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
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