Day 5 Reflection. Learning Without Copying. Becoming More You.

Day 5 Reflection. Learning Without Copying. Becoming More You.

As I reflect this morning going into the last day of the tournament, Day 5, I think about the ups and downs that have come through the first four days. I also think about a thought I heard on a podcast recently around the idea of copying, and how that idea shows up so clearly in bowling.

When I look around the lanes, I see men and women with completely different styles. Different rhythms. Different approaches. Different timing. No one is copying anyone exactly. They may learn from one another. They may borrow ideas. But no two bowlers are the same.

And that matters.

Copying exactly is not growth. In many ways, copying is losing. Not because learning from others is wrong, but because each person carries different experiences, different lessons, and different paths that shaped how they move through the game.

Bella Love has learned from so many people. One handed bowlers. Two handed bowlers. Young bowlers. Older bowlers. Coaches. Books. Videos. Quiet observation of people competing right next to her. She takes pieces from all of it and blends them into her own process. Not to imitate someone else, but to become more herself.

When you take one person and try to cookie cut their success, it can actually do damage. You start solving problems through someone else’s lens instead of asking your own questions. You stop thinking critically. You stop creating. And your process becomes shallow because it is borrowed instead of built.

The real work is asking the right question for right now. What is the biggest challenge in front of me today. How do I solve it with the tools I have. You can look around. You can learn. But you cannot copy your way to growth.

Bowling is a beautiful sport because there is no final destination. The journey continues. And the bowlers who stay on the cutting edge are the ones who are constantly processing, adapting, and creating solutions that fit who they are.

Copying is almost the opposite of the cutting edge.

It is not wrong to do something someone else does. What matters is how you arrive there. The thought process. The awareness. The ownership.

No matter how today finishes, every bowler here should be proud. They will leave better than when they arrived. Not because of results alone, but because of what they have taken in, processed, and made their own.