U. S. Open – Day 4

Holiday Lanes

7/24 – Courtney was at Holiday Lanes today for her final block at the U. S. Open. First of all I feel compelled to say how really proud I am of her. I watched a true warrior all week fight with every ounce of strength she could muster. Her scores did not show it but, I’m here to tell you she threw it very well this week, remained calm, level headed and “in the moment” on every shot. Her moves this week made complete sense including ball changes. She saw the lane very well.

It was just a crazy hard condition to score on. I saw many seasoned bowlers having extreme difficulty scoring. So, she was not alone. She did not have the luxury of drilling equipment after the practice blocks or between competition squads. What she brought was a complete guess and she had to make it work. Some would say that is a disadvantage and maybe they would be right. But, what I saw was an athlete who was able to get the most out of what they had. I don’t see any room for regret but, some areas that need to be worked on for sure. I can only hope she is able to look past all of this and see it for what it is; a very solid and courageous performance with moments of sheer brilliance. Before the block today I had to open a few thumb holes for her. Her thumb was swelling a bit and was on the verge of breaking open. This combined with the busted fingernail, and splits in both middle and ring fingers made for an interesting tournament. I managed to patch her up for her final block.

Holiday Lanes Sign

Holiday lanes is an interesting house, I have never seen a house which has three sides. Yes that’s right it is a split house of 16 lanes on each side with an additional 16 lanes on a third wall. I remember when we went to check out the houses, I walked in thinking it was a very small house. Then I turned a corner to find the bathroom and there was an additional 16 lanes. I was caught off guard for sure. We laughed about that for a while through our astonishment.

As I mentioned yesterday, this was supposed to be the highest scoring house of the three. I didn’t see it that way based on what I observed with Courtney and all of the other bowlers in the block. Let’s consider that this was the last block of the qualifying rounds plus the practice blocks. So, that means the pattern had been applied at least 8 times. What I saw was that the pattern played tighter and became less forgiving as each day passed. Today was the worst I’ve seen. I saw many excellent shots simply not carry. Stringing strikes was extremely difficult at best. Still, there were several high scores. I don’t want to say they caught lightening in a bottle. I think it’s more like the folks who put up the big scores are just that good. When they see something repeatable they are good enough to pull it off.

Courtney and I discussed how we need to approach the next few months of practice in order to address the issues we discovered today and get ready for Team Trials in January. Tomorrow we will be watching match play starting at 8am. Leanne Hulsenberg and Kim Kearney made match play so, we’ll likely be following them around. Also, a big shout out to Alex Aguiar, he also hung on to make cut and will be there tomorrow as well.

U. S. Open – Day 3

Columbus Western Bowl

 

7/23 – Today Courtney competed at Columbus Western Bowl. It has been recognized as the lowest scoring house of the three being used for the tournament. In addition, the upper last 10 lanes or so have a peculiar trait. We found out the pin deck is actually slanted slightly toward the pit. This causes your ball to actually speed up slightly having a negative effect on pocket entry angle. We put this theory to test and sure enough, scores on the high end were lower. In fact Courtney had to compensate right a bit to try and regain the entry angle.

There are a couple of “take aways” from this tournament experience we will be working on when we return. It’s amazing I continue to learn as I observe and coach bowlers on various tournament conditions about what works and what does not. So, as usual, it’s a learning experience for me too. Courtney continued to grind it out today. Overall, she is throwing the ball well just not able to string any strikes and is throwing a ton of spares. She missed some today which cost her some pins in total. She has a solid spare game but, clearly to compete at this level it needs to be an automatic thing. We’ll be working on that to further cement in her spare game.

Women break the pattern down differently than men do. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of opportunity for her to compete with just women very often back home. So, she has developed a ball roll similar in shape to the men’s game which is somewhat of a disadvantage sometimes when bowling with a field of accomplished female athletes. It’s a complicated matter but, we’ll need to work on having her alter her ball roll when she needs to. The ability to go back and forth between the two will be a great asset to her. She can get further in than most of the women but, that’s not always to her advantage. Basically she is used to rolling the ball away from her and needs to a refine a shot where she keeps the ball in front of her at all times. In other words, the ball should never be outside her shoulder.

