May 18, 2015
As was last time, there are definitely two different parts to this blog. I’ll start with my part first. This week was FRUSTRATING. Sometimes things just aren’t meant to go your way and that was definitely the case for my 2015 USBC Queens event.
I’ve been told that you either win or you learn, but what I’ve found is the learning part might take some time to figure out. I bowled two solid matches yesterday that just were not enough. My first opponent was Maria Jose Rodriguez an international star for Colombia and former player of the year for Maryland Eastern Shore. When I first saw this I was disappointed on one hand because Maria is one of my favorite people in bowling, but on the other hand I was excited because we always seem to bowl well against each other.
It was sure to be a tight match. We didn’t disappoint. I came out of the gate strong like I knew I would need to. There are always moments where you can tell there’s a shift. Towards the middle of the match her single pins started falling and mine started standing. It came down to the 9th and 10th frame of the last game. I needed two good shots but unfortunately I left a pocket split and a pocket 9-pin. When you give opportunities to players and when they catch a few breaks they WILL take it. Had I not been a part of the match it would have been a fun one to watch. I thought it was going to be my toughest pill to swallow for the day. It wasn’t.
My second match was against another international star: Mariana Ayala. Mariana is a standout player for the Puerto Rican national team and has many international medals to her credit. I knew that this was going to be a great match.
Early in the match I was throwing the ball well, but just not catching the good breaks. I would strike and then leave a single pin where I felt like I had thrown the ball well enough to double. The pins told me otherwise. Mariana looked a little lost in practice. She spared on her first attempt and then threw three strikes in a row. Two of them were non-traditional strikes, but in this game you have to have those. You have to take your breaks. She did just that. I was basically playing from behind the entire match, but making the best shots I could. I just couldn’t seem to find the hit to knock down all ten pins consistently.
This match again came down to the 9th and 10th frame. I knew that I needed to try and make an adjustment because the pins weren’t falling the way I needed them to. My adjustment wasn’t the right one. I left a huge split. Knowing the only way to stay in the match was by making it, I gave it a run and converted it! It’s always a pretty awesome feeling when you make a shot that most people would say is incredibly hard to make in such a big moment. I needed another big shot in the 10th frame. I made my minor adjustment, but did not throw my best shot.
It was Mariana’s match. It’s so amazing to me to see how many of these matches come down to the very end. There are so many talented players in this field and it is legitimately one good break or one bad break away from being someone’s match. It makes it exciting to watch!
I had a really great conversation after I was done bowling with Kim Kearney, one of my Team USA coaches and also one favorite bowlers to watch. She had watched my match and told me that sometimes, as frustrating as it is, the learning part comes down the line. You’ll see another moment like this, but the next time your adjustments will work in your favor and it will start to make sense. This was incredibly frustrating for a person who loves the question, `Why?’. I have a lot of my best bowling experiences with Kim around and some not so fun ones too, but I always value her input.
Now on to the GOOD stuff. While my run may be done, Commodore Nation still has two dogs in the fight. I didn’t get to watch a whole lot because I was preparing for my matches, but Kristin (Quah) and Giselle (Poss) have fought their way to see another day!
Kristin made her day as easy as it could be yesterday. In this tournament a loss doesn’t kill you because it’s double elimination, but winning early is so important. Kristin won her first two matches to keep herself alive in the winners bracket. This makes her `road to the show’ a much shorter one than someone who loses the first round. I’m excited to actually watch her match play in action today.
Giselle lost her first match in a tight one to former collegiate player of the year Bryanna Caldwell. It would be easy to be frustrated, disappointed and angry, especially since her next match would be against Verity Crawley the number 1 seed.
In this tournament seed means nothing once you’re in the bracket. G didn’t let this bother her. She stayed poised and did her thing. She came out with a victory and stayed alive to see another round.
Her next opponent was one of my best friends and a former Junior Team USA player: Sarah Germano. Sarah is a scrappy player and I knew it would be a fun match to watch. They hit a tough pair and scores weren’t tremendously high, but G persevered. She lived to see day two. Her road will be a little longer than she probably prefers, but there’s no doubt in my mind she’ll leave everything she has out there. It makes me so proud.
I hope the next time I write I have some really exciting reports, but regardless of what the day holds I am so proud of the way these girls have represented themselves, their families, our team, and our university.
Anchor DOWN!