The Quiet After the Storm – A Bowling Journey Ends

The Quiet After the Storm – A Bowling Journey Ends

We’re back in the hotel room. The tournament is over. The fans are gone. The balls are packed. And now… it’s just quiet.

Bella is in the bath, letting the warmth of the water soothe her tired muscles. She’s sore. It’s been a long, demanding week—physically, mentally, emotionally. There was joy, there was disappointment, and there was everything in between. That’s bowling. That’s life.

Lindsay left to rest at her mom’s hotel before an early flight back to California. We’re proud of her. Proud of Bella. Proud of all the competitors who gave it their all this week.

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse was one of those full-circle moments—seeing friends walk in after the final pins dropped. Tori and her mom. Jos and his mom, Anna, Kai, William. All laughing, hugging, decompressing. It felt like the final chapter of something bigger than bowling. It was a community.

My brother and his boys came to support Bella today. His wife Jessica made it just after Bella’s match ended. We hugged. We smiled. We took photos. It meant a lot.

Barbi said it well—this week has felt like bowling, eat, sleep… repeat. You lose sense of time. You feel a little disconnected from the world outside the lanes. But tonight feels like exhale.

We’re proud. We’re tired. We’re ready to rest.

A huge thank you to Mike Sledz for organizing an incredible tournament. His vision brought something new and special into the world of youth bowling. He’s already thinking bigger for next time, and we’ll be there.

Tomorrow begins the long drive home. Then comes another challenge—Junior Team USA Developmental Camp in Arlington. But tonight, we rest. We breathe. And we whisper thank you to the week that was.

Goodnight from the road.