So I have been practicing 3x a week for the past three weeks and things really came together beginning last Thursday. Actually, it started Thursday morning when I found an old CD set I ordered in the summer of 2005 - Hypnosis for bowling and subliminal bowling messages.
Let me go back two years...
I ordered the Hypnosis CD in the summer of 2005 and immediately listened to it 5x and that evening, we went with friends of ours to Monte Carlo bowling. The lights are turned off and with different combinations of pins, splits, strikes, lucky number raffles, you can win a few bucks. Anyway, in the second game, I shot a 300 game - in the dark and every ball in the pocket. I continued listening to the CDs every day and my averaged climbed up to 225. Well, I didn't want to have my book average being that high so I purposely stopped listening and ended up with a 212 average.
After a few months, I lost track of where the CDs were. I thought about getting back to them every now and then; but, never listened to them again. But, as I mentioned earlier, I am trying to get back into shape again after my ankle injury of August 6, 2006 and while rummaging through some old computer stuff last Thursday, I found the CD set again.
Come back to current day ...
I carried my portable CD player around the whole afternoon and when I took a short nap, I kept it on. After waking up, I spontaneously decided it was time to get back into tournament bowling again. Because of my injury and current average being 174 on Friday nights, the tournament club rule is they will allow a re-rate based on my tournament average (202) and the highest current average (174) which gave me a re-arated average of 188. I bowled a 2-game total of 212 - 240 plus handicap for a grand total of 508 for the two games. This put me into a guaranteed spot for the quarterfinals on Sunday. This also meant that regardless of anything, I was going to get a check.
I listened to it all day on Friday. In league that night, I shot 205 - 233 - 257 for a 691 series. On Saturday, I loaded them onto my MP3 player and listend to them constantly all that day and Sunday morning. We went to the tournament location at 12 noon and while watching that squad and waiting for the quarterfinals at 2 PM, I kept listening to the recordings.
Having listened to them so many times, I kept in focus throughout the six games and ended up as the tournament champion. (I had not won a singles championship since 2004, the first year that I joined the tournament bowling club). There is also a thing called "King of the Hill" which, as the current champion, I had to bowl one game against the reigning champion and I won that so I am now the reigning king.
For whatever it's worth, I will continue to listen to the CDs. Superstitious? perhaps. But who am I to go against what had happened to me whenever I listen to the Hypnosis for bowling and the subliminal recordings?
Monday, February 26, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
1960 - 1963
Hilo Intermediate School Spartans Days. Here's the Alma Mater:
Sons of the blue and white
Our hopes are met in you today
From the field of battle
Soon will come the call
To fight in array
Lift high your banner
Loyal 'er be
And when the day is done
We'll sing our song of victory!
I started to get away from all other forms of sport and concentrated on my bowling. My circle of friends changed dramatically and I spent a lot more time away from Lanakila. We were hanging around so much at the bowling alley, Hilo Lanes, that the adults there came to look at us as their sons. We did a lot of helping around with clean up and desk clerk work. We spend a lot of time practice bowling, too, because depending on who was at the front desk, we could get a lane turned on and we would just practice and practice and practice. Is it any wonder we got good? On weekends, we were always there pretty much around the clock.
It seemed as though we had no cares in the world. People just took really good care of us. We were some pretty lucky kids. It kept us out of trouble while a lot of former friends from Lanakila were out getting into trouble with the law. We were even kinda protected by the police because many of them bowled and they treated us as family. After a while, we didn't dare get into trouble because we didn't want them to lecture and bawl us out for pulling pranks, staying out after curfew, and teenager jokes. Nice people who really made an influence on my life.
Sons of the blue and white
Our hopes are met in you today
From the field of battle
Soon will come the call
To fight in array
Lift high your banner
Loyal 'er be
And when the day is done
We'll sing our song of victory!
I started to get away from all other forms of sport and concentrated on my bowling. My circle of friends changed dramatically and I spent a lot more time away from Lanakila. We were hanging around so much at the bowling alley, Hilo Lanes, that the adults there came to look at us as their sons. We did a lot of helping around with clean up and desk clerk work. We spend a lot of time practice bowling, too, because depending on who was at the front desk, we could get a lane turned on and we would just practice and practice and practice. Is it any wonder we got good? On weekends, we were always there pretty much around the clock.
It seemed as though we had no cares in the world. People just took really good care of us. We were some pretty lucky kids. It kept us out of trouble while a lot of former friends from Lanakila were out getting into trouble with the law. We were even kinda protected by the police because many of them bowled and they treated us as family. After a while, we didn't dare get into trouble because we didn't want them to lecture and bawl us out for pulling pranks, staying out after curfew, and teenager jokes. Nice people who really made an influence on my life.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A Local Legend Gives Me Bowling Tips
I've been practicing my bowling to get back the rhythm. Actually, I started two weeks ago because Glenfair Lanes has some great specials. $1.43 a game on Sunday mornings from 8 AM - 12 Noon and $1.00 per game Tuesday evenings from 7 PM - Closing, and Thursday evenings from 9 PM - Closing. Tough to beat a deal like that for a guy trying to get his game back after an ankle injury.
