Day 1:
Golf at Northgate Golf Course.
Links style course, lots of bunkers both grass and sand.  It was pretty tough.  Out of the three of us, I carded the only birdie.  Shot about 100.  PM me for more info if you want more info.

Bowling at the BTM:
After golf, we decided to bowl the BTM.  Nice house, synthetic lanes, clean.  The lane condition is 41ft dead flat.  I started playing the up 7.  I shot 22something.  Moved and shot 21something playing in the same spot.  We moved to the last pair and I couldn’t get a good read, shot 179.  Moved again, moved my target to 20 to 12.  I shot 207 with 5 ten pins.  Total was 822, putting me about 20th or so.  

Day 2:

Team event:
I didn’t throw a strike in practice, but had a good idea what the condition was going to give me.  I started playing 15 to 12:  turkey, 7/, turkey, /, /, x71 for 228.  I started to lose my look so I moved 1 and 1 right.  4-9 to start game 2, clean the reason of the way but couldn’t double for 181.  The last game, I decided to move further right until I went high and then make a move off that.  That resulted in a 4-6 split and 4-6-10 split.  I washed out on a poor shot and finally got lined in for a 4 bagger 9 count finish for 192.

Total 601

Everybody was right of me at the breakpoint.  I really expected the lanes to open up around 10 board and they just kept getting tighter and tighter.  

Day 3:

Doubles:
I watched the Team squad prior to our d/s squad.  Almost all were playing inside of 10 down the lane.  I started with my Epic Battle, playing 20-12 and had mixed results after practice and my first frame.  I decided to switch to my oracle vision, which reads the lane earlier but doesn’t jump on the backend.  I managed to get 3 strikes and 5 9 counts for 191.  After another 10 pin, I changed back to my battle and moved deeper.  I finally got a strike, followed by a decent shot that left me a 5-7, 5 strikes that game, 3 9 counts for a 184.  Game 3, 3 strikes, 4 9 counts for 200.  

I had ONE open, the stupid 5-7.  It cost my 30 clean jackpot score.

Total 575

Singles:
This is where I left my frustration go to me.  I start with a strike playing outside 10-8, epic battle.  I follow that with an open, 4-6 split.  4 clean, open, spare.  Then, I said, “well, I’ve only carried light, try the oracle again.  I move 2 and 2 right, 8-10.  Go back to the Epic Battle, change to my “hook it” release, play 13-8 for a fast 8.  Move 2 and 2 left for another 8-10.  Game 1—165.  Game 2, I decided to move and try different releases and balls until I found something.  After four straight 9 counts, I finally got my first string of the day play up 5 with the oracle, 5 bagger, 9/.  I had a good game and shot 235.  Game 3—That up 5 look disappeared, it started hooking earlier playing up 5 but I couldn’t get any recovery bellying the ball to 5.  I got pissed and blew two spares for a 177.  

Total 577

Overall, I think this is the best I’ve ever executed at nationals for 9 games.  The lanes just never transitioned the way I expected them too.  I felt like once I was lined up they would stay that way for awhile.  I was wrong.  I never had the same look for more than 5/6 frames.  I am generally disappointed and frustrated with my inability to find decent carry.  I couldn’t make little speed, feet or hand adjustments to find consistent carry.  It was almost like everything I did carry was a light mixer(d/s).  The 5-7 really ticks me off, b/c that cost me a few hundred bucks.

My third trip to Nats.  I'll continue to go.

Stayed at the Circus Circus.  Room was average, clean, a touch small(two beds), large bathroom, workout room.  Stayed in the "tower", I only had to drag my equipment once, the shuttle isn't reliable, we just walked.  I'm not sure if I would stay there again, the el dorado is only a block away and there shuttle was always waiting.  The breakfast buffet sucked, don't waste your money.  The coffee at the "American cafe"(something like that) tasted like it was filter thru a dirty sock.  

The two dumb points of the tourney.......
1.  The won't walk you down the center aisle for d/s.  You have to walk all the way around.  That is stupid.  It was crowded and we were on 3 and 4.  

2.  The brackets payout was at the Sands.  Again, now I have to walk or drive to another spot just to pick up my brackets money.  Dumb.

Andrew

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Edited on 4/15/2007 9:45 PM

I bowled the minor events two weeks ago and they told us walk down the center aisle.  We were on lanes 26 and 28.

Mark,

I was only considering that perhaps r534me might have been on the 7 a.m. squad which would have been why those folks got the stroll down the aisle.  Since r534me didn't mention squad time, I figured I'd put that out there as a possibility.  I was also asking for my own information, since on occasion I think I remember something differently than it actually occurred.  Sorry if I offended with my question.

Deb