Goodbye 2013. Hello 2014.

It's the last day of 2013 - Been a while since I posted so thought I'd fill you in. Just under 4 months since I came home from Vegas and so much has happened during that time.

As you know from my last post I found Vegas tough, both mentally & physically. When I came home I struggled to return back to 'reality' I couldn't seem to figure out what reality was. I hated myself, I hated work, I hated people & I hated bowling. I was struggling to face going out in public and found myself having a long talk with my GP. 

I bowled for England in the Triple Crown 2 weeks after returning home and it was a very successful trip for England but I still wasn't comfortable being out, having people watch me. I constantly felt like I was being judged.

I was kinda ashamed and didn't want to admit that I was depressed and struggling with anxiety. I saw my GP a few times and she helped me come to terms with what she called performance related depression. I quickly realised, with the help of family & friends, that it was nothing to be ashamed of and started to fight to get my life back. 

After much debate with myself, I decided to bowl the 3 remaining tournaments of the year, I'd already agreed to play with someone in the 2 doubles events and the other was the English Open, which I feel should be supported by the top players in the sport to help get bowling the recognition it deserves. 

The tournaments went OK and by the time I played the English Open in November, I was feeling the fight & passion return. 

Bowling wise I've had a break since then. It's been kinda nice to have some time off and really give myself time to think about what I want from the game and my life in general. 

It's also given me time to set up work through Every Name Counts. I started creating Scrabble Art for friends last Christmas and took on a few more commissions throughout the year. After Vegas I decided life was too short to work doing something you didn't enjoy and so decided to quit my job with Aviva & set up properly with Every Name Counts. 

It's been tough but I have built up a very lovely & loyal customer base. I get to work at the studio with my Mum and be as creative as I like. If you don't already - go & 'like' my page on Facebook www.facebook.com/ENCframes :) thank you muchly! 

Here's a peek of some of the little beauties I get to create :) 

So what's the plan for 2014?!

Bowling: Practice - ALOT! Team England will be selecting the teams for the European Championships very soon and the qualifying structure has changed for this year. We'll now be playing trials over 3 weekend throughout the year. It'll be tough and no room for errors so really need to be at the top of my game. Luckily I have access to & support from Powerplay ProShop plus I'll be having some lessons with Jon Zadel. 

I want to bowl again, I want to win. It's nice to feel like that and I'm looking forward to working hard for it in 2014! 

Life: Really work hard to turn Every Name Counts into the success I know it can be. 

Spend every spare minute with my loved ones. Life really is too short and you never know when it's gonna be your last day. I'm gonna make sure I appreciate every single person that means something to me & enjoy each day as if it's my last. 

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas & I wish every single one of you a fabulous 2014! 

If you want it, go get it. 

Much Love,

J xXx

Far from a queen....

And s USBC Queens 2013 is over, almost as quick as it started. 10 games qualifying, 2 blocks of 5 passed so quick and I never really got going to look like a threat. 

I'm not sure if it was too close to the World Championships for me, but mentally I found it so hard. I'm usually really good at shaking off bad shots but I didn't allow myself to forget the bad shots and I got upset & tight after an unlucky leave.

The field over here in America is really strong and you have to be at the top of your game to compete, it's really frustrating because I know deep down I am more than capable. Last year I went through 2 rounds of Matchplay, I was expecting to do at least the same this year but it was obviously just not meant to be. 

3 of my good friends from Europe made the Matchplay! Roomie Lisanne, Sandra from Sweden & Pat from Germany/Finland so fingers crossed for good shots & carry for all of those. I'm not sure if there has ever been an international winner of this tournament but with all the internationals that are here this year - it could happen!!! 

All the scores can be found at www.bowl.com/Queens The live scoring has been great & also the live streaming with Bowl Tv!! 

Here's Sandra & I yesterday in our Loudmouth shorts :-) 

I was absolutely heartbroken yesterday - knowing the bowling part of my trip was over. Months of training and preparation and it's over just like that. It's been a really strange trip, I feel like I've been here a lifetime yet it only seems a few days since we checked in on the first day. 

There really isn't much to do here, we're about 20-30 minutes from the strip which by taxi costs anything from $30-$50. Or hotel complex has a lot of stuff, 5 or so restaurants, cinema, pool, huuuuuge casino. But once you've been there and done it - it seems boring. There are a number of shops within 10 minutes walking distance, but when the temperature is 40 degrees, that's not so appealing either. Feel like I'm living in some fantasy land, a big bubble!! 

Lisanne's parents are here with a car, so last night they drove us to the outlets - perfect therapy :) bought myself a new bag & 2 pairs of new shoes, also some shoes & gifts for me boys :-) Happier Jo.

Gonna try my best to get an earlier flight home, fingers crossed I can leave tomorrow so I'm back in England on Thursday! I've loved my time here but I've missed home and the trip has been so mentally tough. Looking forward to getting home for a bit of normality and start training again for the next tournaments!! 

