2nd again at the Istanbul Open.
Im happy though, in a 1 game step ladder anything can happen, and this time i was the guy who couldn't find the pocket.
I played Mathies from Switzland in the semi final and bowled up and down through out the game, going into the 10th i needed all 3 stirkes to win by 1 pin. I threw the ball great and nailed each one. 225-224
Osku had played Paul Moor in the other final and Osku started with the front 6 and Paul never looked like striking, so it was another all 2 handed final, (something i think will happen a few more times in the future).
I was playing a little to the right all day, around the 2nd arrow, hard and straight. The TV pair were playing a little funny all tournament but i thought that would help me because i was playing straighter than Osku, guess i was wrong.
Osku was throwing the ball threw 4th arrow and was just smashing the pins, i couldnt get near the pocket.
He shot 257 and i managed to strike out from the 8th for a 195, i moved in deeper to where he was, but it was a little too late.
2nd again, like last year and my 5 week tour has been ok so far.
6th in Kuwait, 2nd in ABF tour (Kuwait), 1st at the World Masters and 2nd in Istanbul. Guess you cant be to upset with that run.
Off to Florida for the World Ranking Masters, i have a 14 hour flight and a few days of rest before i start.
Lets hope i can keep throwing the ball the way i have been.....
Belmo
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Istanbul Open
OK. So After we had an eventful day walking around Gallipoli and staying up for over 36 hours, Frawls and I both thought it would be a great idea to bowl the 9pm squad when we got back to Istanbul.
Um whose idea was it again???
Both of us played awful. The format is a 6 game re-entry with the top 8 getting 3 byes and the next 8 getting 2 byes and so on till the top 42 make the cut.
After our poor display of bowling, we wne t back to the hotel to rest up for the next days plays.
Sleep didnt seem to help, the next 2 squads i felt like i was aiming at a thumb tack and the tach seem to get smaller and smaller.
The lanes played a little funny, some pairs in the house are almost 20 boards drier, Frawls believes it has something to do with the installation.
My 4th attempt i decided to play smarter and take the massive hook out of my game and play as straight as possible....seemed to work 180 over for my next 6 games and i was on top of the leader board with 2 days left of qualifying.
Now i get to wait and hope i stay in the top 8 and get the 3 important byes.
Frawls is bowling now and is in great shape, 130 over after 4 and looks like he will smash my score. He told me the 500 Euro practice he had in the last 4 squads was well worth the money haha.
Will inform you all how the finals get on in a couple of days.
Belmo
Um whose idea was it again???
Both of us played awful. The format is a 6 game re-entry with the top 8 getting 3 byes and the next 8 getting 2 byes and so on till the top 42 make the cut.
After our poor display of bowling, we wne t back to the hotel to rest up for the next days plays.
Sleep didnt seem to help, the next 2 squads i felt like i was aiming at a thumb tack and the tach seem to get smaller and smaller.
The lanes played a little funny, some pairs in the house are almost 20 boards drier, Frawls believes it has something to do with the installation.
My 4th attempt i decided to play smarter and take the massive hook out of my game and play as straight as possible....seemed to work 180 over for my next 6 games and i was on top of the leader board with 2 days left of qualifying.
Now i get to wait and hope i stay in the top 8 and get the 3 important byes.
Frawls is bowling now and is in great shape, 130 over after 4 and looks like he will smash my score. He told me the 500 Euro practice he had in the last 4 squads was well worth the money haha.
Will inform you all how the finals get on in a couple of days.
Belmo
Istanbul Open
OK. So After we had an eventful day walking around Gallipoli and staying up for over 36 hours, Frawls and I both thought it would be a great idea to bowl the 9pm squad when we got back to Istanbul.
Um whose idea was it again???
Both of us played awful. The format is a 6 game re-entry with the top 8 getting 3 byes and the next 8 getting 2 byes and so on till the top 42 make the cut.
After our poor display of bowling, we wne t back to the hotel to rest up for the next days plays.
Sleep didnt seem to help, the next 2 squads i felt like i was aiming at a thumb tack and the tach seem to get smaller and smaller.
The lanes played a little funny, some pairs in the house are almost 20 boards drier, Frawls believes it has something to do with the installation.
My 4th attempt i decided to play smarter and take the massive hook out of my game and play as straight as possible....seemed to work 180 over for my next 6 games and i was on top of the leader board with 2 days left of qualifying.
Now i get to wait and hope i stay in the top 8 and get the 3 important byes.
Frawls is bowling now and is in great shape, 130 over after 4 and looks like he will smash my score. He told me the 500 Euro practice he had in the last 4 squads was well worth the money haha.
Will inform you all how the finals get on in a couple of days.
Belmo
Um whose idea was it again???
