Most people are familiar with the term “overreacting.”
We see it in sports all the time. A football player makes one tackle and runs around screaming like he’s just won the Super Bowl. A kid makes a basket in the third quarter of a game and thinks he’s Steph Curry.
But less seen, and certainly more rare, is the under-reaction. Those athletes who are so cool and calm under pressure you almost wonder if their hearts are still beating and if they have a pulse.
Herricks senior bowler Jake Lau has a Ph.D in under-reacting. Even when he does something incredible, as he did on Jan. 13, on Lane 21 of Bowlero in Mineola, he celebrated with the enthusiasm of a factory worker clocking in for a double shift.
“I just always try not to overthink it and act as calm as possible if it happens,” Lau said. “I don’t want to overreact.”
Lau certainly would have been excused for overreacting that day as he bowled his first-ever 300 in competition for Herricks. It was his fourth 300 game of his life, all coming in the last 24 months, but the first time it counted for the Highlanders, who beat Garden City 11-0 that day.
But watching the video of strike No. 12, Lau only smiles a bit and high-fives a few teammates, like it’s just an ordinary finish to an ordinary game.
Only bowling seriously for the past three years, Lau has become one of the very best on Long Island. His 219 average ranks second among Nassau boys, and he has helped Herrick become a legit contender for the Nassau team title at the county championship on Feb. 8.
And Lau, who missed the individual county tournament last year with an injury, has a great opportunity to win the crown this season; the individual competition is Feb. 11 at Garden City Bowl.
“He’s improved so much both physically and mentally from where he started,” said Herricks coach Craig Weinberg. “He’s got the muscle memory where every ball he throws looks exactly the same, and his mental game, I can’t compare it to anyone else. He’s just so relaxed and focused that nothing bothers him when he gets up there to bowl.”
“I give myself migraines because I hold my breath so much,” Alice said with a chuckle. “On most of the videos (of Jake bowling) you can hear me screaming in the background. Sometimes, I have to bite my tongue so I don’t scream quite so loudly.”
There’s been plenty of reason to scream for Lau, as his two-handed bowling style (the left-hand goes the ball while the right hand’s fingers go in the ball; more and more youth bowlers are going two-handed, as it allows for more torque and spin as the ball smashes into the pins) has led to success.
The repetition that Weinberg alluded to is what Lau also credits for his success. His pre-shot routine is the same each time: Pick up his ball, clean it with a towel, then put his bowling hand over the towel. Then he takes three deep breaths and thinks about what he wants to do.
Then Lau stands over the board where he’s planning to throw the ball and stares at the arrows. That’s followed by a fake practice release of where he’s going to throw the ball. Then, he walks up to the approach, wipes the heels of his bowling shoes, takes a breath, then takes 2-3 more breaths, then takes five steps and releases the ball.
“Just going through the same routine helps me not get nervous when it’s something like the 12th frame and I have (a 300) going,” Lau said. “If I’m doing the same thing every time, I’m not worried about anything else.”
Lau, who competed at the Junior Gold Championships in Michigan last summer, said he’s fully recovered from last season’s hip injury and is aiming to make states this year and become the first Herricks boy bowler to win counties.
“I’d love for our team to get to states. I think we really have a good chance,” Lau said.
You can be sure that if he and the team do make states, Lau’s reaction will be the quietest of all.
But Alice’s screaming will be heard for miles.