Huge thanks to everyone who believed in me, I'm sorry it was painful to watch at times and wasn't as exciting to watch as you may have hoped, I do genuinely appreciate every supportive message I have received. It won't knock me down forever and I will come back stronger! 

Until next time, 

J xXx

USBC Queens 2013

Today was emotional when it was time to say goodbye to my team mates as they left for home. The farewell banquet last night was not as good as we hoped, but it did give us the chance to get dressed up - which was nice! 

Today the USBC Queens started! It's a long running women only tournament, that has had some amazing winners over the years. This year we'll be bowling for the title, $20k and a beautiful tiara! 

I'm rooming with Lisanne for the rest of my trip, packing up my stuff this morning was not fun - especially after a late night!!  By the time I had said my goodbyes to the team I had just enough time to shower and get ready for practice, which is on the chosen tournament pattern. The pattern which has been chosen is 39ft and should be significantly more playable than the 2 patterns we played on for the World Championships. 

The balls I have with me are all Storm or RotoGrip. I have the Disturbed. Defiant Soul. Deranged. Crossroad. Hyroad Pearl. IQ Tour. Tropical Heat Solid. Tropical Breeze & Polar Ice.

Practice went OK and I managed to find a few options to start with tomorrow. The balls I'm liking the look of initially are the Disturbed, Defiant Soul & Crossroad, but that may well change in the actual squad.

After practice Lisanne & I went for tea over at Red Robin, which dangerously is in the Galleria Shopping Mall. We were almost falling asleep whilst eating, as we were both exhausted from yesterday, but we managed to find some energy to do a little bit of shopping. After a visit to one of  my favourite shops, Bath & Body Works, we decided to buy some things to help us relax in the room! Eucalyptus & Mint candle & stress relief body lotion! 

Early night for the 2 of us, ready for our 9am start tomorrow (5pm UK Time) We will play 5 games tomorrow and 5 games on Monday then the next cut will be announced! 

You can follow the tournament at www.bowl.com/Queens

Keep your fingers crossed for us :) 

xXx

The Championships are over......

And so the World Championships are over.... It's been a long, challenging, emotional but very rewarding trip. 

My bowling got better day by day but I still didn't really settle in and play to my best until the final 3 games in the 5 man team event. 

Trios I played with Hayley W & Nicki... We did OK, but never really got going enough to make a threat to the other teams. I struggled on the fresh on the short pattern then missed the transition in the final game on the medium pattern. 

Our other team of Autum, Hayley R & Lisa were amazing though and qualified for the finals in 3rd place guaranteeing them a medal and giving them the opportunity to bowl for gold. 

The semi finals are 1 v 4 2 v 3 with the highest seed selecting which oil pattern to play on. Canada chose the short oil which was not our strongest. The girls gave it a go but unfortunately Canada were the better team and had a lot of strikes. The girls did get a bronze medal though, which at world level is amazing and I couldn't be happier for them! 

Next up was the 5 man team event - I played in the make up team for the short oil then Hayley W played in the make up for the medium.  We really gave it a good go for a team medal - fought right till the end but the other teams around us didn't stop fighting either. We finished the team event in 9th place and it was gutting for all of us. 

On the flip side we did finish the team event on a high because Hayley finished 22nd in the all events meaning she qualified for the top 24 masters event. Also John Wells from the men's team qualified too!! 

Both of them gave it a good go but both missed the next cut which was top 8, was a great achievement by both though on a world class level. 

So looking back and reflecting on my own Championships is hard - it's really frustrating when you work so hard to prepare for something like this then come away and don't perform to the level you know you can. I wish I had some excuses to use, I wish I could blame my equipment, the lanes or something else but I can't. I just didn't bowl good enough - simple. 

Today is the last day with the team here, we have the banquet/farewell party tonight and then my next challenge starts. Time to take the few positives I have from the championships and leave the negatives behind. It's a new tournament, new format, new oil pattern & new challenge. 

Huge thanks from myself & the whole team for everyone's support at home. The trip hasn't been as successful as a lot of us would have hoped, we will all come home with certain things to work on but as a team we are extremely proud of the girls getting a world medal :-)

Right now I'm gonna enjoy some sun & pool time with the girls before getting ready to let our hair down tonight! 

Bye for now, J xx

The Strip, Doubles & Days Off!!

Tuesday night we went to the strip, my first time & I loved it! I can't wait to go back and see a bit more as we didn't have much time and it was so hot! The Bellagio fountains were AMAZING, I definitely wanna see them again! 

Here are a few of my favourite pics.....

So Wednesday was a day off, I spent most of the day in the bowl watching the men's doubles before getting an hour or so out by the pool - which was nice obviously!! Wednesday evening we did plan to go to the Outback grill for tea but after a mishap with taxi's we ended up staying in the complex and going to one of the restaurants here. 

Thursday was doubles day on the medium. I was paired with Hayley W and on the first squad along with Nicki & Lisa. Autum & Hayley R would play in the second squad. 

