I love the game. I want to be the best that i possibly can be, But like others i have some limitations. There are some things i'm not that great at among those include:

- A crooked armswing
- getting ahead of transition
-changing balls quick enough
- practicing efficiently enough
- money management

I'd love to be out there every weekend battling somewhere different trying to make it in this crazy game. But the ugly truth is that I'm just not good enough RIGHT NOW. I'm hungry for it. I love the competition. But i have things that need to be worked on. I'm Okay being a larger than average sized fish in a small farm pond for now. But that quickly can change. I constantly work on my game and anyone who knows me. Mom, girlfriend, proprietor, friends in the game know that i am not exaggerating. I spend about as much time in the bowling center between practice and equipment maintenance as i do at my full time job.

I was talking to a friend and teammate during league one night and we were talking about the changes in my game from now, and from 5 years ago when i quit due to pain issues. I stated that i spare better now and seem to be a bit more balanced. I feel like i throw the ball better now. His immediate response was "You struck a whole hell of a lot back then though". I still can strike my fair share. I have the 3rd or 4th highest average in the house i bowl at around 225 and I'm happy with that for the most part. at least for now.

Whether i'm a solid bowler, or a champion card player one constant will always be there. I'm a competitor that is driven by competition. Ive come across people who wanted to win as much as i do (in whatever aspect you want to entertain) But, I've never met anyone who wanted to win MORE than me. I just like to win.

Over the years, and a whole lot recently. I've always been given crap about my armswing. The thing about my armswing is that on the pushaway my right shoulder drops causing the ball and armswing to kind of figure 8 behind me. It gets back on plane rather quickly. It's been very hard to correct because It's not easy to just erase 10+ years of muscle memory. When i'm really working on it, there will be spurts of times where it looks good. But because of how long ive been doing things the "wrong" way. I have no feel for how things the "right" way is supposed to go. First thing) with the way I am, I'm fairly consistent with how ive always done things. secondly, ive made pretty good money with it. It's an issue that I am really self-conscious about. But am really fed up with nothing working. I think its time for me to focus on what works for me and focus on my strengths. After all, Brandon Novak just led one of the WSOB tournaments and leads the PBA World Championship after 32 games with the same issue. Now, I'm not saying that I am on the same level as Brandon. Because i'm not. I'm not close. But i feel i can compete. I'm not someone who will ever give up. When I'm motivated. I wont allow myself to lose. And thanks to some people for waking me up. I'm very motivated right now.

A little thanks to everyone who has helped me out along the way.

It would be impossible to name everyone who has helped me along my way to where I am now in bowling. Granted. I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be. In theory I'd love to think that I'm where some of my other friends who crush the game are. But in reality I just started back bowling after taking 5 years off. Also, in reality. taking that time off was teh best thing to happen to me. Physically, mentally and in a maturity way. In some ways it would be accurate to say that I'm not the same person i was when i quit bowling around November 7, 2011. I remember that day vividly because that was the day we found my brother dead, due to a gunshot wound in his truck in the woods by his house. I had bowled the week before that and had been having horrible knee and shoulder pain. I've always had wrist pain and still to this day do to an extent. Now the knee doesnt hurt much at all. If im standing in one place at work all day it will be a little sore. but for the most part, my left leg will get tight in the hamstring area. But for the most part im pretty healthy now.

But as i was saying. Mentally im not even on the same planet as i was from 2007-2011. I was not a good person then. My life was not on a good track, I and everone around me struggled because of it. I feel blessed to be able to have a 2nd oppurtunity at this again.

I've always been someone who puts in work away from the competition times. Whether that be league or tournaments, or for poker, away from cash games or tournaments. For bowling. The way i practice now is much different than how i practiced in the past. I used to think i was a good bowler, and I was solid. But the difference in my game now and then is light years different.

Towards the end. It got to be a pain to get up and go to the bowl every day. Now i bowl one night a week, practice twice a week and really am enjoying it.

When i first started bowling. I got help from guys like Kyle Ramsey and Chris Duncan. The thought behind their help was a complete 180 degrees between the two of them. At the time, Kyle's reasoning for helping me seemed to be for pot bowling sakes and to make some money off of me. Chris saw potential in me and still helps me now from time to time if i feel i need it. Kyle has had some health problems and no longer bowls which is a shame because he had all of the talent in the world. I believe he still holds the house record for high average at 237. Chris and I have bowled some doubles tournaments together and have had some success and hope to bowl a few more after he turns 50 next month.

But when i first started bowling, the person who helped me out the most was Dewey Willis. Dewey was an old school guy and was probably in his late 70s when i met him. He taught me at a very early part of my game that spares where what mattered. By this point in time he was a 180-200 average bowler depending on the house. He bowled a senior mixed league at Longview Lanes on Monday nights and a senior mixed league at Oil bowl on wednesday afternoons. i can still see his old blue hammer rolling down the lane and him leaving a flat 10. He never complained. he just picked his ball up and spared his 10 pin. He taught me the little things about bowling and it was a great help early on.

