Session type: Tournament
Bowled a tournament today on a typical house shot and averaged 216 over three games. Overall, it felt like one of those days where things just came together. Not perfect by any means — I had a few shots I didn’t love and a couple splits — but the big difference was how well I was reading the lanes and staying ahead of the transitions.
I brought six balls with me because I wasn’t sure what the lanes were going to give us, and I wanted to be prepared for multiple looks. In practice, I started with my Overseas Attention Star Solid ball, which is usually money for me, but it was just a touch too strong early on. I tested my Level, and honestly, the line looked really good — but I’m not as comfortable with it yet. I decided to stick with the red ball, made the necessary adjustments (moved a board or 2 left), and committed to it. In hindsight, it felt like the right decision for that environment.
What stood out most was how calm and confident the process felt. I wasn’t chasing ball reaction or forcing moves — just watching ball motion, trusting what I was seeing, and making smart, timely adjustments. That’s something I’ve been working on, and today it showed. Once my Attention Star started lagging I switched from that to my Virtual Energy Blackout, which has a cleaner cover and a strong backend. The thing was, on the odd lane I was using that, while on the even lane I was still using my Attention Star. At least for an extra 4 throws. This just shows that lanes don’t break down exactly and behave the exact same way, even if they’re on the same pair.
On top of that, they ran a side pot bracket at $5 per entry. I threw in $20 for four entries and ended up winning all four brackets. Each paid $25, so that’s $100 back — minus the $20 buy-in — for $80 profit. Always a nice bonus when the bowling backs it up.
Overall, this tournament felt like a confirmation that the work is paying off. Solid execution, good decisions, and staying comfortable in my look made the difference.