So I decided that I didn't want to write a blog for last week because I had no idea what I wanted to say. We didn't bowl to our potential and I think we all knew that. A lot of stuff was going on at the same time, like people were sick, but that was still no excuse. We missed things that we shouldn't have and we lost matches that should have been won. We finished 5^th place overall, but we knew we needed to step it up.

This past weekend was a little better than last weekend. The first day was definitely rough for us, but we were ready to step it up. We were in 4^th place going into Sunday and needed to hold onto that place to have a chance for first. We bowled our first set of baker matches and won that, but the second one we had to bowl Kutztown and they were right behind us in 5^th place. They ended up beating us by a little more than 40 pins, which put them in fourth and us in fifth. Now the best we could finish was 3^rd place, but we still wanted to fight for that. We went into match play seeded fifth and had to bowl the best of 7 baker games. We didn't get all the carry we needed, but we were able to throw the shots when they needed to count. Once again, we had to bowl Kutztown to make it to the final match to fight for 3^rd place. We were back with a vengeance and ready to fight. It came down to the wire for most of the matches, but we threw the shots we needed to win. Then we bowled New Jersey City and beat them to finish 3^rd.

It was a pretty good tournament for us, especially day two. We realized what we had to accomplish and fought hard. We gave 110% and never gave up. We were down 0-2 to Kutztown and came back to win. When we were at breakfast before we went into the second day, our coach said she had something to read to us. It was the speech Al Pacino gave in the movie Any Given Sunday, but the wording was changed to talk about bowling. It went like this:

I don't know what to say, really. Three minutes 'til the biggest battle of our collegiate lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we're gunna crumble, spare by spare, strike by strike, 'til we're finished.

We're in hell right now, ladies, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the crap kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one shot at a time.

Now, I can't do it for you. I'm too old.

You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life's this game of matches. So is bowling. Because in either game, life or bowling, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half board to the left or right, you miss the pocket, one half second too slow or too fast, you leave a split.

The wins we need are everywhere around us.

They're in every break of the game, every spare, every strike.

On this team, we fight for that win. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that match. We claw with our fingernails for every good shot, because we know when we add up all those frames that's gunna make all the difference between WINNING and LOSING! Between LIVIN' and DYIN'!

I'll tell you this: In any fight, it's the girl who's willing to work the hardest who's gunna win that match. And I know if I'm gunna have any life anymore, it's because I'm still willin' to fight and die for that win. Because that's what livin' is! The ten pins in front of your face!!

Now I can't make you do it. You got to look at the girl next to you. Look into her eyes! Now I think you're gunna see a girl who will work just as hard with you. You're gunna see a girl who will sacrifice herself for this team because she knows, when it comes down to it, you're gunna do the same for her!

That's a team, ladies!

And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

That's bowling ladies.

That's all it is.

Now, what are you gunna do?