Sometimes when you lose, you really win - RBT Match Play Championship

[Chase]

Remember that great quote that Gloria told Billy in the movie White Men Can’t Jump??;

“…Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs.”

Well…(LOL), hey… I actually experienced that this weekend while bowling at the McNair Brothers - Realbowlers Match Play Championship. (GREAT Tournament guys!)

Ok- where do I begin?

During league bowling this week… I had a REALLY BAD week….just crappy. And, I had been making plans to bowl at the RBT Tournament…but was VERY apprehensive after bowling so badly all week.

Well… after having 2 bad nights in regular league bowling, and my team losing (much because of my terrible performance)and losing in my league brackets too.…I decided to get some extra help, and practice more than normal…all week. Getting beat up so bad this week…this actually made me go out and try to “get it together”…or at least “put in the time” to work on my weaknesses as a bowler. I figure this way, maybe…just maybe I will practice on a few things that might just help me have a chance to bowl at the RBT….and actually make the top 24 to the match play part.

Well, whoooooweeee..… I did make it to the top 24 (I was +78 for the tourney.) Thank you Lord!!!


But the reason that Gloria’s quote above is so profound in my experience this weekend is that to me… hey, I may have LOST against Greg Black Jr (my friend and one of my mentors) in the Match Play part of the tournament… but see, the journey I had to take…and the work I have had to put in…. to get to THAT point … means that I have actually won…. or at least made a huge step in becoming better as a bowler. And, a lot of this extra work would not have happened if not for losing and bowling badly all week.

I must also admit, I had practiced ALL weeklong…everyday, for many hours…just so that I could bowl well enough to “make the cut”…. and I did – so all of the hard work… all week, paid off.

So, yeah… I may have LOST in match play (2 games to 1), but... HEY! - I also WON!!! …when I got to hear Tim McNair call “MY name” over that PA system today… assign me a lane to go bowl against Greg Black Jr …for Match Play…. in a competition full of guys I look up to, and I am more often than not - taking photos of them because of their great bowling achievements … Jason Sterner, Tony Churchy, Lee Vanderhoef, Greg Black Jr., Matt Burden, Isom Hawes, Alan Chetister, Jeff Shaw, Mr. Taylor…and many, many other exceptional bowlers that I have watched in my 3 years of doing this. I was like….”whoa, I’m actually up here bowling with these guys…cool...LOL”


So in any case “…Sometimes when you lose, you really DO win…” I did.


Everybody take care, respectfully yours -


Chase (happy-that-the-hard-work-paid-off) Jones


ps – oh yeah…Congratulations to Tony Churchey. I guess he won too, but he only got $2,000 -- But me? Hey, I got an affirmation that “I’m actually (finally) getting better”, and made another “step” to becoming a RealBowler too.

[Hiram Mills]

WOW...Chase, you are one very thoughtful person. I wish you all the best as your bowling career goes on. Thank you for taking me back down memory lane.

[Chase]

Thank you Hiram, that first day was a good day for me...

but... in reality - “THIS IS AMAZING” below:

[Hiram Mills]

Chase - you threw the ball great and what you were doing was amazing to me. I enjoyed bowling with you. Keep up the great work

[Chase]

thanks.. :-)

[dare` edosoman]

i like this great post

[ron evans]

Congratulations..........I remember that feeling also...Making the cut when I was in the company of Eddie Allen, McBride, Jamison, Baker, Ike, etc, etc, etc....

[Theo McNair]

nice post Chase.