Maybe this is wrong, but it's funny. There's this kid that's 19 or 20 that's in his first year of adult leagues. This kid is loud, he apparently hasn't hit puberty yet, he bowls wearing headphones, he beats on his chest when he throws a strike, he stomps when he "gets screwed," so yeah, one of the biggest tools ever. He's actually throwing the ball a lot better now, so he started off with a couple decent games last night, had 480 going in. This kid's high sanctioned set is 682, so he's already thinking about it and walking around bragging and telling the team in the league that has a guy with multiple PBA titles and another guy that won a singles eagle at Nationals that they need to dump their leadoff bowler and pick him up next year (the tool's team happened to be bowling this team). Well the shot is burning up and he's getting tight and slow with it, so he had 3 or 4 problem frames early, then he had 4 in a row, sparing in the 9th. So he has 172 in the 8th working on a spare, meaning he can get 3 in the 10th for 222 and 702. We're standing there watching him jump all over the place and throwing his hands in the air like he's the best bowler on the planet up until this point, but waiting on his team to bowl the 10th (he's the anchor bowler, obviously), he's getting worked up. Headphones come off, he's pacing, even walked outside for some air a couple times. I told the other team "Hey, if anybody hadn't noticed, he needs to strike out for his first ever 700, I think somebody should let him know." So the leadoff bowler (who the kid said those guys should dump to pick him up) said, "I'll do it!" Walks right down and reminds him, and of course the kid knew, but that wasn't the point.
So we get to the 10th, this kid gets up to bowl, visibly shaking. We all already agreed to hoot and holler and cheer like he's shooting 900 (kid doesn't know he's a tool, and doesn't know people are teasing and patronizing him). He threw a decent ball, and got the first strike, to which we all got raucous. He walks back on the approach nodding his head like it's a done deal. Knowing the next one was the important one, we were all taking bets on how many pins he'd actually get (I bet on 6). He got up and yanked the ever living crap out of it for a 3-6-7-10, about fell on the approach stomping and crying. Finished with 691 amid our cackling and snickering.
So yes, this is totally mean and heartless, and the kid isn't a bad kid, but I don't know what it is about seeing cocky people have inevitable meltdowns, especially kids like him that could really use it to help get their heads straight. He'll be a solid bowler one of these days, but he's got a lot of growing up to do. And we don't just tease him either, he stays around after to practice, and several of us have offered him pointers and helped him out, like I said, he's gotten a lot better over the course of the season, and honestly takes the coaching really well. But man, his attitude needs a lot of help lol.
