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 Posted 7/16/2007 11:37:27 AM |
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Last Login: 7/23/2007 9:05:16 AM
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A Queen-like Experience
An Editorial By: Brandy Padilla
In my quest to become a better bowler, I have learned that if you want to find out where you stand or where you fit into the ranks, then you have to compete against the top competitors. This holds true in every sport. So, in late April, I joined the ranks of nearly 400 women to compete in the USBC Queens tournament in Matthews, North Carolina.
Going into this tournament, I knew that I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to make my goal of making the first cut. After all, even I know enough to realize that I am competing against the best women bowlers on the planet and they will show no mercy in their quest to be the best. That said, I was also confident in my ability. I spent hour after hour, day after day in training. I practiced on some tough patterns and worked mostly on making good shots and staying on the head pin, making my spares and controlling my emotions so that I wouldn’t let my head get in my way. I really thought that I was ready and I knew that it would be a good experience no matter what the result.
I packed up my gear and met up with a friend early on April 27. We caravanned with each other on the nine hour trip from Florida to North Carolina. It was an uneventful drive with the exception of some hard rain that we hit in South Carolina. We parted ways just across the North Carolina state line as she headed to her hotel and I headed to mine knowing that we would meet up again at the bowl for the orientation meeting and practice. I was on B squad and she was on D squad so we would both be practicing on the “used” condition as that is what we would be see first in competition.
I arrived at my hotel with just enough time to breathe and stretch before having to get myself ready to head to orientation. Since I was a first time Queens attendee, I figured the orientation would answer all of the last minute questions and it would give me an opportunity to see who else was bowling. Additionally, I would be at the lanes and ready for the early practice session (on the fresh) so I could see how some of the other bowlers attacked the lanes.
Practice seemed to go by so quickly and before I knew it, it was my time to practice. I had already scoped out the lanes that I would be bowling on and I had a general game plan for how to attack them during my hour of practice. Since the house was a three sided house and I would be bowling on all three sides, I wanted to make sure that I spent at least 15 minutes in each area to acclimate myself with the approach conditions and the environment in each area. I took copious notes on my practice so I could remember what I felt worked and what I felt did not. I made sure that I paid close attention to my ball reaction while trying some different lines to get to the pocket. After my practice was complete, I packed up feeling confident that I would be able to achieve my goal based on the results of my practice. I talked to a few friends before heading back to the hotel just to get their thoughts and I even called my coaches to get their thoughts. Overall, I still felt confident.
After a fairly good night’s rest, I dressed, had some breakfast and headed to the bowl to watch the last few games of the first squad. I paid particular attention to some of the top women bowlers and how they were attacking the lanes. And then it was time; I shoed up and stepped onto my starting pair. It was an intense moment for me knowing that this was my first major tournament and I wanted to enjoy it as well as learn from it. Unfortunately, things did not go quite as well as I had hoped. I felt like I was executing my shots well but I found myself missing spares. I also made some bad decisions and did not make a big enough move soon enough. So, after the first day, I was well below where I wanted to be and I knew if I wanted to make that goal I would have a lot of work to do on the second day.
I took a break and went back to the hotel. I relaxed for a little while before heading back to catch the end of the third squad and the beginning of the fourth squad. It was interesting to see that there were people having success from a couple of different places on the lanes. I had really struggled with the initial line I selected but had found better success with a more inside line albeit a bit too late in the day.
Knowing I had to be up early, I left without watching the end of the fourth squad. I head back to get some rest and prepare myself for the next day.
Once again, I got ready, had some breakfast and headed to the bowl. I felt confident that I would bowl better than I had previously and faced the day with continued confidence that I could hold myself together. We started our block and I seemed to get into a groove a little more quickly than I had on the first day. Unfortunately, I was still missing a lot of spares and I was finding difficulty in striking. My good shots that hit the pocket were not carrying so I was leaving back row pins and some unfortunate pocket splits. It was a difficult day but I improved my first day’s performance by more than 50 pins.
In the end, I did not meet my primary goal of making the first cut. I did however make myself proud because I learned more about myself than I ever expected. I was pleased with my ability to focus on my tasks and keep my head out of my way. I took each shot individually and never let one shot effect another one. This, for me, has been one of the most difficult lessons to learn for once I get frustrated, I stop focusing on what I am doing and I keep thinking about what I had done. I cannot change the shots I have already thrown so there is no need to dwell on them; I must refocus my attention to what I can control and concentrate on each of the shots to come. While this may seem like an obvious thing, it is unfortunately something that I learned the hard way.
In the end, my first Queens experience was really an up and down roller coaster of emotions. I went into this tournament with many odds being against me but I never let down; I persevered and kept my head up even when I was down. I normally go into a tournament having someone there to help me, an extra set of eyes to guide me, but I went into this one, my biggest one, all on my own. This made it a little tougher on me because I did not have anyone to lean on when I started feeling lost. I had no one to help me so I relied solely on myself; no support to help me stay focused, no one to cheer for me, no one to make suggestions. In that respect, I did more than I could have ever imagined that I could. I talked to my coaches after each squad and they continued giving me words of wisdom while trying to make some suggestions; they tried to keep me positive even as I was sobbing into the phone about my experiences and they too did more than I could have expected from hundreds of miles away.
Now, I have no real experience in tournaments until this one, so I must say that even though I did not achieve my goal, I am proud of the way I performed. I will certainly be better prepared heading into future tournaments because I can look back on this Queen-like experience
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