In terms of lane play today, the lanes were hooking way more than yesterday at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl. She started with her Aura but, quickly moved to her C-System Versa Max where she stayed for the remainder of the block. The condition deteriorated quickly as the mids opened up very fast so, she had to chase it in. At the end of the block she was standing around 35, playing the middle arrow to around 10 at the breakpoint. That is much deeper than she is accustomed to playing. She did a nice job of it considering it is clearly not her “A” game. Scores did not show it but she was on pocket for most of the shots. The problem is when you give away the pocket that much it makes carrying the corners difficult. She probably could have used a good pearl equal in strength to her Versa Max. That would have generated more angle off the break point probably resulting in a higher carry percentage.

After we finished the block today, Courtney had a short nap and we met up with our friends Kim Kearney and Leanne Hulsenberg for dinner and a movie.  On the way home we stopped and got Courtney some muscle cream. She is sore and a little banged up after both blocks. She has a split in the crease of her ring finger that we keep patching with new skin. It ripped open in game two of today’s block. We’ll be keeping an eye on that to ensure it does not get any worse.

Tomorrow we have the final block of the qualifying round at Holiday Lanes. It is said to be the most forgiving of all three houses. Given what I’ve seen of this shot, I’m not sure “forgiving” is a word I would choose to use. The shot is brutal and I give a tip of the cap to anyone who does well on this condition.

U. S. Open – Day 2

Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl. Location for today’s block

 

7/22 – I have witnessed one of the most deceptively cruel shots I’ve ever seen. Ball roll looks good but consistent carry is another story. The scoring pace is low, as expected and as it should be for the U. S. Open. After Courtney got over some early jitters she threw the ball well but, was just not able to string strikes and catch a few breaks. It was one of those nights where you know you bowled way better than what the score indicates.

There were some very positive takeaways from today’s block. Courtney threw the ball extremely well today. Of course there were a few errant shots but, overall she looked super. Ball choice was on the money. She started throwing an Aura Paranormal which was able to read the pattern well and break down the lane a bit. Courtney moved to her Aura when the Paranormal started to burn up a bit around the end of the 2^nd game of the block. Her Aura looked really good for about a game or so and then it started picking up on the lane a bit early and finished really hard. Next she moved to her C-System Versa Max and was able to stay on that ball for the remainder of the 8 game block. The moves were in using the same breakpoint down lane at around 10, essentially just changing the angles in the front of the lane to get the ball to face up to the pocket at the breakpoint. The transition was very fast and staying ahead of the moves was tough. We need to do a better job of that tomorrow since in looking back at it we were a little slow to pick up on the transition. The other thing she did really well was keep her composure. Many bowlers would have panicked and started pressing for score. Courtney really stayed in the moment on each shot and treated each frame as an isolated thing. It’s hard to do over 8 games especially when there is a premium on strikes. Courtney’s spare game was on point today as well. She only missed a few makeable spares and believe me she threw a lot of them today.

All in all, she had a solid block even though it did not translate to big scores. This is her first time on such big stage and she held her own today. We are hoping to take this experience and leverage it tomorrow. Let’s sit back and think about the quality of the field. First off there are numerous current and former female PBA members who have significant experience bowling at this level. Also, there are many international and regional players here who are used to bowling under pressure on demanding conditions all the time. This is what she is surrounded with and to hold her own against some of the best in the world is a great first step. On a positive note, the torn fingernail did not bother her bowling tonight so, we may have dodged a bullet there.

As I mentioned, we’re looking to take what we learned today and apply it tomorrow. Courtney has the early block tomorrow so, when we finished the block we left right away and got some dinner. She will need a good night’s sleep to be ready for tomorrow squad at Western bowl.

U. S. Open – Day 1

7/21 – I’m ready to do this again. As I sit in my hotel room just outside of Columbus, it’s time to reflect on a few things before the whirl wind of the next few days. Today was practice day for the US Open. There is a certain surreal feeling to this. Courtney Parenteau is competing on the largest stage she has attempted up to this point. Sure, after a very solid collegiate career, bowling locally in NEBA against a strong field, and bowling tournaments like Queens and Team Trials she is certainly ready for such a step. I’ve watched her mature as a bowler over the past few years and her progress in that area is impressive. I think it’s all that background and the experiences they represent that have her very calm and focused going into the first day of competition tomorrow. To say I’m proud of her would sound trite and probably and understatement. I’ve been there every step of the way helping her along and I know very well the road she has traveled to get her to this point. She has come so far and still has not reached her ceiling in this sport. I’m hopeful and confident she will do well this week and am looking forward to watching her and helping where I can.

