Just a short story

[billf]

It was a typical cold fall day. The wind was howling outside, blowing brown, dead leaves everywhere. Climate controlled inside the building, the company always set the thermostat to 68 degrees after November. Any other day of the week would have been productive but not today. Stan could only think of one thing after lunch, league bowling that night.
The previous year Stan tried his best but wasn't very good. Towards the end of the season he could over hear other teams talking about how bowling against him was an easy win. It hurt hearing people talk behind his back like that. Many of them were fellow bowlers whom he had asked for advice. They either couldn't explain why they wanted him to do something or as most did, just ignored him. Stan was a good athlete in school but had never tried bowling before. Once his sister started dating her future husband, that's when the bowling bug bit him. The snickering and talk only fueled his fire more. Realizing that bowling, as with any sport, to get better takes practice. Stan also knew that other sports didn't have actual games to practice but rather had specific drills to work on technique. And they had coaches.
Stan found a certified coach near work. The man was a new coach and had agreed to help Stan during lunch hours and after work. The entire off-season was spent fine tuning technique both on the physical and mental side of the game.
Tonight was the night Stan had been waiting for. His average was 25 pins higher than last year and still he had been holding back. Waiting, baiting this particular loud mouth, rude, obnoxious opponent. The 'man' who would constantly badger Stan about his bowling yet wouldn't give an ounce of help. Or even say hello. Joe's ego was so big it was a wonder he could even get into the bowling center.
A little after 3:00pm Stan couldn't take it any longer and went to the restroom. Running cold water across his face he noticed how flush he had become. Taking calm, deep breaths, in the nose out the mouth, like his coach taught him, he started to calm down a little. All Stan could see in his mind was one strike after another and his opponents face as he totally kicked his butt.
That image was still running vividly through Stan's mind as he drove to the bowling center. Luckily he made it safely as he couldn't even remember seeing a stoplight. Stan got ready for practice, cleaning his bowling balls, carefully tying his shoes all the while thinking about how this night would end. Then it happened. First frame, 4-6 split. There goes my great game Stan thought. His opponent threw a perfect strike. All the excitement left Stan with one quick sigh. Frame two, big four split. Stan was so upset by this start the he missed picking up any pins on his second throw. Thoroughly disgusted he sat down thinking how he wasted all that time practicing, drilling, bowling, just to be as bad as he was before. Before his turn in the third frame Stan decided to get a beer thinking it would lessen the pain when Joe started making fun of him. As he rose from his chair Stan saw a familiar face that instantly made him feel embarassed. It was Stan's coach, sitting at a rear table drinking a water. As Stan walked up to the table his coach said, "You look frustrated Stan. Why?"
"You can see the scoreboard and see why.Fourteen pins in two frames! That's my reward for all the hard work I put into this during the summer, fourteen pins!" Stan emphatically explained, his face contorting like the knot he had in his stomach earlier.
"If you don't remember all the mental game work we went over and practiced and pull yourself together, you very well may end up with a fourteen for the game. You put in the hours now let your mind go, free yourself of the stranglehold you have allowed to mentally cripple your game and let the physical gift shine through. I came here to see my prodigy shut his tormentor up not another 140 average bowler struggle game after game. Now get up there, relax, throw like I know you can. A couple of strikes and make your spares and you will hit 200 this game. But only you can control where you go from here. I taught you how but nobody else can make you execute it."
Coach thought he came to watch his pupil excel and wanted to celebrate a victory, even if just a moral one, with him. After how the summer and fall had gone he didn't think he would have to lecture his driven, talented pupil tonight.
Stan went back up to the approach. Grabbed his ball, towel it off and stepped emphatically to his start position. A big, huge, loud breath in through the nose and out the mouth. A knowing observer could see the tension just leave his body. Stan bowled clean the rest of the game getting back to back strikes in the third and fourth frames, nine spare in the fifth, strike in the sixth, nine spare in both the seventh and eighth frames. A strike in the foundation frame had Stan's confidence booming. Just as he was coached, Stan didn't look at the scoreboard, instead judging his game by how the ball felt off his hand and the reaction and control he could see. At this point everything felt so good, Stan didn't care what the score was. He knew he was getting results and would no longer be the 120-140 bowler the other guys made fun of. Two strikes to start the tenth frame and then a nine with his fill ball. Stan felt great has his teammates congratulated him on a good game. Stan about fell over when Joe came over.
"Good game. you beat me with handicap this time. keep bowling like you did after that start and you won't have much handicap anymore."
Coach just smiled in Stan's direction, still two games to bowl it wasn't coach's time to celebrate yet.
Stan had never bowled a sanctioned 200 before and followed his first ever that night with a 218 and 232. The hard work and hours of practice with lectures paid off. A former 140 bowler had just rolled a 651 series. It wasn't long before Stan started taking coaching classes and working with his coach to teach others that same joy he felt that first night.

[striker12]

ok billf i was only able to get threw half of the story causes its alittle to much reading for me but i tryed my best to keep going but i couldn't but at the start there its not cool to talk beehind someones back saying its easy wins a real bowler would give him some help and motivate him to do better because if you say that kind of stuff about someone then people would just not want to talk to you.

ik this cause one kid dose it and hes a junior hes jelous cause other juniros are as good as him like me and my brother and he started roomers and people started clueing in thats hes making them up cause i did something and made a lie to him that i did really bad when i did good and he sead that i did really good after he sead im a fake and a cheater.

[Florida Bowler]

Striker, the short version of the story is he trained all summer with a coach, was nervous on his first 2 shots of fall league, coach talked to him, and he beat the loud mouth (with handicap) with a 651 series.

A nice inspirational story, thanks Bill.

-DJ

[striker12]

yeah ik that but its not cool too say that behind someone back makes you look weak if you sy it behind someone back if you say it too them but not saying your easy to beat but say if you need any help with bowling we can help.


also i only was able to read half of it soo i never got threw the full thing

[Etrain]

cliff notes FTW

Striker, the short version of the story is he trained all summer with a coach, was nervous on his first 2 shots of fall league, coach talked to him, and he beat the loud mouth (with handicap) with a 651 series.

A nice inspirational story, thanks Bill.

-DJ

[eugene02]

nice story.. took some time to read.. and was totally impressed.. thanks billf!

[MinnesotaBowler]

Really cool story! It shows just how important it is to have a strong mental game.

[GeorgiaStroker]

Really cool story! It shows just how important it is to have a strong mental game.

And the right coach. I wish I had gotten instruction when I started bowling. I have a lot of bad habits that I will have to unlearn before I can worry abaout good form. I wonder if billf would drive down to North Georgia a couple of times a week?