JANUARY 31, 2023 - Day 1 at the US Open in Indianapolis this year was very crazy. Trying to deal with the excitement, the freezing weather, nerves of the fresh start of a new year along with trying to handle a very difficult 49ft flat pattern.
At the beginning of the block, I had a plan on using the brand new Track Archetype (I am extremely excited for this ball) and then as the lanes started hooking a bit and the transition started, I would go to my trusty Track Black Paradox and rely on that as long as I possibly could.
The original game plan was to stay as far right as I could as others were succeeding with this type of play, but unfortunately, my ball hooked way earlier then anticipated. The first 6 frames were an adventure as I could not get comfortable and never made a good shot until the 7th frame.
Overall, I was proud of how patient I stayed through a lot of adversity and kept grinding and making spares until the 7th game when the tour reps and I agreed to switching to the new Hammer Black Widow 2.0 Hybrid. That ball gave me a great push I needed to feel like I had some room and I put together 240 that game to get back plus (thank goodness!).
Even with the bumps in the road and a tricky pattern, I feel as it was definitely a C+ day. There was a lot in the tank, for sure, but I am extremely glad to escape day 1 with a + sign on my score card! A big thank you to my bowling bestie, my trusty spare ball, for keeping my head above water. Always remember... Spares matter kids... and here's the thing, practice makes progress, not perfection and when you're in a difficult situation, spares will always bridge the gap.
Onto tomorrow with the 43ft medium pattern...