So, as I mentioned today was practice day. The tournament is being contested on the 2013 US Open Pattern and consists of three blocks of 8 games each. Each day will be in a different house. Todays practice sessions were 2 hours long with one block in each house on the tournament shot. Courtney’s first block will be tomorrow at 4pm. I’m not sure how long the block will take, I’m guessing in the vicinity of 4 hours.

As we assumed the pattern plays pretty closely in each house, there are no drastic changes. I guess that’s a good thing. We did notice that the pattern played tighter as the day went on. That’s likely not due to the characteristics of each house but, more than likely due to the pattern being applied several times. The memory from the house shot is starting to fade. In speaking with Bob Learn, Jr. today we both recognized this and Bob remarked the pattern will likely play tougher as the week progresses. Courtney and I talked through that a little bit and feel we’re ready to handle that situation. In terms of the practice session, it went well. Courtney was has a look with several balls and knows her current equipment well. Early in the day she was using her C-System Versa Max quite a bit along with her Aura. Her Orange and Blue Misfit looked pretty good too. She got the opportunity to see some of the transition as well and was able to adjust well to it. Once the last block got under way, we noticed the Aura was laboring a little. The Aura Paranormal however, was the right ball. At the end of the session she was back on the Aura and Versa Max.

We did have one mishap, during the first block she reached into her bag to grab a ball and broke the fingernail on her pinky finger. It bled for a while and is pretty sore but, not to the point where it interferes with her ability to roll the ball effectively. She is going to take advantage of the late block tomorrow and get some needed rest. After the long drive Saturday and right into practice starting at 8am this morning, she is exhausted.

Here is a picture of Courtney’s pinky finger showing where her nail broke.

 

2013 Jr. Gold – Day 3

7/17 – Day 3:

It’s been another long week at Junior Gold here in Detroit. What I can say about this year is that it was very productive. I know firsthand that most if not all of the athletes learned some valuable lessons this year. There is an interesting human trait, you can hear something said and taught but, in some cases, until you experience that very same thing you really only learn it intellectually. Then once you’re burned by something you own it from that point going forward. It seems to me that if we just took it to heart the first time, it would be much more efficient. But, I guess that’s why they call it “experience”.  Such was the case for some of our athletes this week. There were some valuable lessons learned, ones that I will likely not have to work too hard to get them to embrace and work on in the coming months. Each year is like this and that’s why events like this are critical to the growth of not only the sport but, the careers of these young bowlers. I’m proud of each of them, all of them struggled at times but ultimately prevailed. This year was a very good specifically for Rhode Island as we had the following bowlers make the first cut:

Bryan Bourget – U15 Boys, carried a 204 average over the 15 game qualifying round and is currently in 6^th place overall.

Gazmine Mason – U20 Girls, carried a 187 average over the 15 game qualifying round and is currently in 57^th place overall. Gazmine was in 18^th after two blocks but, the short pattern (Beijing) was very tough this week and gave her some trouble.

Jadee Scott-Jones – U20 Girls, carried a 189 average over the 15 game qualifying round and is currently in 45^th place overall. Like Gazmine, Beijing gave Jadee some trouble and dropped her down in the rankings. After two blocks Jadee was in 20^th overall.

Nicole Trudell – U20 Girls, carried a 192 average over the 15 game qualifying round and is currently in 25^th place overall. Nicole is an experienced mature bowler. Her collegiate experience at Sacred Heart has been very clear for the past several seasons. When you speak to her it is obvious she views the game in ways that far exceed most other bowlers.

I’m privileged to have known and worked with these fine Juniors. Some of which I’ve known for years and it’s really cool to see them succeed.

