Trio League
We won a 5-2 victory over Team #3. The guys on team #3 have been bowling casually on weekends for a while and decided to join a Summer league. Good to see (this is how Mike, Kristy & I started bowling last year).I showed up 40 minutes early for an 8 O'Clock league. To put it differently I showed up 20 minutes late because our league actually starts at 7 O'Clock. It was before the 5th frame so I wasn't disqualified from game one. Larry was absent. Trudi did well with 113 (-22), 158 (+23), 160 (+25). I flunked out with 147 (+0), 124 (-23), 120 (-27).
Why Larry was absent was a matter of debate. Larry had a bad first week (-25 per game) and was accused point-blank of sandbagging by our opponents who shall remain nameless [ed - unless you want to read last week's report]. As a team we're over our averages so far so if we're sandbagging we're doing it wrong. The accusatory team are very good bowlers and have .. all bowled under their averages both weeks so far. How does that Pulp Fiction quote go?
The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride f**king with you. F**k pride. Pride only hurts, it never helpsThis is a buy-a-ball league so there is no prize money. The money that doesn't go to lane fees goes towards paying for your end-of-season ball. Pride indeed.
Buy-A-Ball
The economics of a buy-a-ball league are this: $8 of the $23 weekly fees go to paying for a new ball. The house breaks almost even on the ball purchase (they sell them at cost) but "giving away" gear encourages would-be bowlers to start and keeps old bowlers bowling. Once you have new stuff you want to use it. Everybody wins [if you don't want new gear there are other nights]. The packages vary: you can get a cheap ball and shoes, or a higher end ball from last year's models, or a higher end ball from this year for an additional $40.I presumed* that you got the ball straight away because it is more enticing for new bowlers to join if they don't have to use a lane ball and rent shoes for the season. I was wrong - you don't get your stuff until you are paid up. The Summer season is short so I'll pay up my full $300 next week so I can get the ball sooner.
Lesson
My instructor Don bowls in the Monday "PBA Experience" league. It finishes just after my league so I grab a beer and a sandwich between.Me: Sean, give me a chicken cutlet sandwich with the works!My lesson was on the "PBA Experience" lanes which have an oil pattern like the professionals bowl on instead of the nancy "house shot" oil patterns that most leagues (like mine) use. To Don's credit I threw more consistently and with a bigger hook on that harder pattern than I did in league. It is one thing to know what you should do and know what you are doing wrong and it is another thing to have someone standing there reminding you what you should do and what you are doing wrong. At $50 an hour** hiring a coach is a cheap way to rent a bowling conscience.
Sean: Do you want cheese and sauce, or mayo and lett-
Me: The works!
Sean *muttering*: One chicken parm with mayo, lettuce, and tomato coming up.
Me: [doh! though it actually tasted pretty good]
I do wish Don would keep notes about our past sessions. Each lesson is a stand alone whack-a-mole game where he picks two of my worst behaviors and then we drill slightly better alternatives. Unfortunately the bad behaviors are usually the ones he taught me the week before: last week he told me to start the ball lower and more back and this week he told me to raise it up.
In short Don coaches like what we Engineers call a state machine. He takes note of how you bowl right now and then coaches you to do the easiest thing that will make you better. I'm an Engineer so I don't mind the presentation but he could raise his rates $10/hr if instead of saying "don't do that [thing that I taught you last week], do this" he said "you have progressed from [that thing I taught you last week], so do this." Same exact advice but for many people it would inspire more self-esteem and indebtedness to their instructor.
My needs don't include self-esteem so, for me, Don delivers. Plus I don't think he'd exempt me if he took my advice and then raised his rates.
Errata
No 'mo 'mo. RIP 's moustache: Aug 2007 - Jun 2008. I didn't want to shave it later in the summer and then have a bizarre facial tan line. Oddly no one at the bowling alley had trouble recognizing me; indeed many people didn't even notice it was gone. This was the complete opposite of my experience at the PyCon conference where many people that knew me well didn't recognize me w/ moustache until they read my badge.The mo' was fun while it lasted but it is a choice an not an improvement. Sure it reduces the area you have to shave but instead you have the burden of treading the edges more carefully. Razors - especially the modern quad jobbies - are meant for clear cutting and not detail work. After a slip of the wrist (pre-coffee in the AM) you have to subtract from the opposite side to even it up or walk around for a week with your major feature shifted left.
It was a fun time, my moustache ride***, but I won't miss it.
Free Masons
[err, sorry. The preview button is right next to the publish button. I'll add something or make a new post tomorrow]
* You know what they say about presumption: it makes a "pres" out of "u" and "mption." Or something like that.
** Don only gets $30 an hour. The rest goes to the house for lane rental. By contrast a lesson with a name-brand PBA tour pro is $200+ an hour; you pay for their name and not necessarily results.
*** I haven't given up the moustache forever. It's not like a tattoo which is all or nothing and it's not like long hair which takes a couple years to get right. But I tried the mo' for most of a year, and while it was fun there will be no repeat sans strong and particular female encouragement.