Wow - what a day. Citrus Valley USBC.I go in at 196.

OK, got to the center (about 30 miles away in SoCal so . . . an hour) at about 8:00am on Saturday. Everything sorted - mistakes on the registration but got them sorted so my wife was my doubles partner.

9:30-9:45 get squad started. It's a bit heavier house pattern, which is good with 6 games x 6 people per pair means a good number of shots on the pair. It was very do-able.

Game 1 - STOOOPID first shot. After that, get sorted and . . . 223.
Game 2 - when I focused on my shot, I was GOOD. Posting my shots, everything good. Lost focus on 4 and left 1-10 which I got a field goal on. 224. Now if I can get a 225 or 222 I could get a stairstep at a tourney!
Game 3 - lost my carry. Moved, didn't carry. Moved, didn't carry. Got it back, then pocket 7-10, whiff a 10 pin and a stupid washout. Finished 170 to blow my great start.
616 Doubles - +28 on my average

Singles - now it's just me.
Game 4 - whiff a 10 pin, a Greek Church and chop a 6-10. 177. C'mon man.
Game 5 - getting tired. And hungry (pizza is coming) Whiff another 10 pin - seriously Mike? Another washout. 3 opens - 178.
Game 6 - get a bit back on track. Clean until the 10th when I chopped the 3-6-10 to end with 190. RRRrrrr
545 Singles - -43 on my average

Team - OK, back to working with people. We move to the other end of the house. We watch a VETERAN bowler lose his crap and take it out on a kid trying to do maintenance. Sure, the kid should have kept his distance (he was a lane away) but the veteran should also have had the presence of mind to back off the approach and reset. He also should NOT have screamed at the kid and should NOT have kicked the oiling machine over to the wall and bent the handle. Uncool, man. He just waved it off as them not accepting his "A personality" and "non-wokeness" (I'm also type A and non-woke but you won't see me screaming at a kid or kicking a $50,000 lane conditioner) -

Anyway - entertainment's over. They took literally an HOUR more than we did.

Game 7 - two splits, 188. My wife hits her average and my two other team-mates go WAY over 200 (think 240 and 250)
Game 8 - worse. Big 4 to start, whiff a 10, miss a 2-10 and then no focus and miss a 2-8 that I should have gotten. Need a pick-me up. I'm TIRED and sore. 161. But in the 10th my teammate said to move (which I should have done earlier) and got three pocket hits.
Game 9 - pocket 7-10 to start, but . . . ok. Strike in second then whiff an 8. Take a deep breath and string 7, leave a 10 and pick it up. 236.
585 Team - -3 on my average

1746 all-events - 18 under average.