Doubles started off better for me, I seemed to find a couple of options on the fresh and started off well in the first few frames before my ball reaction changed drastically and I got tight trying to make it work. 

I had the same sort of thing for the first 3 games, the reaction looked good for 3-4 frames and then quickly changed, I then threw loose shots and didn't take advantage of the good shots I'd made before hand. Game 4 I decided to stop playing safe and go 'fish' for something. Yes it meant I ended with a 143 but I didn't manage to see the reactions of all the balls in my bag and figure something out for games 5 & 6. This time it paid off and with the help of Mike Quarry we found a really good ball reaction which stayed, using my Roto Grip Defiant Soul with 2000 surface playing further right. Bounced back with 244 & 208 to boost confidence and feel a bit more positive about my next block on the medium.  

Thursday afternoon I seemed to pick up a bug from somewhere and spent all afternoon in bed sick, which was not fun at all. Managed to feel a little better in the evening so went for a walk across the way to Walmart, we stopped in at a pet shop to play with the puppies. We almost lost Autum as she fell in love with a golden retriever/cocker spaniel cross! So cute....

Friday was another day off.... It doesn't feel like we've bowled much since we've been here but I am extremely grateful for the downtime, especially when I ain't been feeling great. Friday we had a super chill out day by the pool, tried to escape the bowl for a bit, forget bowling for a little while & relax. We still all ended up talking bowling around the pool, but it was nice to get some fresh air & sunshine! 

The girls finally went to Outback last night and it was definitely worth the wait :) my ribeye was beaut, shame I couldn't eat much before I was being sick again but hey at least I got to enjoy a bit of it!!!

Today we start the trios. Autum, Hayley R & Lisa are playing early today & afternoon on Monday so Me, Nic & Hayley W play afternoon today and morning on Monday! Back on the brutal short pattern, time to figure out a plan, make good shots and hope for a bit of luck our way too! 

I'll leave you with a picture of my Outback steak.... Mmmmmmmmmm!!! 

J xx

The tournament begins....

So the tournament officially started with official practice. Practice went OK for me, I got to throw all the balls I brought with me in different areas to see which reactions I liked the look of the best. 

After practice I had to drop 3 balls and choose my final 6 for tournament play. The balls I chose were Rotogrip Disturbed, Rotogrip Defiant Soul, Storm IQ Tour, Storm Crossroad, Storm Tropical Heat Solid & my Polar Ice which I use as a spare ball. 

Didn't really get up to much on Sunday night, ate tea (dinner), wasted some dollars on the slots then went to bed. 

Monday was game day for the men. The short pattern really played tough for all the men and scores were a lot lower than any of the team would have wished for. There were 2 300's in the tournament which was nice to watch, when all you seem to see around is people struggling. 

The girls spent most of the day in the bowl watching so by the time the finals were over we were all shattered, both mentally & physically. Watching bowling really does take it out of you. We decided against eating out and chose to get Panda Express - its a Chinese fast food restaurant which I absolutely love, especially when you're tucked up in bed having a chill out night with the girls!!! 

And so we come to Tuesday..... Game day for the girls. For the first time since arriving I got a decent nights sleep. Jet lag has really got to me and I kept waking up between 3-4:30am then struggling to get back to sleep. Last night seemed to be better so fingers crossed that rubbish is outa my system!!

 Nicki & I were on the first squad along with Hayley R & Autum

I really didn't start good today, I took too long to settle into the sticky approaches and threw a lot of bad shots. I was like this for the first 2 games before giving myself a mental kick up the ass, then I started to throw the ball better and had something to work from. Games 3,4 & 5 were better but game 6 just stumped me. I read the lanes based on a couple of shots and made a decision to move my whole shot to the right, in hindsight I think I should have maybe moved everything left a little but hey, you learn from your mistakes. 

Here are the scores from today... 153. 134. 167. 219. 201. 146 = 1020. They're not so fun to look at after months of hard work but I have to out that event behind me, I gotta forget the negatives of the first couple of games and keep the positives, I didn't give up and it proves that if you keep fighting for it then the results get better. The next event is doubles on the medium pattern so I won't have to play on the short pattern until the trios later in the week. I'll have some time before then to sit & talk to Jon & work out a new game plan before then. 

Tonight we're going to the strip. We're all having tea at the MGM grand with all the families & supporters that are here with the team. Although I'm shattered it'll be really nice to escape the hotel complex for a few hours. As this is my first time in Vegas I've never seen the strip in real life either so that's gonna be fun! 

I'll take loads a photos to post next time :-) 

Until then, Much Love. 

J xXx

Friday & Saturday

Friday & Saturday brought a fair amount of down time and also unofficial practice. Unofficial practice sessions gives us chances get used to the surroundings and familiarise ourselves with the centre. The lanes are dressed with medium & short patterns but not the official patterns. Those are chosen after unofficial practice has ended. 

