We were hungry for knowledge and practice games to better our averages. The adults looked after us as though we their own kids. Lectures about behaving properly, respecting others, and just doing well with our lives were the norm. In exchange, we often had our games paid for. If it happened to be the bowling alley employees, we frequently got lanes turned on for us and we bowled without keeping score. We were as insatiable sponges soaking up all that they taught us and loving every minute of it.

In everything we do, the only way to get better is to keep that "thirst for knowledge" active and ongoing. There are no if's, and's, or but's about it. You either keep studying and adapting or you'll fall to the wayside. In our sport, this means that if you don't keep up with the changes in the game, you'll remain as "the average bowler." Putting this in numbers, you will always tend to be in the 150 to 190 range.

There were several periods over the years where I couldn't bowl; yet, I always tried to keep up with the changes in bowling by reading, watching television, or stopping by bowling centers to talk to people. While I may never recover all that I've lost during those extended periods away from the sport, my interest never waned and may have helped me to adapt easier into the "new style of bowling" when I returned. Wanting to learn more about the technological aspects probably made my transition back into bowling a little easier.

Here's a good "Choc-List" for improving your average by osmosis:

1) Re-kindle that feeling that you had when you initially got interested in bowling. There is nothing like that time when you "wanted to know everything there was to know" about our sport.

2) Foster that feeling by getting involved with leagues or other forms competition that will push you beyond your comfort zone. "When you bowl against better bowlers, you will get better."

3) Go "back-to-school" and start reading any articles you can about bowling. Bowling balls, lane conditions, oil patterns, how to bowl, etc.

4) Get back into a practice regimen. Even if it's only once a week for three games, the routine will help you develop a steady stroke and rhythm that you can build on.

"You can take the bowling away from the bowler; but, you can't take the bowling out of the bowler."

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)