This week I would like to talk about the USBC Nationals and what it really means to me when it’s time to bowl. The USBC Nationals (formally the ABC tournament) is something that I personally look forward to every year. It’s a time to go out with my longtime friends and bowl together. It’s a time to go to a different destination to bowl. It’s a chance to try your skill on the tougher oil patterns, and it’s a time where you have a chance to win one of the most recognized trophies in bowling, the Eagle.  

Every year I start getting excited about 4 to 5 months before the actual dates that I bowl. This year I get to go out to Reno NV in May. Now this isn’t my first time going to Reno. I have done decent in years past out at the National Bowling stadium. The last time we were there I shot 1834 I think. I have also posted a 19 something all events there too. In the past my friends and I have gone out in March, but we decided for a little change this year. Going later for us, means we get to start to see what the bowlers are doing out there, and get some feedback from friends of ours that go out before us. It’s also a chance to get a lot of quality practice in before we go. This year we are doing actual team training sessions which we can work on bowling ball layouts, bowling ball surfaces, and work on the physical game to get our bodies and mind in tune for what’s to come. Where do we do this? Of course we do this at Bowling IQ. I have only talked about this awesome place in the past couple weeks. I will never forget the last time we were out in Reno. I had a bowler who joined us for his first trip. This was his very first National try. I remember telling him to make sure you just make good shots and it’s ok if you don’t shoot 240’s or 250’s out here. The lanes are a little bit more challenging then back home. Well in the team event he posted 203 205 290. I was very excited for him. He grinded it out and stuck with it. Heck he beat me in team series. But one thing I noticed a lot recently is how the younger generation thinks. I can remember this conversation like it happened yesterday. All ten of us were sitting down for dinner, and I again complimented him on his bowling that day. He didn’t seem to really take it to heart just how well he bowled. He kind of just shrugged it off. I told him to keep that focus on the lanes tomorrow because this isn’t a three game tournament. There are 9 total games to bowl, and All Events is a pretty big thing, at least in my eyes. Sure you can bowl great for one set, but doing it for 9 total games is a greater accomplishment. He just looked over at me and said you want to put some money on total events?

Now, remember he had me by 80 pins in totals at this point, and I looked over at him and said “Sure how much do you want to bowl for?” He said something like ten bucks, and I looked over at him and said, “If you’re that confident and you already have a huge lead on me, let’s make it worth the time. “How about $500?” He looked at me and said he didn’t have that kind of money. Honestly neither did I.  I wanted to see how confident he really was. So we decided not to go on with the wager, but this just lit a fire under me. I’m thinking to myself, this 20 something year old kid is going to challenge me? So the next day came and it was time for us to bowl doubles and singles. We reminded each other about the conversation the evening before. I said, “Are you ready?” He said sure no problem. Well after the 9 games were done, and the all events totals were in, I beat him by 33 pins!! Yes you read it right. He had an 80 pin lead on me the night before, and I beat him in all events. This is a small lesson for those people that like to talk a lot. I am going to give you some advice one of my former coaches told me. He always said “Let the bowling ball do the talking not you” To this day I remember that and it’s something that has stuck with me throughout my bowling career.  

In closing this week, I hope all of you who are bowling Nationals this year, have a great time, enjoy your friends and teammates company, and don’t look to go out there and shoot huge numbers. The lanes are more difficult and you need to keep your focus during every shot. If you make good shots, good things will happen. Just look at what happened with my scores. Also thank you to everyone on face book that has wished me a speedy recovery during my physical therapy sessions over the last four weeks. I am feeling about 80% better, and will be back on the lanes soon. If you haven’t become a friend of GLC or myself on Face book, then what are you waiting for? Log on and find us. 

T.J. Yeip is the Manager of GLC Bowling and the Lead Technical Advisor. He is an IBPSIA Advanced Certified Member and former PBA member. He is a USBC Certified Coach. You can email your questions to him personally at thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com