On With My Life - Bowling

Wanted to get to this a few days ago but the painful truth kept getting in the way. Besides the upcoming Nationals tournament in Reno (followed by the San Francisco trip). I have finally been able to sign up for a coaching (re)certification - June 4. Now with all the realignment and consolidation finished - it's now called Level I Certification. When I went through the class back in 94 it was YABA Coach Instructor. Yeah, I'm a little out of date.

I got involved in Youth Coaching so I could spend my time a little more constructively while daughter #1 was bowling. It was also at the same time Megan had first started bowling. Daughter #1 used to tell the story about how she was "born to bowl" - I got pregnant with daughter #1 at the beginning of a fall league. While I was pregnant with her I bowled 6 times a week (a couple of leagues and practice). She was born the last night of the league. I got a special trophy from the league - the "clown" award for bowling the whole season while pregnant. I stepped away from bowling for quite a few years until Daughter #1 started bowling. Daughter #2 tried it, but she wasn't really interested in it.

When Daughter #1 was bowling I would drive her all over the place for tournaments. If some of the other kids bowling with her needed a ride I would take them too. Some of them even shared our hotel room. I have always enjoyed watching Daughter #1 bowl but knew it was something that would be better enjoyed from a distance. When we went to the tournaments I would always volunteer as a score keeper (but never for daughter #1's lanes) it kept me near but not in her face. I remember one tournament - where she had one her match by 1 pin. I had already mentally done the math and started screaming "1 pin, 1 pin" - she told me she realized she had won because I was back there screaming.

I remember flying to Florida to the coast for a tournament - I took Daughter #2 with me. I was always going places with Daughter #1 so I thought it would be nice to take Daughter #2 with me to a tournament I was bowling in. When I rented the car, I requested a convertible for the two of us. How could you not have the top down while driving along the Florida coast?

Megan has long outgrown the PeeWee's but I still coach them. They can wear you out but for the most part they are loads of fun.