Striking Leaders

It’s been over a year since I decided to start a bowling blog with my first post “Being Bit by the Bowling Bug.”

Since then I’ve been in several tournaments, training with my fiancé (who has gotten very good, keeps me on my feet), and met pro bowlers Sean Rash, Brianna Coté, and Verity Crawley at Brock’s Bowl in Penn Yan NY.

So, what is my “why”? Knowing your “why” is the biggest motivator. It drives work, life, hobbies, everything! Let me see if I can explain:

I didn’t start bowling at a young age. No, it was shown to me right before Covid (Thank you Fun Lovers). In Covid and after is where I launched into a community of welcoming bowlers at Auburn AMF (now Bowlero Worcester). Quickly I picked up the sport, began hooking, and let my curiosity fly as I learned more and more.

I dove right away into books starting with Dean Hinitz’s “Bowling Psychology”. I swear I bowled near 200’s in my first year just with that book.

My energy and drive found me with coaches right off the bat, Dave Umbrello, John Zawalick, and Gerard Richardson. I went to Nationals after about only 3 years of bowling, team captain Lee Hansson invited me in 2022.

I have several more stories I would like to share, but let me get back to my “why”.

There are so many amazing bowlers out there, and so many bowlers period, that I realized quickly almost anyone can get good at bowling. But how many still recognize the struggles that occur to get them there? How many enlighten others to be interested in bowling? Many do.

My “why” is to inspire others to bowl, be social, have fun, learn about bowling, and to love bowling as a hobby and way of thinking about life. We all work on ourselves daily, and have to “finish the game” no matter how you’re throwing. It’s how you focus on each frame, regardless of the score, and throw each ball that matters. Each shot should be your best shot, but you have to be honest and open minded with yourself about how it went.

As in life, I learned there are “red zones” and “yellow zones”, where we are emotionally so heightened that we cannot focus on our present. When I first started bowling, I found myself frequently in the “red zone”. With experience, I have learned to stay out of there, and only occasionally getting to the “yellow zone”, or 1 step elevated where I struggle with focusing. When I remember my “why”, to inspire others and to have fun, I usually de-escalate pretty quickly.

My goal in bowling is to be a great bowler with a high average, inspiring others, and more importantly, be a part of a bowling alley renowned for excellent bowlers. I would love for Auburn, MA in Worcester County to be placed on the map, as a little known but great bowling alley. With current local pro bowlers like Chris Monroy, Nate Purches, Mike Puzo, and Andrew Hall already on the map, we are already on our way there. It would seem MA has come a long way in ten pin bowling and has a way to go.

I am grateful for all the people who have impacted my bowling journey, who have inducted me into Auburn’s own bowling social circles. As a new bowler, I have joined the bowling family of those ready to take on the challenge of bowling and the ever elusive 300s.

Thanks for reading.