I am mentally, physically, emotionally, and psychologically drained after this weekend. I had my boys competing for the national championship smack-dab in the middle of my Christmas. They made me stop watching the draft for an entire hour and utter the words "(bleep) the draft right now." I followed the play-by-play over the internet like it was a Dolphins game... me, G, and Josh Smith couldn't believe what we were seeing. Me and Josh were asking ourselves one question: "HOW" ??
We destroyed the town for 3 years through underachieving, kicking ball returns, acting like 2 years olds, drinking, suspensions, academic probation, internal drama, sexual harrasment conspiracies, etc... there's not much I haven't seen in four years here and I have to say I've enjoyed the show because I've tried to stay out of it to the best of my ability. The town was rebuilt in 6 hours of dominance on Saturday and was finished completely before lunch the next day.
The College Bowling world has preached endlessly to me, and my colleagues, over the last four years that team chemistry is of the greatest importance in bowling. Others teams are asked to eat all meals together, be in bed before 10, and keep their opinions to themselves for the greater good.. Everyone has to get along or the scoresheet will reflect it, right? Bull****. There is no chemistry in bowling. I'm not throwing you alley-oops or 15-yard button hooks that take great precision. Competitiveness and ambition wins, not chemistry. At its core, the game consists of walking 17 steps to the line (or 6 in your case) and throwing the ball 60 feet down the lane. When you pick up the ball, the battle is between you and yourself.. not you and your opponent... and you are not dependent on this so-called "chemistry". It comes down to eliminating any doubt that you'll succeed before taking that first step.
Chemistry doesn't win championships in bowling. Championships simply create the illusion that "chemistry" exists.
Competitiveness gives you that little extra something to think about when you pick the ball up. Shea and Valenta have been no secret for the last two years. Like I've always said, we've always needed 2 or 3 guys to step up to give us a complete lineup. Well, 5 guys did it. Marc Schofield, Emil Williams, Bryan Chase, Ryan Reid, , and Jesse Scrivens all have very different personalities but the same drive... they all wanted to be "that guy" who showed up in nationals . All of them wanted to be the third, fourth, and fifth guys, and you could see it in their eyes... they didn't conceal their emotions or their opinions for the sake of that stupid ch-word.
When I lay my head down tonight, I'll remember reflecting over the last 4 years with coach dog at the bar on Thursday night. We heard the guys seeded 14 outta 16 in the first day. You know what? It didn't seem to surprise either one of us. Me and Mike have seen our share of disappointments over the last four years. Thanks for proving us wrong.
Im gonna drive back to school from Affton after a LOOONNNNNGGGG weekend... can't wait to see the new champs. It's all about championships.
"HATE IT OR LOVE, THE UNDERDAWGS ON TOP!!!" -50 cent
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"Changing bowling balls is like peeing your pants in the cold. The warm feeling you have at first will eventually be overcome with an even chillier stink."
Good post, but a team that at least communicates (you know, about the shot etc) makes champs. I have bowled on some great teams (ask foot and look at the banner at the lanes some time, i would put that five up against any other team in the area) and the thing those teams had was communication, not chemestry (remember LeRoy was on those teams, and he is an ass most of the time). That said, great work everyone. Dog your baby has growd up, you should be proud, and Foot - great ****ing job this year!!!
Good post, Cat...but I have to disagree a little. Team bowling IS about chemistry; the chemistry on the lanes when the lights are on. The best team I ever bowled with was Foot, Leroy, Sherman, John Weber, and myself...now we all didn't get along off the lanes, but when the lights came on, we all knew our jobs. As a coach, I've had some talented players, but they never really bonded together on the lanes (Cat, you should know that; you were there.) Guys resented not starting, ran their mouths off in public, had Mommy call the school...it was a mess. This group of people is a team; they support each other when it's needed, when the lights come on. Are there egos? Hell yes, but you know when to put it aside for the good of the team. And, I'm not just talking about the A team, either; I'm sitting in the shop Saturday with Panek waiting to hear something...Josh calls, Foot calls, Jes calls, Hammer shows up, we're all hoping for good news...and then it comes. Damn! (Foot's call, verbatim: "We won." "Yeah the kids are all crying." "Talk to you later." Sounded bored.:lol:)
You ask how we won? 30 people working toward a common goal. That's how we won...