Friday we practiced in the morning for 2 hours, it felt good to be able to bowl after a long day of travelling. I personally found the approaches quite tight but after an hour or so I had settled. Nicki & I went for a much needed deep tissue massage in the afternoon, deep is an understatement and although we left feeling tender, we both felt much more at ease. 

The opening ceremony was Friday evening, we all got taken to the Henderson Pavilion which is an outdoor amphitheatre, the heat was almost unbearable so we didn't stay around there long. 

Here's the girls at the opening ceremony..... 

Saturday we had practice time in the evening so we managed together some chill out time by the pool..... Which was nice. The temperature was HOT so we spent most of the afternoon in & out of the pool to keep cool. Practice went well again and we were all starting to feel more relaxed on the lanes. 

The managers meeting was held last night and the official patterns were announced. We will play on WTBA Sydney which is 33ft and WTBA Seoul which is 39ft. 

http://www.worldtenpinbowling.com/pdf/WTBASydney33-12.pdf

http://www.worldtenpinbowling.com/pdf/WTBASeoul39-12.pdf

Today we have official practice, which will be on the tournament patterns. It's a scheduled practice where you practice for 15 minutes and then move lanes so you get to bowl across the whole centre. After official practice today we have to choose which 6 balls we will keep for tournament play. 

I'll write again soon after practice!! 

J xx

Hello Las Vegas. Hello Jet Lag.

Well after last years bad run with flight delays and baggage issues, I was crossing all my fingers & toes that we wouldn't have any issues on this trip! 

12 people with a case each + 38 triple tote bowling bags - That's a lot of baggage!! 

The flight was on time though and we landed 20 minutes before we were due! Was a massive relief when all our bags arrived safe & well. Definitely a good start to the trip! 

We had a little wait at the airport before the tournament shuttle picked us up to take us to the bowl/hotel complex. Dropped the balls in the ball park then checked in! Again all fine & no issues (touch wood) 

We managed to get a bit of chill out time before we all met up for tea! By the time we'd finished eating we were all ready for bed, I went n had a quick look around the bowl then came to my room to get some much needs rest! 

I was fast asleep by 10pm & wide awake by 3am - hence taking advantage of doing nothing and updating the blog! 

Gonna try n get back to sleep now ready for unofficial practice tomorrow! 

Until then, 

J xXx

Lets get Loud!!!!

Very, Very exciting stuff! Those of you that know me, will know I like things that are a bit quirky, a bit out there & LOUD! 

When I got offered a clothing contract with Loudmouth Golf, I didn't have to think twice! I'd seen there clothes before and instantly loved them! 

I'll be wearing Loudmouth at tournaments & training around the UK as well as the upcoming USBC Queens in USA in a few weeks! 

Unfortunately I have a 'uniform' when I am on England duty for the World Championships so can't wear them during that trip! 

If you fancy something different to wear for bowling, playing golf or just for a bit of fun - have a look at http://uk.loudmouthgolf.com/ 

J xXx

A new breed - Dog Bowl

So.... I didn't tell you about the 2 exciting sponsorship deals I signed! 

First of all I started working with 'Dog Bowl' in Manchester. It's a top end 5 lane bowling centre in the heart of Manchester. It has amazing New York styling and I just love it there! 

I'll be doing some coaching & lessons with local schools, competition winners & corporate events!! 

If you're even in the Manchester area, I would definitely recommend calling in. The lanes are immaculate, the cocktail bar is fully equipped, the food is delightful & at weekend that's have Dj's playing till the early hours! 

http://www.blackdogballroom.co.uk/dogbowl/

J xXx

9 months on....

9 months since I posted - wowzers! So much to say..... But I don't have a baby!! 

Quite a lot happened since I last posted. I had an amazing trip to Vienna for an EBT Tournament, I went to Switzerland for a team event and then to Florence for another EBT. Had an absolute blast at all three events, won some pennies and made awesome memories with some great friends! 

End of November wasn't so great as I was involved in an accident in my car! The lorry driver didn't fancy stopping in traffic so did some nasty damage to the car & my back. 

I was forced to take time off from bowling to recover properly, giving my muscles chance to heal. I'm on the mend though and started to ease myself back into bowling gradually in February. Still working to get myself up to full fitness and playing as regularly as I did but it's definitely gonna take time. 

I lost my Grandad at Christmas which was tough for the whole family. He'd had a long battle with Alzheimer's & Dementia, he eventually became to weak to fight illnesses and pneumonia took over. 

This year has been better :-) I was lucky enough to be selected to represent England at the World Championships! 

I leave on the 15th August along with 5 awesome team mates - Autum Chamberlain, Hayley Rumkee, Hayley White, Lisa John & Nicki Ainge! To say I'm excited is an understatement and preparations are well underway with training and ball choices! 

I've also signed 2 exciting sponsorship deals - I'll post about them very soon!!! 

Until next time.... 

Much Love, 

J x

Back to the practice lanes...

Well I can quite honestly say that wasn't the best bowling experience I've ever had.

