207

What's great about my new high score in a game of bowling - 207 - is that I'm certain that it won't last for long.

After starting with an open frame, my game went as follows: X 9/ 9/ X 9/ 9/ X X XX0. Ten consecutive first balls where I got at least nine pins. Once I threw that last strike, my second four-bagger ever, I knew that I had a new high score and must've lost my concentration on the last ball. If the four-bagger had happened earlier in the game, the score would've been even higher.

I ended up bowling five games in an hour, with an average of 150. But I did it with a new bowl, a ball I'd never used before. It was a little tight on the tip of my ring finger, as it's pretty swollen right now.

But this was only second time I've bowled with a fingertip-grip ball. It was a scary proposition at first. The ball that I got from Digger was originally drilled to be fingertip, but since he has bigger hands than me, I couldn't hold it and thought that there was no way I'd ever be able to throw such a ball. But Dave at the alley said that I needed to make the change in order to get more rotations on my ball. I don't want to go back now. It feels more natural than a traditional drilling.

There were a few balls I threw today that had SO much break that I was in awe. Keep in mind that the ball I had is geared toward having a hook, but man, most of it was me. A ball heading toward the ten-pin ended up hitting the pocket. How can I not get thrilled by that?

However, my consistency was bad. After three marks in the next game, Dave came to watch and I suddenly started pulling everything. Maybe I was trying to impress him, as he's a fantastic bowler (thirty-five 300 games in his career) and a great guy to know. Oh well. He saw some good action later on.

So I'm new to this grip and am already bowling better and enjoying it a lot more. So I bought a new ball, one that's 15 pounds instead of 16 and is a lot more reactive to the synthetic lanes of today's alleys. And I'll definitely get it drilled with a fingertip grip, one that doesn't make my ring finger swell so badly.

I bowled a 207, but I know it won't be my high score for long. The league in which I'll bowl starts next Tuesday.

I've been volunteering for my town's Main Street program, helping the central business district, and it's been great to feel productive and important again. More on that once I get over this bowling glow.