To add to what dog said, Timmy called me, apparently right after foot called dog. I was a bit upset with myself that i was not following along but i blame the kids (mine not you people). I was just a B team coach, but i feel like i had something to do with this as did Tim, Cat, Josh etc. WE won, not just the A team, WE did it. Do we all love each other now, no. but we did do something no one thought we could. Enjoy it boys it don't get anybetter than this!
Actually Hanke...I heard from jes first...and halwe practically leaped over his counter in the shop.
I then proceded to get phone calls from a lot of other people. Then I made calls to everyone back home. You know, hanke's right about something...it was a team effort. In making calls, I told them what happened, and I got lots of congrats as well...I proceded to tell them that i wasn't there, that it was our nationals team...the 8 guys that got elected to go represent our team. And then i thought about it more...yes...the 8 guys that got elected to go REPRESENT our team. Our team is more than 8 guys, and our guys probably couldn't have had such a good showing without the support from team members....friends......and this national victory is a victory that we can all bask in, because we all bowled this year...we all supported each other even when things didn't look so good....and we are all a part of this team.
Everyone has had great comments so far. I will add in that Coach Dog and I have talked about it many times and I'm sure each of us has heard it many times. You don't have to get along with each other off the lanes but if you put aside your personal feelings for the short time you are on the lanes, great things happen.
Panek is exactly right, yeah there were 8 who went but all of us had a hand can enjoy it. WE won.....let's make sure we live it up and for all of us who are coming back next year, let's make sure we show class and dignity and show everyone it wasn't a fluke (which I feel I can speak for everyone here that none of us feel it was)
For those of us who aren't returning....I'm extremely glad we were able to get this done before you left to give you all the send-off you each deserved.
Gee Money must also send his congrats out to the NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. I tried my hardest to get there, but no one would go with me. I even tried to pursued the Big Snatch to skip his Xmas, which in his words "I 25% thought about it for 5 minutes." Even though i wasnt on the "A" team i still feel like i won a National Championship, as we all should feel. We are a team of 30+ plus people boys and girls. I was literally screaming at my computer as i watched the scores updated live, just like i would be doing if i was there in person. I was so proud to see this team finally reach their potential, and bring home the big one. You guys did it with a certain flare, and showed an extreme amount of class, something we are obviously not known for. I was extremely proud to see my best friend win. Watching him flush the ball in the 9th frame against fresno brought tears to my eyes. Once again congrats to everyone guys, girls, and coaches
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im gonna shut the engines, recharge my batteries, and get myself back to nuetral
this was probably the most amazing weekend of my entire life. i have never been so emotionally driven before on the account of bowling. and cat you are correct to some extent, chemistry doesnt have to exist to win, but if chemistry is there, it certainly smooths out those edges.
marc and i acted as the 6th guy the entire weekend. we switched with eachother atleast 5 times. i was there for him when he lost his stroke, and he was there to bail me out when i started throwin the ball like a tw@t.....and we were both there for the team when they called on us. It seemed like whenever Marc & I were in...we were good for 5 or 6 out of 8 possible strikes in a match no matter what side of the headpin we hit.
But on comes the TV pair......I knew I had a shot, I knew where I had to throw the ball, but my release was tense and I wasnt feeling confident in myself to make the big shots like i was when called on earlier throughout the tournament. I'm pretty sure Marc would say the samething I just said. So...who do we go to? Scrivens. Scrivens threw a couple strikes in practice. Randy asked me if I had anything a final time and I came right out and said "forget me, put Scrivy in, hes makin the shots" .....sure enough, he strikes 2 out of 4 times...shouldve been 3. And while im not saying Scrivens is single handedly responsible for us winning on tv, I think he threw the ball better than what I might have done for those matches, and that was his time to step up for LU and I dont think it couldnt have come at a better time for him. He sat a lot during the tournament......but when it came down to it and we needed to dig deep(er) for someone to make shots, he made us all believe he was ready for battle.
