MSBS Double Event 2023 Recap

bowlingball.com Staff Writer, Cortez Schenck
Published: 2/14/2023
It was a tough week missing the PTQ cut at the US Open. There was a lot of downtime after bowling which was good as it allowed for self-reflection on the lanes. However, being stuck there the rest of the week without competing, knowing you were close to making it, can affect the mental game.
It's easy to beat yourself up and get down on yourself. In times like this, it's important to remember that you control how you go forward. You can't let one poor performance, two poor performances, or even a handful of poor performances define you as a bowler. I tried to remind myself of this and got right to practice the next couple of days at another local bowling alley. I felt better after working on a couple of things and decided to try and find another tournament in the area.
That's when we found a doubles event in Battle Creek, Michigan. One of my roommates and I decided to go up there and bowl. We both thought of it as a way to stay sharp for the next events and get more competition reps in. Luckily, we both bowled well on a pretty challenging 44 foot pattern. I used a few different bowling balls, but the ones used the most were the Phaze 2, Hyped Solid, and Exotic Gem.
I went +219 for the six games, and my partner went +202 for his six games. We qualified second going into the eliminator rounds. The eliminator rounds were difficult; the pins dropped after qualifying, so everyone was back to even. We bowled two games and then cut the field in half again. My partner and I lost our ball reaction for a few shots but luckily snuck through the first round. The second round was even tougher. It was down to the top 3 teams, and only one team would be eliminated. The team that was the leader after qualifying bowled well to solidify themselves into the title match but my partner and I both were grinding to try and beat the last team.
Fortunately, we bowled a solid last three frames to make it to the title match. In the title match, the pair of lanes we bowled on felt like they hooked a ton more. We made some good moves and tried to find a ball reaction that would give us a fighting chance, but the other team kept striking too much. We finished second and walked away with some confidence and tournament reps under our belt. Although it was a small local event, it felt beneficial to get more games in against new faces. I got my feet underneath me more, and felt more like myself. After a rough PTQ at the US Open, I feel more confident going into the next PBA events.

-Cortez Schenck