Learning How to Win
I’d like to use my personal experience to take you through the process of winning an event like a PBA Senior Tour stop, in hopes that this will help you in your bowling challenges. This is the story of my first PBA50 win in Winter Garden, FL. This win, as much as any other, taught me how to win.
First, this was a 3 squad, no oiling between squads tournament. We bowled 6 games each day, so you bowled on fresh, middle and burned, one each day. In practice I didn’t have a good feel for my ball reaction, and I wasn’t sure what my game plan was going to be. Since we were bowling on “Senior Scorpion”, I was looking for the ball to come off the pattern at about the 10 board. So, I played the lanes on the “B” squad from about 12(at the arrows)-9 (at 41’) and got at best a mediocre reaction. I was +1 after 6 games, about 80 pins out of the cut.
Go To Plan B
Well, that didn’t work so well, so time for plan B. I moved out on the lanes to about 7-8 by making my release a little weaker so that I could go a little straighter. I then shot +194 for my next 6 games, enough to get me back into contention. By going a little straighter and being on the freshly oiled condition, I was able to control the front of the lane better, get better angle, which resulted in more control of the pocket and better carry.
In the last squad, my strategy continued to be to go straighter – I just used weaker equipment on the late squad. This allowed me to keep my angles about the same and my look on the lanes was similar to the look I had in the earlier rounds, resulting in fewer adjustments. In short, I kept things as simple as possible. Qualifying 20th for the match play portion (for the top 32 bracket elmination finals), I knew it could be a long day. I kept my game plan simple – burn a hook spot in practice and make the shot as easy as possible. I did my best to stay relaxed and make shots. In match play, if you stay steady, focus on your bowling and let your scores speak for themselves, you will have more success. I managed to win my first three best 3 of 5 game matches.
Bowling Someone with a Better Resume
The round of 8 was the time when I was most nervous. Bowling hall of famer Mark Williams is never easy, but I knew the lanes were getting tougher as we went along, and the freshly oiled condition is never easy on either side of the lane, particularly bowling a player who likes to go away from the pocket when possible. In this situation it’s easy to assume that an experienced opponent has a huge advantage. However, in a best 2 out of 3 game match anything can happen. I made some good shots down the stretch and defeated Mark 2 games to 1.
The Key Match
Now, on to the Walter Ray match. At this point I was actually a lot more relaxed once I made “the show”. From past experience, I knew how the lanes would be different in this match, when the match would start after announcements, and how to “slow down” the match to give myself time to think and make good decisions. Even after the open frame in the 9th, the match was not over. Sure enough, Walter Ray opened in the 9th, and then left a solid 9 in the 11th on the fill shot. Now
all I needed to do was to throw 2 shots to win the match. In this situation, you have to believe in your ability and your decisions on the lanes. I believed in myself, made the necessary shots, and won the semi-final match.
Now, on to the title match. I knew from the scores of the other semi-final match that Tom Howison did not have a good ball reaction at this time. I knew the lanes would hook even less than they did the match before, so I knew to hit the surface of the ball with an Abralon pad once more between matches. Knowing that the winning score was likely to be in the 200-219 range, I was intent on staying in play, making good shots, but staying aggressive enough to adjust as needed. I was able to make the correct adjustments and prevail for the title.
What Did I Learn?
So, what did I learn from this experience? First, it doesn’t matter who you bowl – they still have to show up and make good shots, too. While they are more likely to make great shots, you can win if you make the shots and believe in your ability. On a similar note, I learned that you can use a firm belief in yourself and what you have learned, have fun during a pressure situation and keep yourself relaxed at the same time. Finally, I have learned to be my own best friend and be positive about my performances to the maximum extent possible. If you can be genuinely supportive to yourself in the same way that your best friend would be supportive, you can do great things. Physical preparation, including diet, exercise and practice, formulating a game plan and being prepared and ready for any given situation, and mentally staying in your own corner were the keys to winning.