I'm not going to bowl a singles tournament ever again.  I discovered that last night I was entered in the year end "team of the month" tournament (i'd forgotten about it).  If you've made the team of the month there is a six game scratch tourney that you're automatically in.  I've been approaching this conclusion for some time:  over a long span of games (say a season) I'm going to out-average all but a few guys in town, but I cannot beat them in a short format (six games in this case) tournament.  I just do not shoot big numbers anymore.  I'll have games in the 180-240 range over the course of a season.  I also shoot in the same range for 6 games. I cannot beat the guys who can shot 250-260 for 6 games in this sort of tournament.  And out of 20 or so there will always be at least one who can do this.  Heck, it's been two years since I shot 700; 680, 670, yes, but usually only once or twice a year.  

As for handicap tournaments - well, the problem just gets larger.  So,
I QUIT SINGLES EVENTS!!!!
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)

You're starting to sound like me everytime I have an off night...LOL... You'll here me the whole car ride home. I quit, I'm putting my stuff on ebay tonight and blah blah blah. Next day I wake and think, "I can't wait to bowl next week and redeem myself"... Give it alittle time, it will pass
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They say that 1 in 3 people in this world are ugly. So look to your left and look to your right, if neither one of those people are ugly... Guess who is!!!

That's the thing, Bones.  I love the feeling of tournament bowling.  There's a fellow who says "Enjoy the moment" and I truly do.  The smell of a bowling alley at 8 in the morning, just before a tournament, with lots of people jockying bags around and getting ready - it's great.  I would truly hate to not have that. But I may have to give it up.  

Of course, part of my frustration comes from things like leaving 26 single pins in a 6 game block; smash 7, smash 8, then a couple of 9 pins, not to mention a horde of all variations of 10 pin.  Sure, I didn't miss one of them, but when three guys next to you are starting every game carrying the house with 6 or 7 in a row - well I gotta wonder what I'm doing wrong.
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)

Rags,

I know where you are coming from as that was a place I was in for quite a while....consistant 210's to 220's....but just couldn't post big scores in short format type tourney's.  Was getting ready to give them up, but figured that I needed to learn a b game for me...score big quickly.  This made me learn ball reaction better and how to make very quick transitions if I started to leave corner pins and such.  I think it in fact has helped my whole game out considerably because it made me 1) really concentrate and pay attention to each shot 2) made me learn my ball reaction/hand position changes a bit better than I did before.  3) It made me make huge changes quickly instead of slow moves that keep me in play but don't equate necessarily to strikes....

I have won a couple short format type tourney's and find I am starting to do quite well in them and still can do well in longer, grind out type formats.....

Just a little story from someone who has been where you are...

Mike
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All this can be yours............

What?? The curtains??

Sr and MSC, thanks for the words.  Part of my plan is to work of some release stuff this summer - that may be the answer.  As far as watching breakpoints and so on, I've become pretty good at seeing not only what others are doing, but what I'm doing.  

Also, a couple of you messaged me and seemed to think that I was intending to quit altogether.  Nope, couldn't do that.  For one thing, what would I do with my equipment?  

I guess it's just back to the drawing board.  One difficulty I have is that there really isn't a good coach anywhere close (unless maybe Bob Hanson would be interested in working with me).  My driller would make a good coach, I think, but he's not remotely interested in doing that.  I may see if I can find a sufficiently large bribe for him.
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"To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace."  (Tacitus)
"If one tells the truth, one is sure sooner or later to be found out. " (Wilde)