The second block of qualifying was much better. I was more relaxed, threw the ball a lot better and made more good shots. I had 1205 for the 6 games which I was a lot happier with but unfortunately it wasn't going to be enough to recover from day 1.

Back to the practice lanes for me and to shake off the bad memories of a 997 6 game block!!

Both guys had great 2nd blocks too taking them into the finals. Matt got himself a bye by qualifying in the top 8 and Stu just missed out in 9th.

Stu had a good run beating Michael Holzapfel from Germany & Mak Cheuk Yin from Hong Kong before losing in the round of 8 to Tommy Jones of USA.

Matt played Khaled Al Dossari from Qatar but unfortunately didn't win so went out of the tournament in the round of 16.

All the results are still available on the website: http://www.cbf.com.cy

Despite my nightmare on the lanes and not being able to sleep properly I did have a very enjoyable trip. I'm lucky that I am able to get along with the guys, the hotel was in the middle of nowhere so really not much to do at all, I would have gone crazy if I weren't able to have fun & some banter with the guys!

It's now Sunday and I 'think' I've finally caught up on my sleep! I'm working Monday - Thursday this week then I'm flying to Vienna Friday morning for an EBT (European Bowling Tour) event!

It's a slightly different format to other EBT's because your scores are teamed with the bowler on your lane to create a doubles team, which means more competition and more chance of prize money! I'm due to play with Mike Quarry a friend from England, Sandra from Sweden & Lisanne from Holland!

I'm also rooming with Lisanne, we haven't seen each other since our trip to Reno so I'm looking forward to fun times with her!!

I'm logging off to watch X Factor now so I'll love ya & leave ya!!

Until next week, Much Love, J x

A new pin in the map....

Well hello Cyprus. This week I get to visit a place I've never been before - Limassol, Cyprus. I'm here representing Team England at the 1st World Singles Championships. The 2 men with me are Matt Miller & Stu Williams.

The trip itself has been about of a drama so far. It was a last minute trip due to the original 2 players Lisa John & Hayley White not being able to make it. I wasn't bowling so much last year so I didn't technically qualify for the England squad of 12 players, but I guess due to my recent form & being able to make the trip I was able to represent.

Bowling in England isn't so great at the moment and the British Tenpin Bowling Association isn't in a good place financially meaning the players have to make a contribution to travel to tournaments such as this which makes it difficult for people to afford to travel. Anyways, that is another subject which we all hope will be resolved over the next 12-18 months.

So the trip.... I flew out on wednesday, My flight was delayed due to the aircraft not being parked correctly overnight. It took the airport staff 90 minutes to rectify the problem and park the plane in the correct place!! I eventually got to Limassol about 2hours later than scheduled which meant I missed the official practice session for the tournament. I arrived in time to make the opening ceremony which was held outside the bowling centre and included the athlete parade and the speeches by various officials & representatives from the bowling world & Cyprus federations.

My first squad was 10am on Thursday do I didn't hang around much Wednesday night as I needed to get some rest and catch I on sleep from travelling day. My first 6 games were not great for me at all. I don't like to make excuses and I will openly admit I was not at my best. It took me a long time to relax and settle into the environment, I didn't string good shots together and I missed a fair amount of spares. I finished on a total of 997 for 6 games so I have left myself a lot of work to do in the next 6 games in order to make the top 24 & qualify for the final rounds. I play again on Saturday at 1:30 Cyprus time so 11:30 UK time.

Stu played this morning and had a 6 game total of 1321 which puts him in a very good position to qualify for the top 24.

Matt has just finished his squad on 1405 so he is also in a very strong position to make the finals :-)

TalkTenpin.net have sent The Stream Team here and they are providing live streaming and commentary of as much of the centre as possible. The link for the live streaming is - https://new.livestream.com/WTBA/Singles2012

All the scores can also be found at www.cbs.com/cy/wsc2012

Keep your fingers crossed for us :-)

Much Love, Jo x

A final goodbye....

So it's time to go home... Mixed emotions.

The bowling didn't end so good.... I felt confident going in to the final block of 6 and started OK with games of 222 202 222 & 210. The lanes played so different compared to the other 2 squads and all the bowlers found a whole load of carry down which made carry really hard. Luck was definitely not in my side in games 5 & 6 as I left five 7-10 splits from pocket shots. Unfortunately I let this affect my confidence and then missed a couple of other spares. I had games of 184 154 to finish on 1194 for 6 games making my total for 18 games 3724.

I didn't want to write my blog straight away because I don't like hanging onto negativity and I was pretty down and disappointed and that would have reflected in my blog. When I look back at the tournament at a whole I have a lot of positives to take and I have learnt more valuable lessons making me a stronger person & better bowler.

The last 3 days have been a bit of a whirlwind for Lisanne & I. Neither of us made the cut so we took advantage of being able to let our hair down and enjoy being able to relax. We did a bit more shopping, sunbathed by the pool, hit the casino tables and sampled a few cocktails!

