Professional Bowling and What it Means to Me

Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed bowling. Let’s be honest, who does not enjoy going out every now and then, putting on those musty bowling shoes, and grabbing the lightest bowling ball that your fingers can fit in so you can see how fast you can throw it and how loud a noise it makes to crash into the pins? Bowling may not be America’s favorite pastime, but it sure is fun.

Then one day, I realized that I was a pretty decent bowler. I made a good portion of my spares, and I could consistently hit the pocket. Then I started watching the PBA Tour bowl on Sunday on ESPN, and it did not take me long to get hooked and try to keep up with the qualifying rounds and regional tournaments on a weekly basis. Then, in a non-sanctioned bowling league, I shot my first 300. Unfortunately I did say a non-sanctioned league, but oh well. It would have been cool to have a ring, but my wife and Father-in-law made me a really cool trophy for the occasion. To my credit today, I have bowled two sanctioned 300 games and hope to one day look like the Godfather my hands are so filled with rings.

Finally, after practicing a lot, working on spares, bowling in three leagues a week, I finally reached a pinnacle goal and managed to have a yearbook average over 200. This may seem like a petty accomplishment, but it meant a lot to me. It meant that I could join the PBA. I have now been a PBA member for three years, but have only bowled in 8 tournaments, with my best finish coming in Surfside Beach, SC. This was the first PBA tournament I ever bowled in, and I only missed the cut by 21 pins. This was quite unfortunate since I threw two balls in the gutter that day, one being after a double. In any event, I had a great time and threw the ball great.

Now I have learned that in order to be a successful member and cash regularly in PBA events, you need a couple of things. One, it takes a great deal of knowledge to know the lane conditions, how they break down, what ball you should throw, layout, surface of the ball, etc. You also need a strong mental game. I am slowly learning all these things, but not as quickly as I hoped. Having a newborn child is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but it has cut into my practice budget.

Now I guess it is time for the moral of my story. Everyone out there has dreams they would love to accomplish. Everyone has goals they want to achieve. It may sound silly, but my dream is honestly to become a successful PBA bowler. I can only imagine how awesome it must be to make a living doing what you love. I know it is going to take a lot of hard work, but one day, you may be clicking through the channels, come across ESPN, and see me stringing strikes towards my first PBA Tour victory!

Fall Bowling Leagues Beginning: the USBC Needs You

Yes friends. It is that time of year again. Summer is almost over and fall bowling leagues are starting up again. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing all the people I missed over the summer, the competitive atmosphere, and the fun environment that my local bowling alley provides. I love the sound of a bowling ball crashing into the pocket, even if a stone 8 pin is left standing.

Despite how exciting this is for me and many other bowlers out there, the membership numbers for the USBC is on a slow, but steady decline. Many think it is due to the current ecnomic situation we are in, but I think there may be more to this story than people trying to save a dollar. The are many changes going on in the USBC right now, and I think some people are not taking them lightly. One thing I have noticed over the years is the awards given out for accomplishments seem to get cheaper, and some awards now are not given out anymore (like the big four I picked up in league this past week). This does not bother me too much, but it is nice to have our league President call my name before bowling league and present me with an award and perhaps a few claps.

Despite all these changes, the USBC is doing a wonderful job promoting our sport and making sure it is bowled in a fair and competitive nature. We now have great programs like sport bowling leagues, allowing us to bowl on the same conditions as those on the PBA Tour.

In this economic recession we are all trying to save some money, but can we really afford turning our backs on the USBC and on our sport when they need us the most? Let's all get signed up for fall leagues, have fun, become better bowlers, support the USBC, andas an added bonus, maybe win a few dollars! I hope everyone enjoys one of my favorite times of the year! Good luck!

Big Four Split In Bowling League: Where is my USBC patch?

I have been bowling for almost 20 years now on and off, and bowling very seriously for around 7. However, one of the accomplishments I have not made until now is picking up the big four split, which is the 4-6-7-10. I have hit 3 of the 4 many times, but never all of them until I did it tonight in bowling league. Then I go talk to the secretary about my accomplishment, only to find out that the USBC no longer gives out patches for this award. Now bear in mind, I do not bowl just to get awards. I do have 2 300 rings and I show them off every chance I get, but the gratification of bowling the 300 was worth way more than the ring I got for it. Hearing the crowd cheer on the 10th, 11th, and 12th strike were sounds I wish all bowlers could hear. But I do not expect a ring for this bowling accomplishment. However, a cheap, inexpensie patch showing that I picked up the big four would be really neat to have. That is a very hard spare that most people will never pick up in their life. I think the USBC should continue to reward bowlers for their accomplishments, even if it means that the patches may not be as nice.