How a Last-Minute Decision, a Urethane Ball, and a Reminder from a Friend Turned Everything Around

I wasn’t planning on bowling the summer series in Cleveland. I knew I’d have to miss important baseball games. It would be another week gone in May. I knew it would be a lot of games. But when Bry Cote reached out needing a roommate — she reminded me my ball rolls well in Cleveland at Yorktown Lanes. So she made me think twice.

So thanks, Bry — for the nudge I didn’t know I needed. Because of you, I threw my first full game using a urethane ball (and shot 233!). Shoutout to @stormbowling Pitch Black and @thebowlerser / Will Clark for always showing up for me and being on my team.

I found a way to shoot two 300s in two days somehow. Even when you’ve got a great matchup, good ball reaction, and you’re feeling solid — the pins don’t always fall. But they did for me in those two special games. On 37/38 and 27/28.

Shooting 300 never gets old. I don’t care how hard or easy the lanes are — it feels the same. To be able to show up in the tenth frame, knowing there are a ton of people watching and waiting for it to happen, is a lot to emotionally manage. But I’m so grateful I still know how. How to keep my mind quiet when there’s so much noise. How to take my time, and treat the last frame like the first. How to enjoy the moment and allow it to become part of me.
Yorktown Lanes will always have a piece of my heart. (And thanks for letting me snag a pin from each of those racks.) ♥️

There’s something I whispered to myself almost every single shot this week:
“Remember who you are & feel a little lucky.”
That simple line kept me grounded, centered, and happy. It helped me let go of what wasn’t working — and focus on what was.

The first two weeks of the tour were tough. I didn’t feel as solid at the line. I could tell something was off, but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. It was a little bit of everything — physical, mental, environmental. I was fighting it and didn’t even realize how much.

When I reached out to DJ after the Queens, we decided to take a look at my release. We’d been so focused on creating less axis tilt that we forgot to lean back into my strengths. That small shift allowed my game to fall back into sync — my spare shooting got sharper, my body felt stronger, and my mind felt clearer.

Each location we go to on tour is special. Mostly because they embrace female professional bowling and sacrifice a lot to have us there. But some stand out above others. Like Yorktown Lanes in Parma, OH. This fourth-generation bowling center family loves bowling — and it shows. Their hospitality was next level: a table full of healthy snacks, a fridge stocked with water, mints, ice packs… and so much warmth every time you saw someone from the family.
So thank you, Yorktown. You’re seriously one of the best.

And thank you to Bry, my roommate and adventure buddy. We spent our off time laughing, chasing coffee, admiring every ice cream shop we passed (we talked about going in… does that count?), a 10:30pm drive-in date, bougie brunch at RH, and some shopping… but most of all, we strengthened our friendship. Bry is passionate, caring, always up for anything — and somehow, the most easygoing picky eater I’ve ever met. 😂

I’m glad she talked me into bowling Cleveland.
Turns out, missing a week of baseball was worth finding a little piece of myself in Cleveland.