I have met some new friends here in Reno, had some valuable conversations with knowledgable people and watched some amazing bowlers. The final last night was an experience, the opening ceremony included a choir, military, fireworks & an aeroplane! The bowling was crazy and due to the elements the oil was challenging and the ladies played the finals with spare balls - fair play to Kelly Kulick for rising above and winning the tournament! She led from day 1 and the $40k was definitely deserved.

I always have mixed emotions just before I come home. I'm excited to see my friends & family, I love England and I cant wait to come home for Fish & Chips! But I miss 'living bowling' When you're away on a bowling trip, everyone shares the same passion! I love being around people who love the sport as much as I do! It's hard to explain to people that aren't involved within bowling but trust me -it's amazing!

So it's time to come home, as always the 7 days have passed so quick and I have learnt more valuable lessons to take away ready to improve for next time!

I have a couple of weeks off now to relax and recover from the jet leg before playing the Euro Fives with Powerplay Pro Shop at Norwich! It's a Team England ranking event so equally important, we are all bowling for points to get us into the Nationals squad and hopefully selected to travel to the Championships next year!

It's time for me to get to the airport, fingers crossed for non delayed/cancelled flights :-)

Thanks for your support as always!

Much Love, J xXx

A jump in the right direction...

Lisanne & I both had a nice relaxed morning yesterday, late breakfast then took time getting ready to go to the bowl for our squad at 3pm.

Yesterday was so much better on the lanes! I found a good reaction with my Storm Crossroad after I touched it slightly with a 2000 pad. I opened up with 243 and felt happy with with how I was playing. I followed this with a 208 & 279 - damn you 4pin!! It was then time to move to the other side of the the centre and guess what... My balls hooked up early! This side of the centre is so much hotter so more than likely this is the reason for the change. I panicked and started to fish around for something new that wouldn't hook early and scraped a 181. When I moved lanes again I went back to where I was before and had 205 & 206 for a 6 game total of 1320 which puts me +130 for the 12 games!

After day 1 I was in 106th place, today I made a jump of 42 places to 64th. The cut is 50th and currently it stands at +169

We bowl another 6 games at 8pm (4am UK time) I'm hoping for a block just as good or better than yesterday to give me some chance of making the next cut!! :-)

We had a really fun night last night! Lisanne & I met up with Olivia for some fun :-) we had cocktails, gambled some and played in the arcades! Spent about $10 trying to win a smurf which is worth about $3 but she's cute ;-)

The lanes have started to be installed outside beneath the arch - its gonna be amazing!

Don't have much planned for today, just relax and prepare for the bowling later!

Wish me luck :-) Much Love, J xXx

An eventful 48 hours.....

Well Heathrow to San Francisco went good, nice flight, good food, quick & easy through customs! I turn on my phone to an email telling me my flight is cancelled - the joy. Then another email saying I was scheduled on a flight at 10:35pm the next day - Erm I don't think so!!!

After arguing with the airline and them not being able to get me on another flight my only option was to drive!! 4hr drive seemed OK til I hit San Francisco rush hour traffic - Blurgh! I did get to drive through the forest near Lake Tahoe which was beautiful though! 5 1/2 hours later I arrived at the bowl at 9:45pm so I missed official practice, which wasn't ideal!

It didn't take long to realise I was ready for bed, I met up with Lisanne after her practice and we came straight to bed! We are staying in the Circus Circus which is......... Strange! It's clean and our room is big but it feels like we are 50 years ago :-/

It is connected to the Silver Legacy & Elderado so between the 3 hotels it's huge, loadsa restaurants and lots of slots!!

I slept good last night and the car didn't need to go back until 4pm so we decided to take advantage & drive to an outlet mall! The shopping started off slow but it soon picked up! Bought myself 2 new Adidas jackets, Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt & sunglasses, some Vans and a pair of cute Vans for my nephew :-)

Onto the bowling...... The bowl is amazing, so big I could get lost ( I haven't as yet ) I started off real good 223 268 & 210. I then moved to the other end of the centre and noticed a massive change in reaction, the midland was really burnt up and my balls started hooking a lot earlier so I made a move inside and scored 190. The next 2 games were not so good, I chased the lane left but kept hitting the burn. When I got far enough left to avoid the midlane I couldn't get my ball to recover :-/ in the last few frames of game 6 I decided to make a move right and change to a weaker ball that would get through the mess! I ended up with 162 157 for a total of 1210.

Disappointed doesn't come close, it doesn't feel good to go from +100 to +10 in 3 games but I do have some positives to take!

I played the lane good at the start and I felt like I was throwing the ball good too. I missed 4 spares in the last 2 games but before that my spare game was also good! We won't play on the 'burn' again so I'm hoping I can find a reaction like the first 3 games on the fresh pattern tomorrow & Sunday!

We play tomorrow at 3pm (11pm UK time). Have no plans for tomorrow just chill out & relax :-) its nice bowling in the afternoon & evenings - all morning to take things at a slow speed!

