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| This headlouse is prettier than my bowling right now. |
Lousy (adj.):
1: infested with lice
2a: totally repulsive; contemptible
b: miserably poor or inferior
It's been almost a month since my last post, and my bowling has been trending heavily towards definition #2 over that span. Now, I try to stay pretty even-keeled when I bowl, and I have good reason for maintaining a stoic demeanor when I'm on the lanes. As an owner and employee of the center, I feel it's my duty to keep my emotions in check no matter how badly things might be going. Furthermore, most of the experienced bowlers I come across around here stress the importance of relaxation to successful bowling. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I'm not trying to be the guy that takes things way too seriously - I generally want to be liked, and no one likes *that* guy.
All of this being said, when I began last week's bowling with two missed 5-pins in a row, my self-disciplined approach was put to a serious test. I managed to (mostly) maintain my composure en route to shooting a season-low 440 series. I think my team's performance probably kept me from careening over the edge of sanity - despite my godawful production, the team managed a 3-1 victory over top-5 opponents W-Square.
Clearly someone picked up the slack for my personally forgettable evening - that someone was Patrick "Human Resources" Rodgers, who had recently overtaken Chris Burke and me as our team's high average bowler. This season, Patrick's bowling has mirrored my own slide into mediocrity, and so it seemed appropriate that he shoot a career-best 655 set on my night of ignominy. Last week's bowling represents the latest in a series of quality performances for Patrick, and for anyone just picking up the sport his experience should be nothing short of inspirational.
To put it bluntly, when we started bowling in this league 2 years ago, Patrick was a liability. He had just started bowling & used a house ball and shoes. He rolled a straight ball, rarely hit the pocket, and often failed to clear 400 on League nights. He now jokes that we were about to drop him from the roster, which isn't a complete distortion of the facts, though I personally always kept the faith on his behalf :)
All of this being said, when I began last week's bowling with two missed 5-pins in a row, my self-disciplined approach was put to a serious test. I managed to (mostly) maintain my composure en route to shooting a season-low 440 series. I think my team's performance probably kept me from careening over the edge of sanity - despite my godawful production, the team managed a 3-1 victory over top-5 opponents W-Square.
Clearly someone picked up the slack for my personally forgettable evening - that someone was Patrick "Human Resources" Rodgers, who had recently overtaken Chris Burke and me as our team's high average bowler. This season, Patrick's bowling has mirrored my own slide into mediocrity, and so it seemed appropriate that he shoot a career-best 655 set on my night of ignominy. Last week's bowling represents the latest in a series of quality performances for Patrick, and for anyone just picking up the sport his experience should be nothing short of inspirational.
To put it bluntly, when we started bowling in this league 2 years ago, Patrick was a liability. He had just started bowling & used a house ball and shoes. He rolled a straight ball, rarely hit the pocket, and often failed to clear 400 on League nights. He now jokes that we were about to drop him from the roster, which isn't a complete distortion of the facts, though I personally always kept the faith on his behalf :)
I'm sure that Patrick got discouraged at times & may have wondered whether things would ever improve. What he never did was give up. For the past 2 years Mr. Rodgers has been a staple on the practice lanes, oftentimes spending entire days here at Northside trying to improve his game. I don't mean to belabor the point, but I think it's pretty cool, and a testament to the power of hard work, that his efforts have now translated into genuine success. I would certainly take a 655 set if it fell in my lap right now!
Well done, Human Resources, and sleep easy knowing your spot on the team is safe :)
Until next time!
Cheers,
Billy G.
