When the place is filled with Kids? I had these Girls on my left that would come charging up to throw their ball while I was in the middle of my last step. On the right there was Teenage Boys and one was sliding down the lane. Only one guy working at the Bowling Ally with 20+ lanes with out of control Kids.

My league is on Tuesdays, so I practice on Sunday and Monday. Last week the place was empty and I got some good work in and showed up at the League Tuesday knowing I would Bowl well. Now I feel like I am going to have a rough night tomorrow.
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Winning and Losing are both very temporary things. Having done one or the other, we move on. Gloating over Victory or Sulking in Defeat is a good way to Stand Still.

Practicing with the kiddies can be great - it can help you avoid distractions. HOWEVER - I don't like practicing near the toddlers - I've had 'em follow me up to the line, then gotten talked to by their moms because I turned around and almost fell over them.

I try to impress upon the parents (who should know better) that their precious darlings can get hurt, and it wouldn't be my fault...

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
And yes - my darlings did bowl. But the FIRST thing they learned was etiquette.

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I start each day with yoga and meditation. I put my right foot under my left thigh. I put my left foot under my right thigh. I arch my back as much as I can, and then I begin my mantra: Ouch, oh, that hurts.

This kid incident reminds me of a particular league match that I was in a couple of years back.  It was at the end of the first half of the league, and my team was in a position to win the half.  Well, that particular night, the pair of lanes that we were bowling on ate up one of my balls and one of another fellow's balls too.  Since the house couldn't find the problem with why the balls were getting major damage, both teams refused to bowl until they moved us to another pair of lanes.

Well, the house decided to put us down on a pair of lanes in the middle of a pack of open bowlers.  We had kids playing out on the approach immediately to our left, and we had grown up kids running up on us on the lane to our right.  Well, in the third game, I was up in the 10th frame, needing only a good count on the first ball to win the half.  Just as I was fixing to make my delivery, up shot one of the bowlers on my right side and the fellow darn near ran over me.....I yanked the shot to keep from hitting him, and my ball went through the nose, leaving the Greek Church.  We lost that game by some 2 pins, and we wound up losing the half by 1/2 point.  I'd still like to wring that fellow's neck that ran up on me on that shot....needless to say, I wasn't a happy camper that night!  In fact, that incident, in combination with several other incidents in the same house, caused me to pull completely out of that house and move my leagues to a different center.

The other day I got to watch parents roll the ball backwards through their legs onto the lane and into the gutter.  Once it was full og 2-3 balls, they would throw it the "right" way which wasn't mutch better in their case.  I told them they needed to call the counter to get the balls out of the gutter.  They said  they know that and continued to bowl.  I went to the counter, told them about the balls and had them watch the people.  They did for awhile, but once they stopped watching the people went right back to their "game."  Great example for kids.  I had images of the ball careening into the gutter garbage and flinging itself across a few lanes.

The other day, the teenagers bowling in their socks had me a bit nervous too since they hit the ground on every other approach. Ahhh, it is so fun to bowl in the summer time.

I remember when I was a little kid and didn't know the first thing about lane courtesy etc. because NOBODY ever bothered to tell me. There wasn't any counter sign that I saw and the people working the desk did not bother to discuss the subject with me despite the fact I was a kid and an obvious open bowler.

I ended up ticking off an adult bowler next to me who screamed profanities at me etc. I didn't quit bowling, but I never went back to that house because I decided the people there were a-holes.

Now when I bowl next to kids I try to remember how it felt when I was a little kid. Practicing next to them is great for your concentration btw. I shot a 299 in practice this spring bowling next to a whole gaggle of them earlier this spring.

I had a bowl at one of
our inner city centre's
for the first time a
couple of year's ago.
I was about halfway
through my practice when
a big bunch of kid's
came in. They got put
on the lane next to me.
One of the counter staff
actually came down and
explained the lane courtesy
to them. This is the only
time I've ever seen this
happen.