Sandhills

When you hear the word Sandhills, you probably think of some kind of place where its hot, dusty, and overall a place where you would not want to be stranded. When I hear Sandhills I think of the most prestigous bowling tourney in the Omaha area. The Sandhills presumedly named after a western part of Nebraska is a semi annual bowling tourney in the Omaha area. Yesterday was the 59th edition. the format is simple, there are four squads, each squads is five games. The four squad winners and the next 6 highest score advance to the finals. The finals consists of everyone bowling each other head to head and then a position round. 30 bonus pins are awarded to the winner of each match.

What really makes this tourney shine is the history it tells you. Duane Alstadt, the man in charge of the tournament, has kept every score, for every year. he keeps a top 10 average and money list. Scores are always low. Shooting 1000 for the five games regularly makes it into the finals. Its also not a suprise to see a 700 by someone who has never been there before. It puts a premium on spare shooting and mental toughness to achieve the focus that is needed for what feels like a full day of bowling instead of being just 5 games.

I think I have bowled in six of them now. I would have to check with Duane to verify. I have made the finals once, but finished 10th. That day has eaten at me for sometime now. So yesterday was my chance to get my revenge. The 59th Sandhills was held at much updated 30 Bowl in fremont, NE. I shot a respectable 972, good enough for a check, but not the 1017 I needed to make the finals. Overall I would give myself a good grade, with only a few mistakes on my accuracy. November will bring another chance.