Both of us played awful. The format is a 6 game re-entry with the top 8 getting 3 byes and the next 8 getting 2 byes and so on till the top 42 make the cut.
After our poor display of bowling, we wne t back to the hotel to rest up for the next days plays.
Sleep didnt seem to help, the next 2 squads i felt like i was aiming at a thumb tack and the tach seem to get smaller and smaller.
The lanes played a little funny, some pairs in the house are almost 20 boards drier, Frawls believes it has something to do with the installation.
My 4th attempt i decided to play smarter and take the massive hook out of my game and play as straight as possible....seemed to work 180 over for my next 6 games and i was on top of the leader board with 2 days left of qualifying.
Now i get to wait and hope i stay in the top 8 and get the 3 important byes.
Frawls is bowling now and is in great shape, 130 over after 4 and looks like he will smash my score. He told me the 500 Euro practice he had in the last 4 squads was well worth the money haha.
Will inform you all how the finals get on in a couple of days.
Belmo
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Gallipoli
From Istanbul to Gallipoli its a 5 hour drive and in this traffic it can feel like 10.
Finding ourselves a ride to Gallipoli was harder than we both first thought. All the tours were fully booked and noone wanted to drive us 5 hours to Gallipoli, stay for the dawn service and drive right back so we need to find a guy who knew a guy who knew another guy that could help us.
After an hour of trying to find someone, we got a number to a guy who organised everything from pick up, food and travel home.
His price though was not something we liked, $400 US each but you know what, to experiance something that means so much to every Australian, i would of paid more.
Gallipoli is famous for the landing of Australian and New Zealander army troops to fight the Turks in World War 1. At school I learnt a lot about this battle and the stories told were horrific.
10,000 Men died at ANZAC beach, the main reason they lost tha many was because of the terrain the men fought in.
Once the ships laned onto the beach the a cliff of 30ft sttod infront of them and the Turish Army used the ANZAC men as taregt practice.
The dawn service commenced and the weather was freezing, about -1 plus the wind off the water made sitting still impossible.
9000 people attened the service and it was extremly powerful and emotional. I cant not put into words how the men must of felt during that campaign and i am extremly grateful and thankful to the men who lost theirs lives to keep Australia safe.
It is something ill never forget and something that will stay fresh in my mind for many years to come.
Thanks to the Frawls who made this trip so much better than if i went on my own.
Bowling starts tomorrow, will keep you updated on that.
Jason
Finding ourselves a ride to Gallipoli was harder than we both first thought. All the tours were fully booked and noone wanted to drive us 5 hours to Gallipoli, stay for the dawn service and drive right back so we need to find a guy who knew a guy who knew another guy that could help us.
After an hour of trying to find someone, we got a number to a guy who organised everything from pick up, food and travel home.
His price though was not something we liked, $400 US each but you know what, to experiance something that means so much to every Australian, i would of paid more.
Gallipoli is famous for the landing of Australian and New Zealander army troops to fight the Turks in World War 1. At school I learnt a lot about this battle and the stories told were horrific.
10,000 Men died at ANZAC beach, the main reason they lost tha many was because of the terrain the men fought in.
Once the ships laned onto the beach the a cliff of 30ft sttod infront of them and the Turish Army used the ANZAC men as taregt practice.
The dawn service commenced and the weather was freezing, about -1 plus the wind off the water made sitting still impossible.
9000 people attened the service and it was extremly powerful and emotional. I cant not put into words how the men must of felt during that campaign and i am extremly grateful and thankful to the men who lost theirs lives to keep Australia safe.
It is something ill never forget and something that will stay fresh in my mind for many years to come.
Thanks to the Frawls who made this trip so much better than if i went on my own.
Bowling starts tomorrow, will keep you updated on that.
Jason
Istanbul Arrival
Istanbul is a wonderful but chaotic place :) People everywhere and cars pack the roads like everyone is in The Istanbul Car Racing Open.
Horns are there to let everyone know "im coming around you, so move".
The hotel im staying (sharing with Andrew 'Frawls' Frawley is small but nice and also expensive. 90 Euro a night and the room just fits us both in. But when you are as tired as i am right now a bed on any kind is worth that money.
Tomorrow Frawls and I are going to Gallipoli to experiance the dawn service on ANZAC DAY, this is something i am really looking forward too.
Jason
Horns are there to let everyone know "im coming around you, so move".
The hotel im staying (sharing with Andrew 'Frawls' Frawley is small but nice and also expensive. 90 Euro a night and the room just fits us both in. But when you are as tired as i am right now a bed on any kind is worth that money.
Tomorrow Frawls and I are going to Gallipoli to experiance the dawn service on ANZAC DAY, this is something i am really looking forward too.
