“Debbie” … the countdown

Rocking Horse Publishing notified me today that copies of “Debbie” are on the way to Toronto.  Their arrival is scheduled for Wednesday, March 27.

To say that I'm anxious to see what the end product looks like would be an understatement.  I’m burning with curiosity.

While I know the story of course, I haven’t seen the colorful illustrations inside.  If the cover of the book is anything to go by, the drawings inside will be wonderful too.  Actually, I already got a sneak preview and they’re adorable.  Just as Debbie was.

As soon as the books arrive I will take pictures of course.  A picture of the box, a picture of opening the box, obviously a picture of the book and knowing my fur kids … a picture of one or more cats checking out and taking possession of the box.

The imminent arrival of “Debbie” is the second good thing that happened this week.  The first happened on Sunday in the bowling alley.

Ever since winter started, it’s been a crap shoot going to Kennedy Bowl.  It happened more than once that we braved the cold and tracked through the snow to the bowling alley, only to find out that all the lanes were booked.  Especially over the weekend the place is heaving with bowlers.

When we arrived last Sunday, the noise that greeted us at the door didn’t sound encouraging.  I heard balls rolling and pins falling and from the sound of people talking, yelling, screaming and laughing the place was packed.

When we got to the lanes that suspicion was confirmed … not a free lane in sight.  Fortunately, after a bit of waiting and negotiating, we managed to get one lane and unpacked our gear: balls, shoes, gloves.

My family of balls

My latest edition - the Hammer Wrench

Dieter's family of balls

Dieter's latest edition - the Raptor Talon

Seeing that I was about to bowl with a new ball, the Hammer Wrench, I didn’t know what to expect.  After all, it always takes time getting to know how a new ball will perform.

But my Hammer performed beautifully.  From the moment he came off my fingers, he rolled toward the pins, picking up speed as he went along, took a sharp turn to the left toward the end of the lane and hammered the pins down.

Over 5 games he scored:

193 … not bad

204 … even better

156 … he had an oops moment

235 … I LOVE THIS BALL

193 … finish the way he started

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Tomorrow the Hammer will join the rest of my ball family and play league for the first time.  He will either get cold feet and chicken out, or take me to new heights.

Bowling update

It just occurred to me that I skipped last week’s bowling update.  Not to worry, you didn’t miss much.  We did okay, no highs, no lows, just an ordinary night of league bowling.

Last night on the other hand was a night with a difference.  We played Jessica, Mario and Kevin. 

Jessica is one of the better female bowlers, Mario I don’t really know, but Kevin I know all too well.  The man has bowled more 300 games than I have teeth in my mouth. 

Needless to say, we didn’t stand much of a chance, but I was determined not to make a fool of myself.  I was going to give it my best shot. 

And oh boy did I shoot.  I opened with a crow (that’s four strikes in a row).  This put confidence under my bowling wings and I took flight for the rest of the night.

Just take a look at the scores of The Expendables:

Dieter    : 164 – 174 – 182 – 212 =     Total: 732 – Average: 183

Christine: 159 – 228 – 184 – 234 =     Total: 805 – Average: 201

Conny   : 202 – 179 – 180 - 172 =     Total: 733 – Average: 183

Please note that I beat Dieter by one pin. 

All in all we (The Expendables) took 8,5 out of 16 points.  Not bad, considering I didn’t think we stood much of a chance.

Bowling against bowlers who are better than me is definitely paying off.  When I fear failing, I pay closer attention and stay more focused. 

While I’m all for having fun and horsing around, there are times that one has to concentrate on the game.  It also helps if lady luck along with the bowling gods are smiling down.

Does bowling with music makes for better bowling?

It just occurred to me that I neglected to report on last Wednesday night’s bowling league.  Yeah well, let’s just say that you didn’t miss much.  Let’s talk about today’s practice session instead.

I always do better during practice than during league, but apparently I’m not the only one.  When I spoke to a seasoned bowler today, whom I thought always kept his cool, he admitted that he does better when it’s just for fun too. 

My scores of today say it all:

191 – 164 – 222 – 226 – 166

That is an average of 193.8

Dieter did even better.  He scores were:

174 – 224 – 209 – 157 – 235

That is an average of 199.8

If only I could bowl like this during league.

Then again, the conditions were ideal today.  The oil pattern on the lanes was perfect and the atmosphere was relaxed and happy due to up-beat music piped through the speakers.  I always do better with music.

I’ve asked numerous times for music during the league, but so far this has not been approved because music messes with the serious bowler’s concentration.  Serious about bowling as I am, I guess that makes me a non-serious bowler.

The loudness also plays a part.  Soft music does nothing for me, but turn up the volume and my spirits lift while my bowling scores rise. 

In the absence of bowling alley music, I could listen to music privately through headphones, but this seems so anti-social. 

Before next week’s Wednesday night league, we’ll have another practice session tomorrow night.  Let’s see if I can do well two night in a row.

I need all the practice I can get for the upcoming Halloween tournament.  Last year Dieter and I won the competition.  Can we do it again?

Bowling update

Yes, we went bowling yesterday, but I’m somewhat reluctant to talk about it.  To say that we did bad would be an understatement.

Last night we bowled against Jeff and Adele (not their real names), less than average bowlers.  Beating them should have been a breeze, but it wasn’t. 