But, that’s really not all that happened this year for Rhode Island and Southeastern Mass. I’m very happy to say that we had a record number of participants in the RI Flyers Sport Scratch Division and in the Summer Sport Challenge league. Here is a list of those bowlers who competed in Detroit and participated in one or both of those programs (in no particular order):

Ryan Franz	Bryan Bourget
Jewel Dumond	Jermaine Dumond
Chris Williams	Rebekah Varin
Jeff Marcure	Jess Marcure
Tori Porter	Curran Desjardins
Jalen Scott-Jones	Jadee Scott-Jones
Gazmine Mason	Nicole Trudell
Katy Barnes	Sam Gitschier
Qwadaris Rembert	Yousef El-Laham
Robert LaBossiere	Nick Sauve
Ben Burbine	Alex Burbine
Doug Moore

It’s funny to me how we measure success. Typically we have a pretty narrow vision of it. We see success as winning. If that were the case there would be exactly 4 athletes in this tournament who achieve success out of over 2000 who participated. Let’s put this in perspective, the 2000 athletes here represent some of the best junior bowlers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. I don’t know how many junior bowlers there are in those three geographic areas but, it is certainly a huge number. This is a very talented field and simply qualifying for this event is an accomplishment. As I mentioned to each of our bowlers success is measured by the individual. I challenged them to set a lofty goal for themselves in the tournament and then try to achieve it. In short, success is personal and comes in all shapes and sizes. Let’s not get hung up on the narrow definition of success.

The 23 names above are not just numbers and nameless faces to me. In some cases I’ve known a player for years and others just a few short months. But, in all cases I’ve taken time to understand them and how they think as a bowler. They are quality young folks who have a passion for the game and are not afraid to challenge themselves in ways that most adult bowlers will not. I have a level of respect for each one of them and am proud to be called their coach.

So, parents, friends and relatives if you happen to run across some of these players please take a few minutes to acknowledge their accomplishment.

2013 Jr. Gold – Day 2

7/16 – Day 2:

After day two of Junior Gold is the time when you see some separation between the players. What I find most interesting is the talent level at this event. Over the past few years there have been some changes to the format and the introduction of a 15U age group. Next year a 12U division will be introduced. The tournament is absolutely huge at this point. I just wish there was a way of cycling more Junior bowlers through the ITRC too. Since the numbers have increased in participation it seems logical that the next step would be to expand how many bowlers are afforded the opportunity to attend a camp at the ITRC with Kim, Rod, Steve and the rest of the staff. It would provide a wonderful opportunity which right now is essentially for Team USA only. I realize they are really busy with managing the two teams but, it would be awesome to see.

Anyway, today was a day of ups and downs for most of our local area youth. Some held par, others struggled and some did very well.

In the U20 boys division, some players were on the infamous WTBA Sydney pattern which is widely believed to be the most difficult WTBA short pattern. If it does not play on the outside (1-3 boards) then it is next to impossible to control pocket. This year Sydney was put down in an AMF house which meant a lane surface with a high friction rating. Unlike last year, players had the extreme outside line early in the block. As the pattern broke down it required change in hand position and/or a move inside while still maintaining the extreme outside breakpoint. It was a very demanding shot indeed. Yousef El-Laham is just 56 pins out of the cut and with a good performance tomorrow could land him in. Behind Yousef is Qwadaris Rembert, he is 95 pins out of the cut. He will need a big day and likely a little help to pull up above the cut line. While not impossible, these two U20 boys are in position to advance.

Here is how the U20 boys performed (* indicates short pattern today):

*Yousef El-Laham     939
Qwadaris Rembert    911
Jalen Scott-Jones      907
Nick Sauve                   892
Jermaine Dumond    866
Doug Moore                 811
Jeff Marcure                756
Ryan Franz                  729
*Alex Burbine            728
*Ben Burbine              706

In the U15 boys division, Brian Bourget remains in the cut. Unfortunately at the time of this post, the USBC server did not have the scores posted after 10 games. Chris Williams posted an 881 series which shows some progress over yesterday’s score.

The U20 girls, on the other hand is a much brighter prospect with some respect. Three of the four players who were within cut still remain. Gazmine Mason rolled a strong 1047 to position her in 18^th. Right behind her is Jadee Scott-Jones who recorded a 1034 good enough for 20^th. Nicole Trudell in 21^st rounds out the top performers from our area.

The 7pm squad on WTBA Atlanta played very tight and played tighter as the squad progressed. Initially the pattern played around the outside of the track area (7-8) but, that quickly went away as the pattern tightened up down lane. Finding a defined area of the lane to play on became the challenge for the rest of the block. Some pairs played better than others introducing an element of confusion for the players.

