This past February I bowled another WWPB Tournament.  It was the first tournament of 2008 and again it was at Harley's Camarillo Bowl.  I was looking forward to bowling and had high expectations.  It proved to be a turning point and defining moment for me.

On my way to the tournament I listened to some Susie Minshew tapes.  Little did I know at the time how significant those tapes would be.  I arrived just over an hour before the scheduled start and prepared my equipment.  I checked tape and adjusted as needed.  I got on my shoes, got a Pepsi, and chilled.  When it was time I went to my starting pair and greeted the two ladies I would be sharing the pair with for the day.  I checked the approaches by taking some test slides and all was good.

Game 1 was nothing spectacular, but respectable 184.  It was all downhill from there.  My coach walked in sometime in game 5.  I waved an acknowledgement, but did not talk to him.  I finished the first block with a 763 for 5 games and I was devestated.  I took my equipment put it in the bag and went and put it in the car.  I got in and started the engine, feeling like it was time to leave.  There was another 5 game block to bowl in about 2 hours.  I sat and cried out of pure frustration.  After about 15 minutes I turned the engine off and just sat there.  I went for a walk around the shopping center next to the bowling center.  I went back inside to try and sit through the Open Meeting, but after about 10 minutes I had to leave. 

I went and sat on a bench outside and watched the clouds.  All this time I kept struggling with the decision to bowl or leave.  As I sat there I thought about one of the Susie Minshew tapes.  She talked about the fight or flight when bowling poorly.  She said that the decision was what would determine the type of bowler you'd be.

I decided to stay and fight.  My first game of the block was a 220 something.  It was followed by a 140 and 150 something.  The final games were in the 220s for a 970 5 game total.  I am glad I did stay, the drive home was much better than it would have been.  Rather than beat myself up, I reflected on what happened, the thoughts and strategies used for both blocks.

When I got home, I emailed my coach and started with an apology for not having talked to him.  I also shared my reflections on the tournament and the change.  He told me he could tell by my body language I was not bowling well.  He also said he had not seen me on the bench until he drove past.  His thought was that I hang in there and not give up.  He also shared he gained more respect for me having returned for the second block.