My first game was bad, my second was a better but with room for improvement.  In my third game I flirted with a 200 and during my fourth I crashed and burned.

How did Dieter do?  Well, let’s just say he didn’t even get off the ground.

I was rather surprised, because in the three previous weeks we did rather well.  In the first week we took the majority of the points; in the second week we got a beating, but managed to snag 2,5 points; in the third week the winnings were split between the two teams.

Last night we only managed to take 4 points.  Not a total loss, but considering who we played against, we should have taken everything.

Which makes me wonder ... is our bowling performance influenced by the opposition?  Do we bowl better when we are up against bowlers betters than us? 

Far more distressing though is the lack of fun we had last night.  There was no interaction, no talking and certainly no laughing.  Can that make a difference?

I’ve wondered about this before ... when did bowling stop being fun?  We had such good times in the past.  When we first started bowling, making a strike was such an achievement.  We would scream and shout and dance around like crazy.  When a spare was made, we would be amazed like ... did I just do that!

Now a strike nothing and we don’t even blink when a spare is made.  On the contrary, now we’re amazed when we don’t make a strike and blame our inability to anything and everything. 

The ball was too greasy – the ball was too dry.

The lanes were too greasy – the lanes were too dry.

The pins were stubborn.

The pins were too well balanced, they wobbled but they didn't fall.

The walk was wrong.

The hand position was wrong.

The delivery was wrong.

The speed was wrong.

Why can’t we just accept that we failed and walk away?

That’s the difference between social bowlers and league bowlers.  Social bowlers don’t care (much) and have a good time; league bowlers (especially those with a few years under their belt) expect too much of themselves. 

Instead of learning to get better, maybe we should learn to enjoy ourselves again.

Next week better?

Do bowling balls have a mind of their own?

Anyone who has ever played ten-pin bowling has, at one time or another, wondered if that ball has a mind of its own.

There are times that the ball seems attracted to the pins and smoothly knocks them down.  Other times he leaves some standing.  Sometimes a single pin, sometimes more than one, and sometimes – heaven forbid – a dreaded split.

If not a strike or a spare is made, is it the fault of the bowler, the ball or the pins? 

Expert bowlers make it seem so easy.  They take a swing, put the ball down and it curves nicely toward the pocket.  You try and do that … and prepare for frustration.

Honestly, in everyday life some people are perfectly well behaved, but let them pick up a bowling ball and suddenly they use language that would make a sailor blush.  They swear at the pins, curse the ball and occasionally give themselves every name under the sun for making such a stupid mistake.

Where lays the secret in making that perfect game?  What does a bowler need to do to score those elusive 300 points?  Experts will say it’s about consistency.  Putting the ball down, twelve times in a row, in same spot, with the same power. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve been doing that – or at least trying to do that – for years and years and I can tell you, it’s not working. 

Occasionally, when the bowling gods smile down on me, my ball veers nicely toward the pocket of the pins and boem … strike!  Most of the time though the bowling gods frown or look elsewhere and my ball goes straight, or veers off to a place where he’s not supposed to be. 

Then again, maybe it’s just as well that I don’t make a 300.  A few years ago a man did just that and never made it off the lane.  When he knocked that last set of pins down and realised he had made a perfect score, he had a heart attack and died.  What a way to go …

Still, we try.  Before every game we have high hopes.  When we start a game off with a strike, we smile.  Two strikes in a row makes that smile grow even bigger.  Three strikes gives us illusions of grandeur and we can see that 300 in the distance.  Is this is?  Is this the time when it’s going to happen?

What goes through a bowlers mind when he has scored eleven strikes and lines up for the twelved time?  How does he feel when the last set of pins fall and the scoreboard flashes 300?

If it ever happens – and a 911 call is not needed – I’ll let you know.

We might move ...

Parents who buy their child a drum set or another musical instrument often live to regret it as their quiet life is suddenly filled with noise.  If the child can play, great, but if he can’t, the noise of the instrument can rapidly become ear torture.

I made a mistake too.  I bought my son a bowling ball for his birthday (a C-(System) ulti-max) and if I had known then what I know now … I might have thought twice before making that purchase.

While playing with his old bowling ball, we were more or less competitive equals.  Sure he won more games than I did, but every now and then I managed to snatch one or two games from him.

With the new bowling ball, that equality has gone out the window.  Today he scored: 190 – 224 – 222 – 214 – 189 - 231.  There’s no way I can compete with that.

However, that’s not all.  Before he would make a couple of strikes per game, but the majority of a ten-pin bowling game would be made up of two tries, often resulting in a spare.  This would give me the chance to sit down for a moment, catch my breath and rest my weary legs.

Not anymore.  With this new ball, Dieter made strike after strike after strike, giving me no rest whatsoever.  I would sit down, he would make a strike and hup, it would be my turn again.  In the end I didn’t even bother sitting down anymore.

We have definitely broken our record in bowling alley attendance this week.

It started on Tuesday (Dieter’s birthday) when we went to pick up the bowling ball.  After drilling we wanted to play a few games, but with two leagues playing there were no lanes available.

So we went home and returned to the bowling alley two hours later when the league would have finished.  That was two visits in one day.

On Friday we had league bowling.

Today, Saturday, we went practising. 

Tomorrow friends are picking us up for some friendly competition.

By my count that is five bowling alley visits in one week.  We might as well move and go and live there.