Jason
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
WORLD MASTERS CHAMP
There is nothing more nervous than sitting in the players room waiting for your match.The players all look calm but each one of us knows that we are about to play only 2 games and anything can happen.Thoughts of all the bad things that can go wrong start running through your mind..... Your palms start to drip with sweat and your heart races so fast nothing really feels real.You congratulate your mate for winning his/her match or express your sadness for them losing as you walk passed them down the hall, knowing in 5 minutes time its going to be you who is congratulated or consoled.The announcement for your name to make your way down to the lane happens and then BANG!The nerves are gone and it feels like your watching the show rather than staring in it.The match is a blur and really can’t remember much of it, but you know the result.A big fat W next to my name, sweet, but hang on, I have to go through all those pre game feelings again???Each match doesn’t get any easier, you watch each player bowl and see how good they really are and see how high they can score.What happens if I can’t find a line??? I could get beat on World Wide TV by over 100?? Those thoughts come back and the palms get sweaty again.With each round more and more pictures are taking from the crowd, more and more autographs need sighing and you start to feel like a pro golfer I have never realized that bowling does get so much respect from those who love the game!!!!!!!The players room has mixed emotions with every match, some lucky to be alive and they know it, others feel ripped off and want there shot at the title they feel they deserve. but at the end of the day we are all in the same bar, all buying each other drinks all laughing together, that’s what makes bowling better than any sport in the world!How do you beat a pro???Nothing beats playing a PRO. and Chris Barnes is not just any pro. Countless titles as an amateur and then to make a name for yourself on tour and win what he has won, respect from the players just oozes out of him.Before my match with Chris he walked up to me and said " No matter what happens on this lane tonight between us, let me just say that I think you are amazing and if I lose, I would want it to be to no other"WOW, the guy is bloody cool!Not only is he one of the greatest players in the world, but a great guy too. Beating him just got even harder!The match is over so quickly and all I can remember is after I threw the winning shot I fell to the approach exhausted. He took every ounce of energy out. He shook my hand, let in and said you will be one of the best ever......WOW how and what do you reply with that other than.......Hmmm cheers mate. That match is something ill never forget, not because I won, but because it taught me that things can happen to you if you want them to happen.The final match........What were the odds??? If someone had of told me I would shoot 524 in the final and my opponent was not going to spare, would I take the score???I would take it in a heart beat....Paul said the same thing too after!566-524!!!!!!!!The most fun I have ever had bowling, the crowd were so energetic and every shot felt like the roof was coming off.I can’t tell you what I did, or why I struck 23/24, what I can tell you though every shot I threw, I threw it like it would be my last.The 2nd 300 on TV in my career and it will be the luckiest 300 you have ever seen!!!I won’t give too much away, but I know you will love the 11th when you see it!!! I DID!The 12th though..... As soon as I let it go I screamed ITS GOOD and before the ball hit the 45ft down the lane I yelled WHOO HOOOOOO....I knew it off the hands!!!!!!!The crowd went wild and Paul, like the gentleman he is was the first guy to shake my hand and congratulate me.The 2nd game is a little bit of a blur, I remember leaving the 4-9 and that’s it! Funny how sometimes you remember the bad shots more prominently!!!!!I am the 2007 World Masters Champ..... and im proud of it. My bowling idol (the Frawls) told me to go one better than him and I didn’t want to let him down!Messages from my family and friends came in as soon as the last shot was thrown and some of the things said nearly brought a tear to my eye. To have the support from a country that is a million miles away makes this Aussie boy proud to say he is Australian.Calling Kimberly (my Fiancé) mum and dad and my sister was just as exciting as winning. Screaming down the phone line that you are the winner will never get boring!!This years Masters was the most exciting one I have ever been too, not because I won, but because each match had a script you couldn’t write better if you tried!!Bowling is alive and well, sometimes you just need to have a closer look!Jason Belmonte
Friday, April 20, 2007
World Masters in England
I have arrived into sunny England, Yes sunny. I cant believe it either, but the weather was actually real nice. I met up with pro bowler Chris Barnes today, we went and had some lunch, then for the next few hours i explained to him the game of cricket, we were watching a world cup match in the hotel bar. He actually caught on real quick, even giving his opinion on a few wickets and shots played.
I have my first match against Jens Nickle on Friday night at 9pm over here, im nervous about it. Jens is one of those players who i find real hard to beat, i hope Friday night at 9pm i get lucky!
Click the title to go to the World Masters home page....other wise its www.worldtenpinmasters.com
I have my first match against Jens Nickle on Friday night at 9pm over here, im nervous about it. Jens is one of those players who i find real hard to beat, i hope Friday night at 9pm i get lucky!
Click the title to go to the World Masters home page....other wise its www.worldtenpinmasters.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Welcome
Join me in my 'Travelling Diary' as I talk about my travels to various parts of the world playing Tenpin Bowling Tournaments.
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