Here is how the U20 girls performed (* = Atlanta):

Gazmine Mason         1047
Jadee Scott-Jones    1034
Nicole Trudell            987
*Tori Porter                889
*Rebekah Varin         827
*Curran Desjardins   819
Katy Barnes                 787
*Jess Marcure            708
*Sam Gitschier           696

Entering the last day of competition, some still have a cut to either aspire to or protect while others are looking to post solid scores to improve their overall position. Regardless of the situation, each competitor has fought hard thus far in the tournament

2013 Jr. Gold – Day 1

7/15 – Day 1:

Today proved to be a very challenging day for the players. Some of our U20 boys were on London, their long pattern. It was contested at a split house with wood lanes. The pattern played tighter down lane than it had during the practice block. And also broke down in ways unexpected to the talented field. By Yousef El-Laham started the block with his Marauder and eventually moved to his Strike King toward the end of the block. The mid-lane had burned up halfway through game 3 making it difficult to get the ball right and hold pocket. By the end of the block Yousef had moved to an extreme angle on the left side of the lane in an attempt to get the ball to hold and still make a strong move to the pocket with giving up needed angle. It was an up and down block and a tremendous grind. Yousef ended strong with a 211 to finish with a 907 block which landed him in 377^th. Jeff Marcure had a very solid day on this difficult condition and lane surface posting a 954. He finished in 206^th overall, the highest ranked U20 boy from our program after day 1. Others competing in the boys’ side of the tournament include:

Jermaine Dumond  906
Ben Burbine             897
Quadaris Rembert  896
Jalen Scott-Jones    880
Doug Moore            798
Alex Burbine            797
Nick Sauve               770

In the U15 boys tournament Brian Bourget is sitting in 10th place with a solid 1013 block. Chris Williams turned in a 761 and hopes to improve his position tomorrow.

 

 

The U20 girls age group also competed on a couple of different shots. Beijing, the short patter, played very difficult as well. The outside line which was there in practice was not as playable during the short block forcing players in a bit making it difficult to control the pocket. By the end of the block those having the most success were throwing strong balls with a lot of surface using the outside line as a hold area.

Nicole Trudell competing on the medium pattern rolled up a score of 985 to secure 24^th place and our top honors after day 1. Jadee Scott-Jones put up an solid 940 followed by Curran Desjardin who had a tremendous day with the help of a 232 game pushing her total to 934 and a 75^th place spot. Right behind her on the bubble is Gazmine Mason with a 932. Gazmine competed on the medium pattern so it is not possible to compare the scores side by side. Others competing in the girls’ side of the tournament include:

Jess Marcure     860
Katy Barnes       802
Rebekah Varin  785
Tori Porter        779
Sam Gitschier   707

 

Jewel Dumond competing in the U15 girls division recorded an 824 and is sitting in 89th place.

Tomorrow will be another day and a pivotal one at that for all the bowlers. Day 2 often makes or breaks many competitors in this difficult format

2013 Jr. Gold – The Night Before The First Day Of Competition

Here we are again on the eve of another Junior Gold tournament. This year we have a lot of bowlers from the area who participated in the Summer Sport League at AMF Cranston. I’m proud of each of them because each has worked incredibly hard to hone their skills over the summer to get ready for just this event.

This year feels a little different to me. Maybe because there are quite a few “veterans” participating and they have a quiet confidence. And what’s awesome is that they have taken the younger bowlers under their wing. Tonight we got together briefly just to set their experience thus far and to try and set perspective for the next few days. I know from experience the next few days will challenge them in ways they do not anticipate. In the end, win, lose, or draw they will have grown stronger from the experience. As for me, I don’t anticipate much sleep over the next few days. After our meeting we went across the street to Dave & Busters to let the players blow off a little steam and think about something other than Bowling for just a bit. I felt it would do them all some good before the event starts.

I’ll be running between centers trying to keep everyone focused and performing their best. Up until now it has been a whirlwind already. Yesterday, I spent the day in the Collegiate Expo representing Bryant University. In addition to the Juniors I’m coaching, I also need to follow up on some of the potential recruits I met yesterday. Tomorrow night after all is said and done, I’ll no doubt play the day’s events over in my head trying to rethink the day’s events and choices made. It happens all the time. We have an 8am block tomorrow morning. It’s the Girls block I’ve got a half dozen or so young ladies to coach. It will be a busy block. Right now, it’s about 11pm. I’ll need to turn in shortly and try to get some much needed sleep.