When i first started, I "practiced" all of the time. Just about every day. I have the word practiced in quotations, because at that point i wasn't aware of the correct way to practice, I just got repetition by throwing balls down the lane and starting a new game. Which leads me to my next person who has helped me out along the way.

Somewhere along the way in 2005, i was introduced to a senior bowler named Dale Patterson. Dale is originally from the Dallas area who lives in Tyler and bowls in Longview. Dale allowed me to practice with him and Andy when i was in my early 20s. Andy was still in high school then. Dale taught me the correct way to practice and some values that i still use to this day. While Andy and I at some point in time learned that we don't really see eye to eye on things. I do and always will have respect for his game.

This list wouldn't be close to correct if i didn't add Rick Eckart. Rick didn't like bowling bad. let me rephrase that, because none of us do. Rick hated bowling bad. He's the only person i know to get barred from a bowling center because of complaining because he bowled bad. Different story for a different day though. Rick helped me with some of the same aspects of bowling as Dewey did, spares and such. But more importantly, he taught me the aspects of navigating pot games and getting in others heads during head to head matches.

Clint Johsnon and Chris Johsnson. Both of these guys have taught me a very valuable lesson. Both are much much better bowlers than I am and over the years i've lost a lot of money to them. both of them taught me how to lose, but learn something while doing it.

The person who has probably helped me along the way the most..... scratch that. The person who has definitely helped me out the most is Tra Autry. I could say all the ways he has helped me through the years. But that would take a month to type it all out. He has helped me mentally and financially which are probably the two biggest aspects to the game. While I'm still getting better after coming back and trying to put more money back to be able to tackle this game with a little more seriousness, outside of my mom and my girlfriend. He is most likely my next biggest supporter

Things have not always come super easy to me. On the outside looking in, it may seem that way because in several facets of life i have excelled. I'm very competitively driven. If there's nothing to compete for, I couldn't care less.

I stepped away from the game of bowling around the time my brother died (November 7, 2011) It wasn't because i wanted to. I was in severe pain. with a bad knee and bad shoulder. Later would find out that i have what is called a bakers cyst on my miniscus in my left knee. Probably stemming from years as a high level tennis player and never learning how to slide with bowling. My wrist issues aren't bad. It get sore and tight. But nothing awful. I had x-rays on my shoulder at one point in time that showed no structural damage. it's a lot like my wrist, just gets tight from time to time. 

In the time since November 7, 2011. Ive done a multitude of things, I began waiting tables, I got engaged. I got un-engaged (hallelujah) I stopped waiting tables, I put boats together, I played poker for a living for the last time. (more on that in a bit) I started waiting tables again.

Around here, the biggest league is on Tuesday night. It's probably 24 teams or so. I got to where i would go up to the bowling center after i got off work on Tuesday and visit with old friends. After a few weeks. I (we) decided that it was time for me to try again. It had been more or less 5 years since i bowled seriously. So we were going to have to take it slow. 

I bought a used ball off of Ebay. It was a Track 503T and i decided to bowl a 10 week No tap league with my sisters boyfriend to see how i felt and would hold up for the long term. About 2 weeks into it, i was talked into subbing on a summer league, and ended up taking a full time slot on that team. I have bowled a couple of tournaments with a few more lined up..... So much for taking things slow. I guess ive never really had that gear.

Since then, Ive shot 300 with the used ball off of ebay, ive bought 2 more off of there very cheaply and one was 16 pounds that i thought was 15, and gave it to my buddy Taylor. Another was a 15 pound mission 250k that i plugged, drilled, rolled it for about a game and put it away to be given away to whoever may want it.

Ive drilled a Rotogrip Hectic, Hyper Cell-Skid, Ebonite Gamebreaker 2, Track Paradox and will be drilling a No Rules from Rotogrip this week. 

Right now, my go to ball is the Hyper Cell-Skid. I have no need for the GB2 on a league shot, But, on something a little longer or with more head oil i can use it and have a really nice reaction.

Ive been practicing twice a week about 7-10 games at a time. But after talking with someone who's opinion i value. Im going to start practicing 3 days a week and going to 4-6 games per session. I feel that the smaller practice sessions will allow to build my game up rather than possibly wearing it down.

Yesterday we had the first day of travel league. I bowl out of the East Texas version of TCBA and have a pretty solid team. I didn't bowl very good yesterday and lost a bit of money in brackets. I may have lost money, But I learned a lot as well. 

Im truly excited to be back in the game and working hard to get myself ready to compete on a bigger level. have 6 games today and a positive outlook.