As you're all waking up it's time for bed for me! I'll leave you with some photos of the snowy mountains from my flight & of the National Bowling Stadium!

Much Love, J xXx

The Reno adventure begins.....

So.... It's finally here! I've been excited about this trip since the seed was planted in November last year. 7 months on, I'm checked in @ Heathrow terminal 1, eating breakfast waiting for my first flight to San Francisco!!

I've been a little bit jealous cos my friend & roomie for the week arrived in Reno yesterday - I had to work! Bad Times!

So... What am I doing in Reno?! Women's US Open at The National Bowling Stadium. If you've never seen that place pop it into google - it looks AMAZING!!! The tournament website is www.bowlingsuswomensopen.com there is about 190 regular entries! It's a long format with practice starting tonight and the first block of qualifying beginning Friday at 7:30pm for me.

Today is gonna be a long day! I have an 11hr flight to San Francisco, a couple of hour connection before a 58 minute flight to Reno! I should arrive in Reno at 5pm (1am UK time) I have official practice at 9pm -10pm which will be 6am UK time! Hoping to sleep a bit on the plane!

Friday morning 10:30am I am playing the singles & doubles event in the USBC Women's Championships! I'm very excited to get on the lanes tonight for practice :-)

Reno is 8 hours behind UK time so think of me when you're all tucked up in bed tonight!!

Much Love, J xxx

Update :-)

I still have the remainder of my stinking cold, which isn't nice. But what is nice, is that I've had the all clear for arthritis & inflammation of my joints!! I've been struggling with joint pain for quite a while now and my GP didn't know the cause. The specialist I have seen has advised me that I have overly flexible joints, which explains all the cracking, popping & movement I have. The pain comes from the joints not being protected or strong enough to cope with the movement. It also turns out my left leg is longer than my right and my left knee cap doesn't sit straight!

So what now?! Back to the gym, to work on core stability & balance. I've been referred to a physiotherapist & occupational therapist to work on my mechanics and to help me strengthen & protect my joints so I no longer get the pains I get now!!

It's so hard coming home after an amazing trip. Back to the norm, going to work, unpacking, washing & miserable boring weather! Urgh!

What does make it worth while coming home is seeing my 2 gorgeous nephews! I drove to see my sister, her fiancé & the boys today! I fed Finley some jelly for the first time and he loved it!!! I've attached a couple of pictures from their trip to the zoo yesterday :-)

I'm bowling a local tournament next week at Preston, back to the practice lanes this week so I will keep you updated after next weeks event!

Take it easy! Much Love, J xx

Home Sweet Home

Lots to catch up on.... I didn't want to write my blog straight after leaving the tournament Sunday as I had mixed emotions. It was important for me to relax for a couple of days and look at the bigger picture, rather than writing straight away when I was a little upset at being knocked out. So now it's Thursday morning, I'm laid in bed at home feeling appreciative for the life I live :o)

Sunday morning was 5 more games - total pin fall carried over an the top 47 joined last years winner Missy Parkin in the match play finals. I was drawn on the lanes today with Leanne Barrette-Hulsenberg - I was a little intimidated and nervous but it was such an honour to bowl alongside someone who has been around women's bowling for so long and been so good. I had a really good morning today on the lanes 208 209 182 232 223 - 1054 which meant I was +53 for 15 games ( 203.53 avg).... I wasn't quite sure I'd done enough to make the 48, I knew it was going to be close so the next 10 minutes were hell then the scores were in and I was 41st :o) So so happy!!

All 4 of us made the match play so we nipped out for some dinner then back to the bowl to get ready for our matches. My first match was against Megan Kelly. She'd caught my eye earlier in the week with how good she threw the ball so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. The match play was 3 game total - winner advances, loser drops into the contenders bracket. So basically you have to lose twice to drop out of the tournament.

I was 30 ish down after 1 game, had a couple of bad shots through nerves at the beginning but once I settled them I seemed to be OK. I made good shots and pulled 20 something pins back so we were almost even going into the final game. I wasn't quite ready to drop into the contenders bracket just yet and opened up with the front 7 - finished with a 268 and won the match 668 - 610. Phew!!

Match 2 - The top 16 seeds came in at this round and I was drawn against Clara Guerrero from Columbia. I'm not quite sure what happened in the first game against Clara but I could not figure the lanes out. I went high split - light split etc 126 and 80 pins down. I managed to pull myself together and finish the match with 2 190's but Clara played too good and 80 pins were too many to pull back. Into the contenders bracket.

Match 3 - Shannon Pluhowsky. Team USA Member and pretttty good bowler!! I was certainly being tested today :o)
I played OK against Shannon in games 1 & 2. We were both finding it hard to double on the pair and the scores were fairly low. I was starting to struggle with my middle finger now with my hand being so swollen. I wasn't making good shots and didn't feel comfortable. After game 1 Shannon was up by 10. Game 2 I managed to pull back 7 so it was neck & neck for game 3. Game 3 Shannon came out on fire and I didn't. I had another 180, Shannon had 260 to win the match 630 - 545.

