May 16, 2015
I attempted to sit down and write this after bowling last night, but I couldn’t quite explain where my mind was at. It was scattered. This morning isn’t really any different. The best way to express my feelings are WOW!? As much as I try to compete at these events (Team USA trials, Queens, US Open) and have my mind solely focused on my bowling, I’ve found that with my job that is 100% impossible. We have 3 current or incoming Commodores competing in this event and I have been incredibly impressed.
Jordan Newham is an Illinois standout who is competing in what I would call her first `big-girl’ tournament. I’ve been able to watch a decent amount of her games because she is on a different squad than I am. I have watched Jordan compete in a handful of tournaments since we started recruiting her and I am so thrilled with her improvement in such a short window of time. To me she is the epitome of hard work. Her work ethic is something that will be valued within this program and I am so excited about being able to be a part of her future growth.
Giselle Poss is a rising junior in our program who just recently competed in her first international event for Team Puerto Rico. Giselle and I have had several conversations about how important competing internationally is and what an awesome experience it can be. Watching G this week has been especially entertaining. She is one of the hardest workers in our group, but was always waiting for that one moment when she realized it was paying off. If this week is any indication, her best days are still ahead. The maturity G has shown over the last two days of qualifying has been enjoyable to watch.
Kristin Quah is an incoming freshman from Singapore. For those outside the bowling world, Singapore is a hotbed of talent. I knew how gifted she was when we were recruiting her, but I have had the pleasure the last two days of being on the pair next to her through all but one game of qualifying (I missed the 299!). I’m not entirely sure how to put into perspective the display she put on yesterday. We quite possibly have one of the strongest USBC Queens field’s in years and this girl just destroyed the qualifying day like it was just another day on the job. The only thing I can really say is that I was happy to be able to be next to it all day and witness the fantastic display of bowling. It would be hard to believe if you weren’t there to see it in person!
Now I can finally think about my own performance J. I will say I have been happy with my performance, but not satisfied. Last night was what most bowlers would call a `grind’. I was executing the way I wanted to (for the most part), but the pins were being stubborn. The most important thing about this tournament in particular is that you never let yourself mentally check out. It’s all about learning and taking in the information that is given to you. After today’s qualifying round the field is cut to 63 plus the last year’s champion. You are seeded into a bracket and from there your pins in qualifying are essentially meaningless. While I would love to have a few more pins next to my name, my eyes are focused on what I can learn to get me to Sunday. If you can make it to there anything can happen!
Regardless of how my personal week goes from here on out there is one thing I can stand by. I am SO excited about what the future holds for this Commodore team. These kids are AWESOME and I am so blessed to be along for the ride.
Anchor Down!