Satellite Beach Lanes Satellite Beach, FL

This weekend I decided to bowl in the UBA Classic tournament. Scores are usually low, and I decided to bowl 3 squads in total.

In the first squad, the very first game was a disaster, as my body was still trying to get warmed up, even though I was mentally there. I had four open frames, and only 2 strikes for a very bad 151. The next game was just as bad as the 1st game (if not worse), but the score told a different story, as I started with the first four strikes (3 of them Brooklyn strikes), spares in the fifth and sixth frames, and then alternating spares and strikes with one open for a much-needed (and VERY lucky) 228 game. With this game, I was another 220 game away from being in the hunt, and possibly making the cut, but the pins did not nearly fall my way like they did the game before, and I only managed to pull out a 180 game.

So much for my 1st block, as I didn't even come close to making the cut.

I decided to bowl again in the next squad, because I couldn't go out like that, and also I had a free squad coming my way after this one. Before I tell you about my second 3-game block...

...WHEN YOU TAKE A BOWLING BALL FROM THE RACK, MAKE SURE IT IS YOUR BALL AND DO NOT PUT THE BALL THAT IS NOT YOURS ON ANOTHER RACK!

I spent 8 minutes of the practice session looking for my Columbia White Dot, that, as it turns out, was moved by another bowler to the next pair of lanes. Apparently, the person who committed this foul has the same ball as I do, with the same color, so because the ball wasn't theirs, they decided to move it to another rack. How about leaving it where you found it? Maybe there's a reason that ball is on that particular rack, like, I don't know, FOR ANOTHER BOWLER???

This got me very upset, because it cost me valuable practice time, and this could have been easily avoided. So I urge you, PLEASE don't move other people's equipment, especially bowling balls. It's very easy to see if any bowling ball is yours, check the fit, and the grips. It is extremely unlikely you will find the same exact ball with a very close fit, and the same grips and / or thumb grip.

Anyway, I bowled another sub-par game in all 3 games. In the third game, I decided to use this game to try and find "something", which I did find.

The third block of the UBA classic tournament was by far my best block there or all time. Up to this point I hadn't missed many makeable spares, and it stayed that way. In the first game, I left a 6-7-10 split (which I got count), and alternated spares and strikes with a double at the end and in the beginning for a 204 game. The second game saw no opens and 1 double for a 204. The third game saw one washout missed, and 2 other doubles at the beginning and the end for a 205 game.

This was my best 3 game set at this tournament because I did not miss a single spares (4 and 1/2 games with no "opens"), and I threw the ball great, just was not able to carry. I am EXTREMELY content with my last 3 game performance, as I was also fighting fatigue, hunger, and a sore shoulder.

I cannot wait to bowl in the next tournament.

- Joe Tex

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