That was it - tournament over. It all happened so quick. It was a tough 4 days and I learnt so much. My target this trip was to make the cut to 64. I did that - in fact I also made the cut to 48 and won a match in match play so I am very happy with the trip as a whole. I know I made some mistakes along the way, I made some bad shots when I needed to make good ones, made the wrong decisions sometimes about ball changes/movements but that's all part of the learning curve. I'll learn from these mistakes and bounce back even stronger!

Olivia made it through to Monday & still in the winners bracket so we all went down to support her on Monday...she played amazing but unfortunately dropped out at the last minute and finished in 7th/8th place.

Monday night we went shopping and I finally treat myself to some new sunglasses. I wanted RayBans but the frames I wanted only came in light lenses so I settled for a funky pair of Oakleys :o) Olivia & Jen left early Tuesday morning and I was being picked up at 4pm to go to the airport so what was I gonna do for the day? Sandra & I hit the sun loungers. We spent most of the day just laid in silence, enjoying  the peace & quiet after a mad 4 days. When we did talk it was laughter and memories of a fun trip, we shared what we had learnt and what our goals were for next time. I'd never really had the chance to sit & talk to Sandra before this trip but we certainly became friends this time and I'm looking forward to getting on the road with her again soon ;o) I also made friends with Jaime Perez this week, he does the videography for the IAB ( International Art Of Bowling) he's so much fun and contributed to me having a great trip. I loved seeing Olivia & Jen again too - 4 years is too long! I definitely wont be leaving it that long again - see you in 8 weeks girls!!

Dallas Fort Worth airport may have been the most boring airport I have ever visited. The shops were rubbish so I went for tea which I made last over an hour - cold burger #NotNice then sat for hours just waiting..and waiting. Sandra was keeping me updated with the scores from the show and I was happy for Diandra winning her first major! Somebody complained to the airline about my cold/cough/nasty chest and I had a bit of a to-do with the airline staff as they didn't think I was fit to travel home. Thank god they did let me on and after a 45 minute delay I was on my way home. The flight was O.K. I managed to sleep for 4-5 hours, so I knew Wednesday was gonna be fun! I was welcomed at the airport by rain & cold #Niiiiice but I was picked up by Wilson (always good to see a happy face after a trip away).

We went for some dinner with Emma Manning, had a catch up/gossip/rant about bowling & life then I was on my way to Nuneaton. I wanted to try something different with my finger inserts to stop them being too tight when my fingers swell. This was possibly the quickest visit to Nuneaton EVER!!! I was home for 10 and after a catch up with my Mum, Dad & Brother I was wiped out and in bed by 11:30.

I'm back in work today - that's gonna be tough after a week off. So hard coming back to reality after an amazing trip but work pays the bills and it pays for the next trip! Reno - for women's US Open in approx 8 weeks! Time to work hard and prepare :o)

Thanks for your support this week :o) Much Love, J xx

Saturday!

I'm in :-) geez that was close!

I woke up today with a big ass stinker of a cold, my head felt like it was gonna explode! Urgh!

Although we all still woke early, we managed to lounge around in bed this morning due to not bowling until 1pm.

We took time getting ready then me, Liv & Sandra went down to the bowl to watch some of the B squad bowlers. It was such a relief to see that the scores had dropped a little after yesterday!

The food at the bowl doesn't look too great so we went for a drive to find some dinner (lunch) after 30 minutes driving we finally decided on Arby's. I had a turkey & bacon ranch wrap which was beaut! No photo this time - Soz!

When we got back to the bowl I took my Victory Road Pearl into the pro shop as it was a little greasy after yesterday! The poor guy in the shop struggles to understand me - especially with the terminology I'm used to around my bowling and equipment :-/ I probably should learn some proper words!!!

Anyway, finally onto the lanes and I felt good in practice. I opened up with a 255 which helped me to relax more! I felt like I bowled much better today and had games of 199 201 190 & 201. I know the scores don't reflect how much I hit the pocket but I just struggled to kick out the 4 & 10 pins.

I managed +46 today so -1 for the 10 games. I knew it was going to be close as the cut was -20 after game 9. It was a nerve wracking 10 minutes waiting for the scores to update but when they did I was mega happy :-) placed 55th and 29 pins off the next cut. If I make good shots tomorrow hopefully I can pull that back and pinch a place in the match play!

I made $90 in today's block too from entering the high game pot & also brackets - bonus!

All 4 of us are in the cut so we went out to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate! I treated myself to a lime mojito which was yummy and the food was delicious too :-)

Tonight we went in the pool for the first time and although it was pretty cold I was determined to stay in there! Sandra & I mucked about a bit then got out and just chilled for a bit :-)

Now I'm blogging from a hot bath, drinking Mountain Dew & eating peanut M&M's :-)

Early start tomorrow for 5 more games at 9am (3pm UK time) so wish me luck!!!

Much Love,

J xx