Unlike us, “The Handicaps” won a point this week and closed ground in the race to stay out of the first half basement. “The Handicaps” happen to be our opponents this coming week in what will likely be a preview of a position round match (which is in 3 weeks).

My Week 12 bowling (BowlSK)

Tonight was just a serious case of my spare game largely deserting me after the first game. My one split was a makeable type and I had a couple of washouts, but it seemed every time I left more than one pin standing, I had trouble. I left my problem 2-4-5 five times and only made it twice, and also missed a 2-4-5-7 (my only open of the first game). It might be time to see Ray about my spare system, but with a class reunion (the 25th of the class before mine) and the holidays approaching, I don’t want to commit cash to a coaching session right now.

Result: 191-167-143=501
Average (36 games): 180 Last 9 games average: 182
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 550

My team had a rare point-and-a-half performance tonight, with the half-point coming as a result of a tie in the second game; I left one of my washouts in the 10th frame of that game, and if I had just hit the head pin on that, my team would’ve won, but I got left of the head pin and only took the 2 and 4.

As Brian pre-bowled tonight, Carl brought me home from bowling for the first time this season. Brian and I like to chat about our respective nights during my ride home, but the ride with Carl was still enjoyable.

Next week is a pre-Thanksgiving feast night, where bowlers in my league are encouraged to bring food to share with the other bowlers, and I have bought a couple of bags of Fritos for this. I am also debating bringing my camera for a team photo and other shots for the “scrapbook.”

This update is a day late in coming, mostly b/c I let it slip my mind. My team continues to hold 9th place, 2 points ahead of “The Handicaps.” With a 241 score with handicap, I had the second best handicap game for the men this week, and was only 5 pins off of the high scratch game. For the second week in the last three, we face the team in second place, “The Mustangs,” next week.

My Week 11 bowling (BowlSK)

I had a shot at breaking two mental barriers I had going into tonight and got one of them. The one I got was my first clean game in the league, that being a 225 second game. The one I missed was my first 600 in the league, largely on my missed spares (3 of them in the first game and another 3 in the last game). Night ended up being enough to raise my average a couple of pins instead of just one.

Result: 203-225-163=591
Average (33 games): 182 Last 9 games average: 187
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 580

The league was divided into average classes for both the men and the women after last week, and I ended up being in the men’s Class A. This will have a bearing on individual prizes at the end of the season, but they start to matter next week, as the bowler in each class with the most pins over average next week will win a $20 prize. I’m not sure how many times in the season they’ll do this, but I’m thankful for this opportunity.

As for the team, we only won the second game point, with our hopes mostly lying on a split of the points after getting creamed in the first game. The third game was close, but I’m kicking myself for not putting much pressure on the other team’s anchor bowler at the end.

Although my team failed to win a point, “The Handicaps,” the team 2 points behind us in the basement going in, also failed to win a point, so there is no change at the bottom of the standings. We face the team immediately ahead of us in the standings, “The Backyard Bowlers,” next week and, although we can’t catch them even with a sweep, we can cut into the deficit to 8th place with a sweep.

A benefit of having bowled with a 140 average early on (although my team took the 140 score for the first three weeks) is that, thanks to my first night 586 series, I currently hold the high series with handicap for the men with a 730 score, a full 40 pins better than the second high series with handicap (two are tied for that spot). If this holds up, that should mean some kind of individual award at the end-of-season banquet.

My Week 10 bowling (BowlSK)

This was a night where I had both my worst league game since coming back and my best game to date in this league. I had a couple of splits and missed a few more spares in the first game and held my own in the second game. It all came together in the third game when I finally got myself to slow down and relax, and really got locked in on the pair from the 6th frame of the last game on for a 235. I had realized I was tensing up late in the second game, so part of my focus in practice will be to get myself to relax, which I hope carries into my league nights. I’ll take tonight, as a night that could’ve been disastrous was saved by the last game for an over-average night. 😀

Result: 136-177-235=548
Average (30 games): 180 Last 9 games average: 179
Next week’s AVG+1: 556

Team failed to win a point, but my last game made things interesting in that game. Some real power players on the other team, so they’re tough to beat when they’re on.