A New Proclamation

Michael started practicing with a new bowling coach yesterday afternoon. This is the fourth year he’s been bowling in a youth league now and he really enjoys it. He bowls way better than I do, but that’s not saying a whole lot. I might bowl once or twice a year, if I’m lucky. But, I also think he has the ability to do much better than he has in the past if he could simply learn to focus and control his ball better. So when one of the bowling lane's coaches offered to work with him, I graciously accepted.

We went to the lanes straight off the school bus yesterday, postponing homework and reading until later. I figured he could do his school work while I was making dinner-not a big deal. I was really excited to see how he’d do at the lanes with one-on-one coaching and no other kids or the pressure of a game as a distraction. Hope was there waiting for us, so he got his shoes and headed to our assigned lanes. She bowled three games with him then let him bowl a fourth on his own. I think she may have wondered what she’d gotten herself into! Michael is a stubborn little bugger. He’d follow her instructions for a couple frames and then tell her how he was going to bowl on the next frame-after all, he’s got three years of experience under his skinny-minny belt. He knows what he’s doing. Yeah…welcome to my brick wall.

Fortunately Hope has a great sense of humor and a heaping helping of patience! She’d give him his leeway then have him try it her way again. He needs to slow his approach and he still needs to keep his arm from swinging wide on his throw. He had a great time working with her and actually listened a lot better to her than he’s ever listened to anyone else who dared offer him advice before. I think it’s because he has a crush on her. Boys! Or at least my boy…he falls in love so easily. He kept whispering to me, “She’s my type! If only we were the same age!” Then a quick admonition: “Don’t you say anything to her!” Oh my…he’s really too much!

So, he did pretty well. Bowled his average two of the games, bowled over his average one and under another one. But he was happy when we left, a big smile on his face. We have league on Saturday and Hope offered to work with him again next week. In the very least it’s extra practice for him and that always helps. And he loves the attention from Hope. Win, win, I think.