to make it easy to give up. But don't set meaningless goals. Have short term, mid-term, and long term goals…like this:

Short term: Clean game every game, 525+ series every night!

Mid term: 193 average, 80%+ single-pin %, 35%+ strike rate, attend a clinic

long term: USBC Open 2017, PBA Card 2020, Regional PBA title

I mean…some of those are mine…some I made up…but I have short, mid, and long term goals. And I'll never get "bored" because even if I bowl my highest game and/or series of my life…I still have lots of goals not yet achieved. An occasional 300-game would be "nice"…but it only brings me that much closer to the 193 average goal.

[Mike White]

Hi,

Just curious whether others have ever lost their passion for bowling, it may have been a week,month, year or longer?


just wondering if others have fallen in and out of love with bowling? and what got u back into it?

That's about where I was back in 1992... my "away" time lasted about 20 years.

In late 2011, I attended a friends youngster's birthday party at a bowling alley, and tried my hand at it again.

I was so out of bowling shape it was a disaster, but I needed to strike in the 10th frame to win one of the games, and did so.

It was enough to get me interested again. About 6 months later I purchased new equipment, and joined a league.

[rv driver]

I was out for 30 years, due to school, career, family, life getting in the way. Now I'm back in. Slow going, because I'm working on getting my form back -- muscles and balance don't work the way they used to, and relearning the modern game/release/ball action. But it's a great, relatively inexpensive hobby, with enough newness and enough facets to keep me interested.

[got_a_300]

At times I have been so frustrated with the game that I'd
throw my bowling ball(s) in the trash can at the center and
let whoever wanted them dig them out and have them.

I've even went as far as to go to the bridge and throw balls
bag and shoes into the river on my way home.

I have quit the game for a couple of weeks at a time back then
but I did have to quit it for 12 years after a back injury and only
started back in the fall of 2011 and the price of equipment now
days makes it impossible for me to just throw it away like I used
to do.

[vdubtx]

Losing love of bowling???



Only time I stopped bowling was because I could not afford it.

[Aslan]

Most bowlers I know that quit...same thing for golf...quit due to injury/age. Bowling puts a LOT of stress on the joints (knee, elbow, shoulder) and the back. All problem areas as we age. Usually you'll see people stop playing tennis...then bowling...then eventually golf. Age catches up with us all eventually.

[Mike White]

Most bowlers I know that quit...same thing for golf...quit due to injury/age. Bowling puts a LOT of stress on the joints (knee, elbow, shoulder) and the back. All problem areas as we age. Usually you'll see people stop playing tennis...then bowling...then eventually golf. Age catches up with us all eventually.

Lately I've been feeling the left knee get weak during the 3rd game.

Sure hope that is a temporary problem.

[Aslan]

Lately I've been feeling the left knee get weak during the 3rd game.

Sure hope that is a temporary problem.

I figured you'd blame that on carrying me in our Sunday league!

[ralphs007]

At times I have been so frustrated with the game that I'd
throw my bowling ball(s) in the trash can at the center and
let whoever wanted them dig them out and have them.

I've even went as far as to go to the bridge and throw balls
bag and shoes into the river on my way home.

I have quit the game for a couple of weeks at a time back then
but I did have to quit it for 12 years after a back injury and only
started back in the fall of 2011 and the price of equipment now
days makes it impossible for me to just throw it away like I used
to do.

So your the guy who threw a bowling ball off the local bridge that landed into my fishing boat. Thanks for sinking my brand new bass boat. I'll be sending you a bill, Lol !