Bowlers Journal International - February 2008 - (Page 50) THETRUTHBEBOWLED BY DIANDRA ASBATY A LIFE LESSON LEARNED FROM A LITTLE GIRL It's not the 'haters' of the world who matter. I REMEMBER BEING A LITTLE GIRL, BARELY ABLE TO hold the bowling pin that I wanted signed by all the pros at the Pro-Am in town. One of the pros who really inspired me was Dana MillerMackie. She was one of my favorite pros, mainly because she made me want to be a bowler. I remember she took extra time signing my pin, and looked me in the eyes when she gave the pin back. That little extra time she gave me made me appreciate bowling, and professional bowlers. I would have never dreamed that I would be in that position one day — that I’d be the one spending the extra time to inspire young bowlers. I realize something now that I didn’t then. Those professional bowlers who I so admired as a young girl didn’t have it as easy as I thought they did. The more you succeed, the more you become a target. Sometimes it feels like you can’t do anything right. You can win a tournament, and yet there is something negative that people will pull from it. If you lose a tournament, then the negativity really kicks in. A lot of times, you sit and think about how it’s just a loselose proposition and impossible to make everyone happy. Ultimately, all you can do is what you believe in and stay true to yourself. At the end of the day, when I look in the mirror, I see a woman who loves what she does. She works hard every single day to be the best bowler she can, and realizes there are more important things than winning. What is much more important than winning are the people you touch along the way and try to convert to lifetime bowlers. During a recent match, I couldn’t stop looking at a little girl in the stands. She wore a great big smile and held a sign that read, “Diandra Rocks.” After I split in the first frame, I glanced over to her. Her smile couldn’t have been bigger. Every time I looked her way, my eyes got teary. It felt as if I was looking at myself. Looking at her gave me all the confidence I needed. At that moment, I realized something that will last me a lifetime: It truly doesn’t matter whether I win or lose. If I am able to reach the young bowlers out there, then that’s all I need. Of course, there are the "haters" who don’t know me but love to think they do. They bash me on message boards and jump to false conclusions. Does it affect me? Sure. After all, I am human. But that little girl in Wyoming, Michigan, watching me win my very first title on live TV? Yeah, she taught me something special. She's the one who matters. Not them. 50 bowlers journal international FEBRUARY 2008 http://www.bowl.com http://www.bowl.com http://www.bowl.com http://www.bowl.com http://www.bowl.com
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