Down the lane

If I were on Facebook, I'd post the following with glee and maybe get a lot of response: I finally broke 200 in a bowling game.

I've never been that great of a bowler. I have very little curve to my ball and I often fail to keep my arm's arc perpendicular to the floor, causing the ball to go towards the four pin.

But my friend Digger gave me his old bowling ball, and after I got it re-drilled, I decided to see what I could do with my very own ball. (My folks, looking for gift ideas, got me shoes and a bag for Christmas.)

I've probably only bowled a dozen games or so with the new ball. I bowled a 171 early on, with the very first roll a beautiful curve that broke right into the 1-3 pocket. But it's been a bit of a struggle since. In fact, of the three games I bowled yesterday, the score my first game was 110. Bad bad bad.

But the second game was a different story. After having only one strike in the first four frames and an open frame in the third, I bowled a turkey (three strikes in a row) and nearly nailed a four-bagger but still spared in the eighth. Another nine-spare in the ninth left me realizing that, if I opened the tenth with a strike, I'd only need seven pins in the final two balls to break 200.

I tried to be calm, as my previous high was 195, set one night with a friend from a community playhouse. This was 15 years ago, when acting seemed like a fun thing to do.

My first ball didn't hit the pocket exactly as I wanted it. In fact, I think it might have gone Brooklyn, meaning that it went across the head pin and hit the 1-2 pocket instead. But there was good action with the 16-pound ball and all the pins fell. A 200 was finally within grasp.

Knowing I only needed a good roll near the pocket to seal the deal, I tried to stay calm, but I pulled it, hitting the four pin and only knocking down exactly SIX pins. uh-oh. That's a 199. I needed to hit something with my last ball to get the elusive score.

So I went through all the good things I had been doing that day: feet lined up a foot behind the spaces behind the second and fourth dots to the right of the closer dots. Five step delivery, holding the ball high and not back swinging until I was well into my second step. Holding the ball straight, instead of to the side, on the backswing. Then coming through, spinning it with a push at the very end, kicking my right leg out to the left and low at the same time, while keeping my left foot pointed straight ahead.

A perfect ball, right in the pocket, knocking down all four remaining pins. Final score: 203.

My brother, who is autistic, bowls a 14-pound ball (though he's strong and could bowl a heavier ball) with a seven-step approach and a delivery so soft that you can't hear the ball actually hitting the boards. His high game is a 199. All in all, his 199 is much more impressive than anything I'll ever bowl.

I was about to tell him about my game on the phone, but because his hearing aid wasn't working well, he couldn't understand me and got agitated in a hurry, which felt like a slap in the face to me. I wanted to celebrate this accomplishment with someone. So I told Digger (who was very impressed), Margie (who, as a non-bowler, was supportive but not as impressed) and my mother (who was as impressed as Digger).

And now I'm telling Tom, as he's the only person that reads this blog. Gimme some dap, TD!

The guy next to me was a fantastic bowler, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's bowled 300 game before. He bowled in the 250's and 230's as I was getting very excited over a 203. Maybe I'll get to his level someday. But for now, a 203 is a great feeling.