Stepping Off the Approach

Regarding bowling, someone I know once told me that he’ll continue bowling as long as it serves a purpose.  Well, after a nice 17 year run of hitting the hardwoods every week, I’ve decided that for me personally that purpose is no longer there.  There are a lot of reasons that went into my decision but most of it has to do with the fact that I was “lucky” enough to have been born with over pronated feet.  In layman’s terms this means that I have no arches and feet which "smush" to the outside.

A normal foot (left) and BowlingJoe's foot (right)

This has always made balancing difficult and it’s getting to the point now where merely standing stationary on one leg and balancing for more than a few seconds is difficult.  As in most sports, especially bowling, good balance is key.  Especially in the scratch league I was in where the competition is very good.  So rather than watch my skill level continue to erode (as it has been the last few seasons), I’ve decided it’s time to go do something else.  Time will tell exactly what that is but I have some ideas.

There’s no sadness, though, and certainly no “pity party” to be found here.  I’m just happy that my fairly un-athletic self was able to compete at a fairly high level for that time.  I even managed to accomplish a couple of personal goals by getting a couple of rings for a 300 game and an 801 three-game series.  And BowlingWidow was even on my team for the perfect game which made it all the more special.

The 300 and 800 Rings:  Two Days I'll Always Remember

But most of all, I’m so thankful that I met as many friends and acquaintances because of bowling.  Friendships that will transcend bowling and continue forever.  And some of those people are even left-handed!

One thing is for sure:  I’m still a fan and will be dropping in on the league every now and then to check out the action and say hello.  And who knows?  After this upcoming season I might get the bug and discover a new reason to start another 17-year run of bowling.

The name of this blog is of course BowlingJoe.  Topically, it really hasn’t been about bowling very much of the time.  So I think I’ll keep the name.  I kind of like the way it sounds.