When we moved to Shanghai I took a risk in allocating 40 lbs of our allotted 750lbs of air shipment by bringing our bowling gear. After a few months here our bag was still collecting dust in our storage room, and we still hadn’t seen the inside of the bowling alley. At home we got the chance to bowl in a monthly league and I spent the past year having weekly bowl offs for lunch against Patrick with the end result of usually me buying.
Things soon changed when we heard about a weekly Wednesday league that was organized by one of the softball guys, “The Hammer”. Hammer is easily the best bowler in our misfit group and a great host for the league. He supplies a few rounds of Tsingtaos and covers for those of us who sometimes leave without paying him for bowling. He also organizes a skins game for those who like to gamble. We were pretty confused at first about the idea of winning skins in bowling but the concept makes the league a lot more fun for those of us who like to play.
Since our bowling group changes week to week with anywhere from 10 to 30 people, the skins system lets everyone come and go as they please while still establishing an average for the season ending tournament. We usually play 3-4 games each time with the first game being a warm up game. The next two games you can opt in or out of the skins game. You can win skins a few ways. Any split converted, any turkey, and high 10th frame all are automatic skins that will get you 5rmb per person for each skin. An untied high score each frame also wins a skin so there is plenty of rooting for/against other bowlers depending on the scenario. This skin creates a lot looks from other people bowling as our crowd gets pretty rowdy when only one strike is on the board. There is also a trash skin called the ‘CJ strike’ aptly named for one of the league member whose ability to throw a first ball gutter and still get a spare is legendary. Given that our best bowler has about a 180 average while the field averages around a 125, anyone can win money with this system.
This all culminated with a 16 man tournament to end the fall season. Timely corresponding with Thanksgiving, the big prize was a smoked turkey. The league is not short of big personalities, so the trash talking and wagers on who would win began a couple weeks in advance of the actual tournament. As the lone female in the tournament, I was letting everyone know that I was ‘dark horse’. I know my game is consistently inconsistent, thus I could either be an early exit or make a deep run into the finals. This was single elimination tournament so I was pretty nervous going in. However, my confidence rose quickly as I knocked out the defending champion by 60 pins in the first round. My next round was against the Hammer and I got a little lucky. The lanes were dry and he couldn’t find his mark and my 47 pin advantage was too much for him to overcome. Round three put me against my friend Adam, who had previously duped his girlfriend and I into a sucker bet the week before so I was out for blood. Karma was on my side as Adam bowled a sub par game and I won the match straight up without needing my 14 pin advantage.
I headed to the finals having to face Noah in a two game high total match. Noah was the biggest trash talker and most of the crowd was on my side. Unfortunately, I did not make the first match very interesting. I had a hard time following through and missed my mark just too many times, giving up my 30 pin advantage between two games. Winning straight up the next game was just too big of feat after four games behind me and my turkey dreams were soon crushed. I guess I’ll have to wait until next tourney for redemption.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
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