So in the conversation of chemistry....I believe this constitutes as some form of it. It was Marc and myself all weekend long......and when both of us surprisingly struggled at the same time....Scrivens came to the rescue and we cant thank him enough.
In my 3 years at LU, this was the best time I have ever had. Our Nationals team proved to the country that we are certainly not a 13th ranked team.....to hell with the writers, the polls, and the stats. You can win all the tounaments you want in a season....but at Nationals you have to win a tournament against all the powerhouse teams under one roof.....and we took all these "big dogs" down. Let the critics do what their the best at and thats run their mouths....but no matter who says what, LU reigns supreme in 2005 and thats something they cant leave out.
in closing I just want to thank everyone who bowled with me on the team at nationals, dre, the girls, randy, halwe, hanke, and everyone else who showed their support for us (and a big FU to anyone who "didnt care" that we were there and winning for YOUR school) If this is to be my last college bowling season, which im pretty sure it is, I just want to say that its been amazing and you guys are never going to be forgotten. I want to say thanks to Shea, Valenta, and Ryan for picking me to compete with them at Nationals...I couldnt have asked for a greater outcome.
Dre & E, you guys are 2 of the most amazing people I've probably ever had the pleasure of meeting. Off the lanes, you guys have always been cool as hell to me, and on the lanes, you guys are regular class acts. I dont think CBUSA or whatever its called now can handle 2 more years of the Dre & E show. And Dre, without you there this weekend, the outcome couldve been much different than what it was. Thank you so much for the support this weekend
I want to say thanks to Marc for being my stunt double. It was you & me all weekend and we beat the hell out of a bunch of teams by doing what we did and we had a lot of fun doing. It was a pleasure.
Scrivens....you stepped up. You proved why you made the team. I dont think anyone is going to question you on that subject. Moo.
Chad...you didnt bowl much, but how many freshman get a ring their first year of college bowling? The only one I can think of is named Chad Czarnecki. You have 3 more years to nut it on tv.
again thank you to everyone....and im sorry i made this a novel and i feel like i just won an academy award and im giving my "thank you" speeches ...but it must all be said. thank you x1,000,000
Cha$e
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"You know what you can't outsource, Fareed? You can't outsource balls. America is the world leader in balls." --Stephen Colbert
Well, looks like I get to apologize again. I'm gonna try to explain, believe it if you want. I've been here 3 years now. I hated school before this and I still do. If it were not for bowling I wouldn't be in college anywhere. So what is the absolute ultimate goal in college bowling? To do what you guys just did. When I got picked over to be on that team, it hurt me more than I can ever explain. I was thinking why bother with the stupid ass school & working so hard for 3 years to make up for the lack of talent I have to you guys. Whatever my stupid comment this time was probably an attempt to trick my mind into believing it was ok that I wasn't there when I wanted so badly to be. Of course I ****ing cared, of course I wanted to win, I've been driving myself crazy since I heard you won for not being happier & more congratulatory.
Well shadow, it sucks...what you said sucks (i'm talking about the comment, not the apology)....
You see, being part of a team is just that. I know that you weren't there, and you weren't chosen to compete at nationals, but it's not the end of the world. You still have a whole other year....a year in which you guys could repeat this year. We all know the game is important to you, and we know how you feel about your game, but its time to practice something you cannot learn on the lanes. You need to practice what a team is all about.
You need to support the team no matter what happens.
When you're part of a larger group, that is a key factor...it is what matters...support of your team. You also know that I'm graduating this year. I won't have another year here to compete with all of these talented guys. This year was awesome...a year and an experience I won't ever forget...but just because I too, didn't get to go play at nationals for the team, doesn't mean I am to turn my back on it.
