Matt Cannizzaro blogs: One for the lefties
April 29, 2010
Hello everyone.
Three years ago, I interviewed a young bowler who got off to a rough start in his USBC Open Championships debut, but drew on his raw talent and pulled things together in time for a top 10 finish in singles.
He was excited, nervous, overwhelmed and really just trying to prove himself. His goal was to earn a spot on one of the elite tournament teams, which he knew would come with time and experience.
I've seen him at various events since, talked to him on occasion and seen his game evolve as he tests himself against different types of competition.
I saw him walking around the National Bowling Stadium last week. He's usually pretty quiet, but always friendly and polite, and this year was no different. We chatted briefly, and I wished him luck and went on my way.
This year, he finally got the invitation he'd been hoping for, and was scheduled to shoe up with an experienced team. If it were me, I would've been painfully nervous about letting my new teammates down, and he very well might have been, but I did not get to see him before his team event.
Whether he was nervous or not is irrelevant, however, as nearly shooting 800 and leading your team into the top 10 is the perfect way to prove to yourself and your teammates that you belong.
The next day, I went out to the lanes to see if this youngster could keep up his pace from the night before. Again, if it was me out there, I'd already be thinking about how to re-create the magic from last night, I'd be calculating what I needed for the all-events lead, and I'd likely be pressing on every shot.
But when I got out there, I saw someone who was clearly proud to be wearing his team "uniform" and was oddly calm. Even as the strikes continued to add up, his demeanor didn't change. You'd think by looking at him that he'd been there before, or expected to be.
He wasn't as emotional or vocal as a Gus Yannaras or as playful as a Ron Vokes. He wasn't as analytical as a Jeff Richgels or as intense as a Sean Rash. He's not as seasoned as a Steve Fehr or as accomplished on the lanes as a Gary Daroszewski.
He was just stone-cold confident, and it was impressive to watch as he took down a record that many people thought was untouchable. Every shot was like the one before it. I would've been far from calm, and if he wasn't, he hid it well.
As a left-hander, I was amazed and a little bit jealous. As someone who regularly gets to see the top bowlers in the world compete, I appreciated the performance. Perhaps it was the emergence of the next notable bowler?
Either way, it was far from the same person I talked to in this very building three years ago, and I guess what it made me realize was that I've been here long enough that I've gotten to see so many talents develop.
I've seen bowlers at their best and at their worst. I've seen inspirational performances that I'll never forget, and I've seen bowlers on the verge of glory buckle under the pressure. I've seen bowlers come out here sick and hurt just to keep their participation streaks alive.
My point is that in six years at the Open Championships, I have a lot of great memories.
Now that we are one day past the halfway point of the 2010 event, I can confidently archive Matt McNiel's record-breaking all-events performance (2,326) as the top moment of the first half of 2010, and possibly one of the top five moments I've seen.
Perhaps when I'm sitting in my cubicle at USBC Headquarters in Arlington, Texas, I'll rank my favorite memories as the media relations manager.
Statistically speaking, the 2010 tournament hasn't been quite as eventful through the first 68 of 136 days.
There have been 10 perfect games, seven 299s, three 298s and three 800 series. The Regular Division average so far is 174.2, compared to 150.1 in the Classified Division. A total of 254,753 games have been bowled for a combined average of 168.2.
A total of 4,548,548 balls have been thrown and 42,845,741 pins (score) have been knocked down. There have been 878,723 strikes and 1,014,957 spares on the way to 15,114 clean games and 130 clean series.
In the end, it's not about the numbers. It's about the experience and the memories.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.
Three years ago, I interviewed a young bowler who got off to a rough start in his USBC Open Championships debut, but drew on his raw talent and pulled things together in time for a top 10 finish in singles.
He was excited, nervous, overwhelmed and really just trying to prove himself. His goal was to earn a spot on one of the elite tournament teams, which he knew would come with time and experience.
I've seen him at various events since, talked to him on occasion and seen his game evolve as he tests himself against different types of competition.
I saw him walking around the National Bowling Stadium last week. He's usually pretty quiet, but always friendly and polite, and this year was no different. We chatted briefly, and I wished him luck and went on my way.
This year, he finally got the invitation he'd been hoping for, and was scheduled to shoe up with an experienced team. If it were me, I would've been painfully nervous about letting my new teammates down, and he very well might have been, but I did not get to see him before his team event.
Whether he was nervous or not is irrelevant, however, as nearly shooting 800 and leading your team into the top 10 is the perfect way to prove to yourself and your teammates that you belong.
The next day, I went out to the lanes to see if this youngster could keep up his pace from the night before. Again, if it was me out there, I'd already be thinking about how to re-create the magic from last night, I'd be calculating what I needed for the all-events lead, and I'd likely be pressing on every shot.
But when I got out there, I saw someone who was clearly proud to be wearing his team "uniform" and was oddly calm. Even as the strikes continued to add up, his demeanor didn't change. You'd think by looking at him that he'd been there before, or expected to be.
He wasn't as emotional or vocal as a Gus Yannaras or as playful as a Ron Vokes. He wasn't as analytical as a Jeff Richgels or as intense as a Sean Rash. He's not as seasoned as a Steve Fehr or as accomplished on the lanes as a Gary Daroszewski.
He was just stone-cold confident, and it was impressive to watch as he took down a record that many people thought was untouchable. Every shot was like the one before it. I would've been far from calm, and if he wasn't, he hid it well.
As a left-hander, I was amazed and a little bit jealous. As someone who regularly gets to see the top bowlers in the world compete, I appreciated the performance. Perhaps it was the emergence of the next notable bowler?
Either way, it was far from the same person I talked to in this very building three years ago, and I guess what it made me realize was that I've been here long enough that I've gotten to see so many talents develop.
I've seen bowlers at their best and at their worst. I've seen inspirational performances that I'll never forget, and I've seen bowlers on the verge of glory buckle under the pressure. I've seen bowlers come out here sick and hurt just to keep their participation streaks alive.
My point is that in six years at the Open Championships, I have a lot of great memories.
Now that we are one day past the halfway point of the 2010 event, I can confidently archive Matt McNiel's record-breaking all-events performance (2,326) as the top moment of the first half of 2010, and possibly one of the top five moments I've seen.
Perhaps when I'm sitting in my cubicle at USBC Headquarters in Arlington, Texas, I'll rank my favorite memories as the media relations manager.
Statistically speaking, the 2010 tournament hasn't been quite as eventful through the first 68 of 136 days.
There have been 10 perfect games, seven 299s, three 298s and three 800 series. The Regular Division average so far is 174.2, compared to 150.1 in the Classified Division. A total of 254,753 games have been bowled for a combined average of 168.2.
A total of 4,548,548 balls have been thrown and 42,845,741 pins (score) have been knocked down. There have been 878,723 strikes and 1,014,957 spares on the way to 15,114 clean games and 130 clean series.
In the end, it's not about the numbers. It's about the experience and the memories.
That's the news for now. See you on the lanes.