I just want to let off some steam, still confused if I should laugh of feel p!ssed...
Yesterday was a historic date in my bowling career: My team won a local tournament, even though it was nothing official, but just company-facilitated sports activities (called BKV, a kind of lower level bowling association, more fun-oriented - the fact that there was only fresh oil in the morning and NO lane maintenance throughout the whole day might give you an impression about the level of "professionality").
31 mixed teams were starting, qualifying rounds in groups of 4. Best 2 would advance to finals, 3rd and 4th place would fight for the golden pineapple. We fought our way through a shaky qualifying round (firdt game was lost only by 1!) with only just one victory from 3 possible, but our highest wood count among the 3 one-victory-teams from our group's qualifying round got us into the finals.
From there on we grinded down in the follwing 4 final rounds any opponent team, with very low margin decisions (e. g only by 4 or 14 counts, just the final was a distinctive thing, not only catching up a -30 handycap because the other final team received a triple 10-per-woman bonus, but also winning with a net +40), and fun.
We never expected this - maybe entering the final round, but the rest was... uncertain. Anyway, you might imagine how we might have felt, especially because we had some trouble ourselves on the way but somehow got it right. But a good team spirit!
Then, just before the winner's ceremony, we received the notice that our team was disqualified: in a BKV team, only 2 DBU (the "official" German bowling association) were allowed, and we'd have 3 of them - even though the player that was in discussion had not been playing enough games to receive an official player's pass.
I can live with the disqualification, if this is the rule (I was invited to join the team as a kind of guest player, so I am not very familiar with the BKV's rules, I normally only play DBU sanctioned tournaments and league). But the most bitter taste came because our team captain was told beforehand that there was no problem with the 3rd DKB player as long as he'd only have low games - and just the same person (who had already left...) told the tournament organizers about our case. Then, in the following discussion, there were other dubious and contradictive notions about player control ("We cannot control everybody", "We must control everyone" - but why just in time to prevent the day's victory, and not beforehand?) that just made me feel that a team with external players was not "allowed" to win.
I just did and do not get why a governing body cannot tell a team captain who has to submit a list of the team members that one player could cause potential trouble, and why - "just in time" - this information pops up to heave a BKV team (which was, by conincidence(?), the team of the tournament's organizer...) and that the person who slipped the note just is not to be found anywhere anymore? I cannot help it, but it sounds like foul play to me, even if the disqualification was correct, but the timing and disinformation beforehand just do not sound good to me.
But, by the way, as a small redemption, at least I carted home the two trophies for the highest tournament game and the highest average in the early rounds. Throughout the day I played a 178, 180, 244* in the qualifiers, and the 256*, 190, 224* and 200* in the final rounds (started with my trusted Revolution Renegade, but really rocked the dry house with my Pure Hammer(*)!), one of the best performances I EVER did. And taking into account the dry and ridden lanes that became worse and worse throughout the day, it is even more noticeable.
What a day. Aaargh!
Sorry, a bit long, but I had to let off some steam...
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
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