I've done nothing but support the guys...There are lots of guys on the team that did the same. Dre for instance..even went up to support in person. Hoop was here at school rooting the team on with G and J lowe....and we were all happy for the 8 that went, because we are all part of this team....
this quality i speak of is not one that you can learn by bowling better than EVERYONE else...it is one that needs to be learned off the lanes, and applyed to both the lane and off lane setting....and this is a quality that is valued in a team setting....one that you need to learn.
Granted, your negative attitude and general pessimism makes it difficult to learn...I know you can, and when you do...it won't go unseen.
You'll get it shadow...just work at it even half as hard as you work on your game and you'll get it.
quote: Originally posted by: Panic Attack "Well shadow, it sucks...what you said sucks (i'm talking about the comment, not the apology).... You see, being part of a team is just that. I know that you weren't there, and you weren't chosen to compete at nationals, but it's not the end of the world. You still have a whole other year....a year in which you guys could repeat this year. We all know the game is important to you, and we know how you feel about your game, but its time to practice something you cannot learn on the lanes. You need to practice what a team is all about. You need to support the team no matter what happens. When you're part of a larger group, that is a key factor...it is what matters...support of your team. You also know that I'm graduating this year. I won't have another year here to compete with all of these talented guys. This year was awesome...a year and an experience I won't ever forget...but just because I too, didn't get to go play at nationals for the team, doesn't mean I am to turn my back on it. I've done nothing but support the guys...There are lots of guys on the team that did the same. Dre for instance..even went up to support in person. Hoop was here at school rooting the team on with G and J lowe....and we were all happy for the 8 that went, because we are all part of this team.... this quality i speak of is not one that you can learn by bowling better than EVERYONE else...it is one that needs to be learned off the lanes, and applyed to both the lane and off lane setting....and this is a quality that is valued in a team setting....one that you need to learn. Granted, your negative attitude and general pessimism makes it difficult to learn...I know you can, and when you do...it won't go unseen. You'll get it shadow...just work at it even half as hard as you work on your game and you'll get it."
Panic, man you are a psyche major! You know it is cause he was toilet trained at gunpoint by a rabid sheep! (JK guys, i couldn't resisit!)
quote: Originally posted by: Coach Dog "Good post, Cat...but I have to disagree a little. Team bowling IS about chemistry; the chemistry on the lanes when the lights are on. The best team I ever bowled with was Foot, Leroy, Sherman, John Weber, and myself...now we all didn't get along off the lanes, but when the lights came on, we all knew our jobs. As a coach, I've had some talented players, but they never really bonded together on the lanes (Cat, you should know that; you were there.) Guys resented not starting, ran their mouths off in public, had Mommy call the school...it was a mess. This group of people is a team; they support each other when it's needed, when the lights come on. Are there egos? Hell yes, but you know when to put it aside for the good of the team. And, I'm not just talking about the A team, either; I'm sitting in the shop Saturday with Panek waiting to hear something...Josh calls, Foot calls, Jes calls, Hammer shows up, we're all hoping for good news...and then it comes. Damn! (Foot's call, verbatim: "We won." "Yeah the kids are all crying." "Talk to you later." Sounded bored.:lol:) You ask how we won? 30 people working toward a common goal. That's how we won..."
Well said.
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"Changing bowling balls is like peeing your pants in the cold. The warm feeling you have at first will eventually be overcome with an even chillier stink."
quote: Originally posted by: hanke "Panic, man you are a psyche major! You know it is cause he was toilet trained at gunpoint by a rabid sheep! (JK guys, i couldn't resisit!)"
....psyche?.........correct me if i'm wrong...but you said you were teaching english?
quote: Originally posted by: Panic Attack " ....psyche?.........correct me if i'm wrong...but you said you were teaching english? ........how 'bout....psych major. me FaIl englilish? T'hats unpossible-- Edited by Panic Attack at 22:34, 2005-04-26"
so i added one fookin letter, Biteth mine crank, verily
