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Post #6 Awards, Cost, and Memories

As a bowler you soon learn that awards are not easy to come by and the sport isn't so cheap but the memories are a lifetime. My 300 plaque is always a nice reminder even though it's nowhere hanging in my house. I have yet to even take it out of it's plastic bag not knowing if I should or not. That Roto Grip bowling bag is pretty nice eh? Just bought that 3 ball bag a couple months ago costing me about 85 bucks which is not pretty. I bought that brand on account with my Roto Grip spare ball seen next. Not trying to brag but that's got to be one of the coolest bowling balls you've ever seen. It's a globe! Every time I bowl somewhere new I hear "Hey man I like your ball" (no joke let's keep it PG now). The C-System 3.5 was a must show because it's the only ball I've ever thrown 300 with. I always have it with me when I bowl but I have yet to throw it in a couple of months and I'm not sure why. Those to balls cost me around 235 dollars together so make sure you do your homework before you buy. That photo is of my team and I when I was a senior last year. On that team that went to state there were mostly underclassmen and then two seniors, my friend Kenny and me. Kenny is now bowling at Wichita State which is by far the best team in the nation. We took 3rd in state that year as I finished in 8th out of 72 in individuals which was the highest finish at Seaman I believe. Last is my 300 ring which is pretty huge if you couldn't tell. I rarely wear it even though it cost 200 dollars, it's still nice to show people. Anyways that's a few things I've earned from bowling, thanks for reading.

Post #5 Royal Crest Lanes

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The Kansas City Open (KCO) tournament is for youth bowlers and happens once a month. This week on April 1st in Lawrence Kansas is the next tournament. KCO's are bowled in alleys all over Kansas and is a great way for kids to earn scholarships. There are 5 divisions and 2 squads in which the kids will compete against each other to make the top 5. Each kid bowls 6 games and the top 5 advance into a step ladder. All top 5 finishers will receive scholarship money which means 25 kids will be getting some sort of help with paying for college. Making the top 5 isn't easy thought, these kids come to preform and will shoot 270 games.

Post #4 Why I Bowl

In this post I'd like to step away from telling you how to bowl and tell you why I bowl. I was about 6 of 7 seven years old when I first starting bowling on a regular bases. Gage North Bowl is the alley I grew up around which is located on highway 24. Sadly it closed down about 6 months ago to my disappointment (I have heard somebody bought it recently). My grandfather and father both used to bowl and my dad still does every once in awhile. The first 800 series shot at Gage center was actually shot by my dad which I've always thought was awesome. He also has a couple more 800 series along with 8 300 games. I currently have 2 300 games but no 800 series....yet! When I was interviewed by the Topeka Capitol Journal about my first 300 game half the article was about how happy I was to bowl 300 before my dad. By that I mean he bowled his first when he was 21 while I did it at age 17. My mother also used to bowl while my younger brother does. Jessica is my girlfriend and guess how we met...we met each other bowling in the same league. Bowling has helped me pay for a little college from tournament winnings and also travel Kansas. Just last year bowling brought my girlfriend and I to a tournament in Vegas!! That was definitely a trip I wont forget. To this day my dad still has the upper hand on me, he is just to good. He has beat a couple professional bowlers and was inducted into the Topeka Hall of Fame. I guess you could say I like to thing my dad is a bowling god. Bowling has done many good things for my life and I just hope it continues that way until the day I die.

Post #3 Bowling Balls

If you did not know there are thousands and thousands of bowling balls out there to choose from. It's hard to just choose one without another and being happy. There are many aspects to look at when looking at balls. You need to look at the coverstock, hook potential, typical length, track flare potential and whats inside the ball. Types of coverstock are highly reactive which means the ball is going to hook, urethane which is little hook, and plastic which means the ball should go straight no matter how many revs you put on it. Hook potential usually ranges from 10 to 175, the higher the ball is in hook potential obviously means it's going to hook more. Length comes into play on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 meaning the ball will change direction the earliest while 10 would be the latest. Also on a 1 to 10 scale is track flare which means the ball will have a smooth flowing arch or could snap at an angle in an instant. There is around 22 different bowling ball companies but some are better than others. From experience I would have to say Brunswick is the most used but not far behind is Storm, Roto Grip, Track, and Hammer. Here is a video that explains the types of bowling balls.

(It's not very exciting)

Until then GO BOWL!

Post #2 Game Winning Stance

Many people would never have thought about their stance to improve their bowling. As you find out, it can play a big difference in the way you score. First lets go through the "stance checklist". It involves proper distance from the foul line, proper alignment with target, knees flexed, spine inclined forward, match ball height to tempo, and last match hand/wrist position to style. Most bowlers take either 4 steps to the foul line or 5 (I take 5). Bowlers that take 4 steps are usually closer to the foul line then thoughs who take 5. The knees should be flexed at about a 15 degree angle just covering the toes. Right hand bowlers should have their left foot forward and the top of their right foot placed in the middle of their left side by side (vise versa for lefty's). Ball position is very important to get your timing down right. Slow bowlers should hold the ball about chest high, medium waist high, and fast thigh high. The 5 positions are slow, medium slow, medium, medium fast, and fast. That's all for now, next time we will talk about hand position or maybe the arm swing. Until then grab a ball and let it roll. thanks, Tate

Post #1 The Sport of Bowling

I believe bowling is a sport that many people do not understand. Some people do not even acknowledge bowling as a sport. I'm here to tell you it is and that it is more complicated than you know. Bowling is said to be around 20% physical and 80% mental. On a lane there is 39 boards and 7 arrows to help you figure out where to throw the ball. The lane is 60 feet long with 10 pins standing at the end. The two main factors that come into play are the different bowling balls and lane conditions which I will go into detail in my next few blogs. In my mind focus is the hardest aspect in the sport. Having to hit the same one inch board up to 12 times in a game isn't the easiest task in the books. When it comes to the most important aspect in bowling there's only one point that comes to mind. Spares spares spares, you have to be able to pick up your spares. One spare is the difference in winning the tournament or walking away a loser. If you want to become good there's only one way, practice practice and practice. Until then grab a ball and let it roll. Thanks, Tate