Bowling

We're really enjoying bowling as a new family activity. It's not too terribly expensive and it's something that almost any age can do.

We go every other Thursday because my kids get free bowling and coaching at our local alley. Scott and I play three games while the kids are on their own lane with the coach. We've really come to enjoy these evenings for the most part.

Mika is seen as having rare natural talent. She's not scoring really high but she has great form, can get the ball straight down the middle of the lane, and picks up spares more times than you'd expect from a child her age who has only been bowling a handful of times. All three coaches (one of which is a retired professional bowler) have told us that she should continue with bowling and join junior leagues when she's in high school. They've mentioned bowling scholarships as a very real possibility if she keeps with it. Right now, that's the plan.

Sammy is having a harder time with it. His slender 55lb body just gets tossed arounds by the ball. He is hard on himself; he expects to be good at things instantly and thus gets frustrated. When playing, we really make a fuss over every pin he knocks down to help boost his spirits. I expect him to get better once he is older, taller, heavier, stronger. For now, I'll be buying him a wrist brace because he's experiencing some pain in his wrist when bowling and I don't want to risk any permanent injuries.

Tonight, we took my visiting father bowling for fun. The first game was typical for me, a whopping 72 points. Whoo hoo! LOL Then, the second game I figured something out. One of the coaches taught me how to pick up the 10 pin. I've been able to pick up the 9 or 10 pin every time ever since. So, I decided to try to same strategy on every throw but aiming just a bit more to the left. It worked! I scored a 147 the second game. It's quite exciting to double your score!

What I'm doing is starting all the way to the left side of the lane and aiming the ball towards the right to hit near the head pin. It's a little bit of a strange way of bowling, but I don't care if it works.

We'll be taking a break from the kids' coaching because Mika has an art class for the next six Thursdays. Can't wait to get back to it.