Bowling, November 14, 2009 (Good consistency in scores)

While there was no dramatic improvement in bowling scores this week, my scores were still some of the better scores I have received and they are pretty consistent with my scores from last week. This week, they were 99, 109, and 117.

My first game (99) was due to in the last frame when we have three balls, I went too quickly and the ball ended up going into the gutter, causing my score to be one point away from 100, while the other games were more typical in terms of my recent scores. I have kept track of all of my scores up to this point and my averages for each week and after bowling ends in the spring, I am going to make a graph so I can see how my scores got better or worse (which hopefully they will not) from the beginning to the end. My capabilities have improved significantly since I began bowling but it's also due to the fact that I was able to identify where I was doing well and where I was not doing well in the beginning. I still have areas to improve, and I acknowledge that. That's what learning objective 1 that I chose for this activity is all about - identify areas of strength and areas for growth. My areas of strength are increasing because in the past I was able to identify my areas for growth and I have been working to overcome these areas for growth (which in the past were the flicking of my wrist, the fact that I have recently realized I was putting the wrong fingers in the holes in the bowling ball, and my concentration), and now that I have improved those aspects of my performance, I know where I can still improve now.

Most of the more experienced people that I bowl with are able to make the ball curve and I still would like to be able to do this. It'd improve my scores tremendously, and I have been studying their motions when they bowl so that I can do the same thing when it's my turn. I don't know exactly what it is they're doing, because from my perspective it LOOKS as if they flick their wrist, but they can't be flicking their wrist in the same manner that sends the ball into the gutter. I need to talk to the instructor/coordinator, who is herself very good at bowling, and see what she has to say that can help me learn this technique.

I would also like to touch on something else - my social skills are improving week by week. Learning objective 8 - learn new skills - doesn't necessarily have to only be about the bowling itself. I have been learning to adapt to working with new people, as they switch us around every week. I am forced to be with people far more experienced than I am, of different ages, although now they're placing me with kids my own age. I used to be afraid that I'd look like an amateur or like I was really inexperienced or shouldn't even be there since I barely knew what to do, but now I am more comfortable being around people that I don't know at all, who may be watching me and criticizing in their minds. I have opened myself up to the opportunity that I might even make some new friends, and I have been much more successful the less nervous I have become. My growth as a person from this activity is not only related to bowling skills, but my social skills as well. It's easy for me to be myself around people I have known for a while, but it's more difficult for me when I know no one, causing me to be much more quiet and reserved. But slowly, this is changing and I am opening up a lot more.