It Only Takes Four

As you might or might not know, I am currently taking a half-semester bowling class here at the University of Maryland. We are only five classes in (the first class - the Tuesday before spring break - was just handing out the syllabus) - and I have noticed a theme here.

When I sat in the second class, I took the third lane (out of eight). Reason was basically convenience. I was close to the counter to pick up the bowling shoes; close to the lighter bowling balls, and one of the closest to the exit. I luckily did not take the second lane because it was malfunctioning for the first three classes - students in that lane had to share with the first lane, making the game extra-long.

Each class is composed of a ten-to-fifteen-minute lecture on a certain theme - such as choosing the right bowling ball and bowling etiquette. Then, the remainder of the one-and-a-half-hours (from 8:15 AM to 9:45 AM ) is just free/open bowling.

So far, I was very, VERY rusty two/three classes in. The first two games in the first class, I bowled both in the 40's - horrible scores. The other three guys in my lane were bowling in the low-to-mid 100's (anywhere from 100 to 150). As the classes went by, I bowled better and better - for instance, today, I bowled a 77 (a high for me) and a 76. The first game, I had three spares. The second game, one spare and a strike.

Between the third and fourth classes, the teacher gave me some tips, such as being 'stiff' and don't be moving horizontally while bowling - which really helped me get better and better scores; that and choosing the correct ball. When I scored in the 40's, I was using a 12-lb. ball; the current bowling balls I use are 11-lbs.

And, here's why I chose the heading. In one of today's games, I had scored 25 after two frames, while the others were anywhere from the low 20's to mid-30's. After just four frames, in which I failed to make a single spare or strike, the other bowlers in my lane were on a roll, hitting strike-after-strike and spare-after-spare. Their final scores were 109/119/150 - the last guy hitting spares and ending the 10th frame with a Turkey (triple strikes in a row)

So, I hope I can score in the mid-to-upper 80's next week - and hopefully, reach the 90's by the end of the semester!