Thursday, January 16, 2014

Once in a lifetime...

Yogi Berra, Don Larsen - Moments after Don's perfect game, 1956 World Series, Game 5

Way back a long, long time ago, Dwayne and I were on a bowling league. Every Saturday night, we bowled. We had our own bowling balls, bags and shoes - we were serious!

But even though I loved bowling, I wasn't very good at it. My average was only 112, and that was after lots of practice and studying. 

Yes, studying...I always study up when I do something, even a new sport. So when I started bowling, I went to the library, and got bowling books. It's well established - I'm geeky that way.

One bowling Saturday, though, I blew my average out of the water. I hit 'the zone' that night. To this day I have no idea how I did it, but from my first few practice shots until my last shot of the third game, I couldn't miss.

THE ZONE.

What I remember specifically about that night is how focused I was. I KNEW that I wouldn't miss. Every time I grabbed my ball and walked up to the lane, the world narrowed and I knew exactly what was going to happen.

So...what WAS that? The next week things were back to normal, I was just me again with my 112 average. I don't know if I've ever experienced anything like that ever again. I don't know if I want it to happen again, either...it's a little unsettling to think about, like it was someone else doing this awesome thing, not me.

Have YOU ever been in 'the zone'? Have you ever been able to recapture it? Would you want to?

26 comments:

  1. At my 11th birthday party I dropped a bowling ball on my toes and gave up the sport. However, there's always that unexpected homerun hit on the sandlot or catching a vase after it rolls off a table or landing a job one doesn't mind too much. I suspect the zone expands. At least I hope it does.

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  2. No zone in bowling...I used to bowl on a company league, and my average was 90. My team liked me for my handicap. At least that's what they told me.

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    1. When I started, I think my average was 89. I had to study and study to bring it up, LOL...

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  3. I was in the zone once during a high school basketball game - felt like I couldn't miss! It's a nice feeling. Alas though, came back to reality the next game :)

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    1. That's what I'm talking about! Yeah...the next week I was back to reality...gutter balls and all.

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  4. I'm a half-decent bowler. On the Wii.

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    1. We need to get that! Chelsea's been monopolizing our Wii for years with ten different versions of Guitar Hero...I forget there are other things I can do with it!

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  5. Never even knew there were books on bowling lol I'm always in the zone with whatever sport I used to play, before my body crapped out, was good at them all, besides soccer, hated soccer.

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    1. I always avoided any kind of team sports...in college I discovered I liked individual sport. Team sports stressed me out so much, with people depending on you to do something - I would immediately fail.

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  6. So, what was your score? Or am I missing the point of the story?

    A professor of mine used to talk about musical moments - snapshots in musical performance when everything clicks and everyone involved knows it. I have been a part of those moments from time to time. Without them, I'd probably be doing something else for a living.

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    1. Yes! I remember those moments when we would perform a difficult piece and everything was perfect.

      My scores were in the 190's, I think - I had no open frames, but I also didn't hit 200. WIth my handicap, though, I was way over 300, LOL!

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    2. I haven't bowled in many years. It was a very popular outing my senior year of high school but I've only gone a few times since. 150 was a decent night for me. I never cracked 200.

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    3. Dwayne hit over 200 twice. With the way RA has mangled his fingers, I don't if he can do bowling any more - it's one of the reasons why we stopped. Even if he gets out of the wheelchair... Sounds like I'm talking about an old man, when he's only 46! :(

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  7. I haven't bowled in years. But I actually was not bad at it. And I'm a left handed person bowling right handed.

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    1. Sometimes my game was so bad I would try bowling left-handed. I figured it couldn't hurt, LOL...

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  8. I too was unaware of there being bowling books out there - but why shouldn't there be? I think there should be (and probably is) a book on everything! :D

    I love how you described your magical night of being IN DA ZONE. hehe

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    1. It was magical! LOLOL
      DA ZONE, you are right I should probably change the spelling, that's way more cool... :)

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  9. Great post! I've definitely been in THE ZONE! Not too long ago I did a gaming competition, whoever had the most points in a shooting game called Battlefield 3 at the end of the month won a computer part! I played every day for 6+ hours and achieved third place haha.

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  10. Thanks for commenting on my blog :)

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  11. Not yet. I find things bring back old memories but none of them put me back in the zone.

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    1. Me neither...not since that one time. But I'm thankful for old memories...good memories. :)

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