The hardest thing to do after the one-step approach is getting my timing and rhythm back. I've been trying all kinds of approaches, hand position, pushaways, etcetera to stay in balance at the final delivery point and follow through. It was kind of frustrating because I know what I'm supposed to do; but, I couldn't execute.
As luck would have it last night, one of the local legends, Yogi Yoesting, happened to get on the lane next to me for some practice. I remember Yogi from the time I was stationed at Luke AFB and bowled the All-American Classic at Melrose Bowl, the Major Trio League at Maricopa Lanes, and the jackpot games at Thunderbird Lanes. The time period was 1975 through 1978. (Of course, it's been almost 30 years so he didn't remember me.)
We bowled in silence for some minutes when he commented, "you know, you don't have any kind of a pushaway." He gave me a hint of how to correct that problem and things started to come into play pretty well. We sat down for a while and I recounted my rememberances of him "back in the day." He still didn't remember me but did enjoy (I think) reminiscing about "the time when it took accuracy to be a great bowler."
After I got a bit more comfortable with my pushaway and the timing and rhythm was getting smoother, Yogi offered another hint that he said Earl Anthony gave him when they bowled on the same pair in the U.S. Masters Tournament. With the pushaway and the new hint, I started stringing strikes and was in balance at the finish of my delivery. This, in turn, enabled me to have my hand stay behind the ball, hit my mark and follow through which is why it became less tiring to bowl. Thanks a bunch, Yogi!
Yogi Yoesting is in the Phoenix and Arizona Bowling Halls of Fame and owns the Bowling Pro Shop inside Glenfair Lanes. Additionally, he has too many awards and honors to mention here.
The hardest thing to do after the one-step approach is getting my timing and rhythm back. I've been trying all kinds of approaches, hand position, pushaways, etcetera to stay in balance at the final delivery point and follow through. It was kind of frustrating because I know what I'm supposed to do; but, I couldn't execute.
As luck would have it last night, one of the local legends, Yogi Yoesting, happened to get on the lane next to me for some practice. I remember Yogi from the time I was stationed at Luke AFB and bowled the All-American Classic at Melrose Bowl, the Major Trio League at Maricopa Lanes, and the jackpot games at Thunderbird Lanes. The time period was 1975 through 1978. (Of course, it's been almost 30 years so he didn't remember me.)
We bowled in silence for some minutes when he commented, "you know, you don't have any kind of a pushaway." He gave me a hint of how to correct that problem and things started to come into play pretty well. We sat down for a while and I recounted my rememberances of him "back in the day." He still didn't remember me but did enjoy (I think) reminiscing about "the time when it took accuracy to be a great bowler."
After I got a bit more comfortable with my pushaway and the timing and rhythm was getting smoother, Yogi offered another hint that he said Earl Anthony gave him when they bowled on the same pair in the U.S. Masters Tournament. With the pushaway and the new hint, I started stringing strikes and was in balance at the finish of my delivery. This, in turn, enabled me to have my hand stay behind the ball, hit my mark and follow through which is why it became less tiring to bowl. Thanks a bunch, Yogi!
Yogi Yoesting is in the Phoenix and Arizona Bowling Halls of Fame and owns the Bowling Pro Shop inside Glenfair Lanes. Additionally, he has too many awards and honors to mention here.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Back To Bowling
Well, I am back to bowling after my ankle got injured on August 8, 2006. It still pops out once in a while, but, doesn't hurt. It's just irritating and bothersome. Started several weeks ago with a one-step approach then began taping up the right foot with sports tape to try to keep the tendon in line. Must be the way I step down or walk because it moves over the bone at least once a night. Very much okay if I keep it taped up and am not bowling.
Have started building a website about bowling where I'll be writing general articles. It's called "Choc Full O' Bowling" and is at http://www.thekingspin.com/
Have started building a website about bowling where I'll be writing general articles. It's called "Choc Full O' Bowling" and is at http://www.thekingspin.com/
Thursday, February 8, 2007
2-1/2 Stars In Junior Bowling - Mikela, Kobi, & Megan
Well, last weekend, they finally announced the official results of Mikela's participation in the Phoenix Junior Bowling Tournament. She won the Division 5 Girls's Handicap Singles, Girl's Scratch All-Events, and the Girl's Handicap All Events. She will get some nice trophies, but, more importantly, $70 in scholarship monies that will be kept in a fund account for her to use in the future. This is just the beginning because if she continues entering tournaments, she will be collecting more scholarship money. Next up is the Pepsi Nationwide tournament for which she is bowling the area qualifying on March 10th at AMF Christown Lanes.
Kobi has gotten into the picture and will be in his first tournament at that time as well. Also, Kobi got elected as the "King Pins" League President for this season. He is pretty thrilled about that.
As a note, Megan just started and got her highest game last weekend - a 49! I like this junior program because they don't put up the "bumpers" for anyone. Megan's average is 25. More importantly, she concentrates on her form and follow through more than she does on score.
Kobi has gotten into the picture and will be in his first tournament at that time as well. Also, Kobi got elected as the "King Pins" League President for this season. He is pretty thrilled about that.
As a note, Megan just started and got her highest game last weekend - a 49! I like this junior program because they don't put up the "bumpers" for anyone. Megan's average is 25. More importantly, she concentrates on her form and follow through more than she does on score.
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