Bowling for Dollars

I could write about the Oscar nominations, President Bush’s State of the Union Address, more about Mike Tomlin, the new Steelers head coach, or even American Idol. Instead, I want to write about bowling. Yes, you read that correctly. A few weeks ago, I went to Strike Bethesda, which describes itself as worlds apart from the traditional concept of a bowling alley with a focus on style, color and design. This basically means that you’re going to pay $38 an hour for a dark lane with flashing lights, music and huge screens that were showing college football games. With all of these distractions and unable to find a good bowling ball, I did not even crack 100 in either game. Plus, I had not bowled in about a year. Yes, I have lots of excuses.

I went bowling again over the weekend. This time I found a good bowling ball and the lanes did not feature as many distractions. So how did I do? A whopping 113. While the score was much better than the 80-something I bowled several weeks earlier, I came to the realization that I am not a good bowler. I think my problem is mental. In ten frames, I had 3 strikes, one 6 (it was a split and I bowled a field goal with the second ball), and six 9s. I could not make a spare to save my life. If I got an 8 in the first frame, I would only hit one of the remaining two pins in the second frame. It was very frustrating. I think I'm the Rick Ankiel of bowling.