Want to see an oil pattern on TV? Now you can.

[Terrier]

The WSOB is going to have dyed oil for the ESPN telecast in about a month. The PBA press release doesn't really say whether the players can see the dye or if it's something that only the camera can pick up, but I'm really interested in seeing how lanes actually transition over the course of a few matches.

Take a read:
http://news.pba.com/post/2013/11/1/PBA-to-Introduce-Dyed-Oil-for-ESPNe28099s-World-Series-of-Bowling-Telecasts.aspx

[bowl1820]

The 11th Frame: Revolutionary new visible oil to be used on PBA animal pattern TV shows

http://www.11thframe.com/news/article/6183 (http://www.11thframe.com/news/article/6183)

http://www.11thframe.com/PZN/richgels/blogBanners/1383329900_90018.png

[bowl1820]

Blue Oil - An Eyewitness Account by Rob Mautner
I went to the taping of the Cheetah Championship this afternoon for two reasons: when a woman makes a PBA TV Finals it's history, and I WANTED TO SEE THE BLUE OIL FOR MYSELF!

The taping started over an hour late, but it gave me an opportunity to talk to several people about the Blue Oil. Among others, I talked to Parker Bohn, Wes Mallot, Stu Williams, Kelly Kulick, Patrick Allen, and Tom Clark. I also got to look at the blue oil close up after another tournament (PBA League something or other), and several players (Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson, and Missy Parkin) practicing on the new blue oil. The main thing that I saw, just by looking at the oil is, as I've said on several occasions based on theoretical and practical test results is: CARRY DOWN NO LONG EXISTS. The only carry down that was there was a few streaks left by plastic balls thrown at ten pins. The next time that you even think that the ball quit hooking so you should move right (kick youself in the shin, hard, and say, "No, you fool, it's burn, move left and find some Oil!"

The player's opinions were all either positive, or let's wait and see. Perhaps the most telling statements came from Wes Mallot. He told me that he had only bowled on it for 25 minutes and his only concern was that the ball lines tended to fill in, leaving very little trace. He said, "I'd love to see them used for an eight game block, then people can see how the lanes are really torn up." Stu Williams expressed regret that the dye did not show differences in volume. He said that the dye shows the length, but not the differences in volume. He expressed regret that the dye could not be used to compare a house shot to a real pattern. Tom Clark echoed that sentiment.

In terms of using the dye in competition, I heard a great analogy, and I apologize because I can't remember who made it because I talked to them one after another, Kelly Kulick and Eugen McCune, comparing the use of the blue dye to playing a round of golf in the morning, before the greens have been mowed, when other player's putts left a line in the dew to show you the break.

Now, on to the actual use of the blue dye in the telecast. Keep in mind that noone could actually see much of the effect of the blue oil close up, but there were TV monitors everywhere that showed what you will see when the show airs. It was awesome!

I am going to try to describe what I saw without letting the cat out of the bag in terms of the winners. If you want to see who won, go to the PBA website or view some idiot's post on Facebook who cares more about being the center of attention than about spoiling it for everyone else. Anyway, the first game was between Clara Guerro and Wes Mallot. The game ended up being a very close, low-scoring affair, 214-208. The interesting thing was that Clara, as a lower rev player, was playing the oil line (around five board), and Wes was playing ten board, joining up with Clara's line around the end of the pattern at 35 feet. When Pete Weber stepped up in the second game to play the winner, he immediately started playing just left of Wes' line and moved in from there.

If you really want to understand how the lanes burn up and how you need to keep moving left to follow the oil line, watch this telecast along with the others from this series where they use the blue oil. Remember that the PBA patterns are much flatter, so their second game is equivalent (not really, but it's closer) to the first game on a house shot in terms of creating area on the right, and skid on the left (for a right-handed bowler).

[noeymc]

no you are making it even easier if anything they need a way to make more diffcult for house shot bowlers tired of seeing the people over turn there hand and hit board 8 15 2 and still strike its crazy guy on my team thinks he's so good i told him join a summer league with me and lets see who has the better avg he has a 203 avg but hes so in accurate but thinks hes so good cuz of the house shot

[MICHAEL]

no you are making it even easier if anything they need a way to make more diffcult for house shot bowlers tired of seeing the people over turn there hand and hit board 8 15 2 and still strike its crazy guy on my team thinks he's so good i told him join a summer league with me and lets see who has the better avg he has a 203 avg but hes so in accurate but thinks hes so good cuz of the house shot

Don't bowl house patterns noeymc,,, lol,,, before its too late!!! LOL I think to make bowling more a sport it should have on league night, a different pattern each week..... TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!! All you cry babies that just have to have that 200 plus average, get a life!!

The pattern we have now is like for people who need to inflate their ego's, and if its not perfectly easy, then they get MAD,,, how SAD!! (:)

Hey something is WRONG,, a 65 year young guy bowling 2 300's in less then 6 months!! WAY TO FRICKEN EASY!!! If bowing on an easy pattern is what it takes to inflate ones ego, then GET HELP!! Any guy 65 can do it, with only a few years of bowling under his belt! LOL

It's like playing golf, and its the same damn hole over, and over,,, and over!! (your going to get good at that hole (:) )

USBC,,,, make the blocked house patter for bowlers with SPECIAL needs, but for the rest of us make it mandatory that the alley change the pattern each week!

To me it would be a hell of a lot more challenging, fun, and rewarding!!

I know,,, Iceman find a Sports league! TRY IN FIND ONE,,, if your lucky you might find a alley that maybe has one once a week,,, MAYBE,, but then it might not be the hours you have open to bowl. But I am going to do research around town, and will find one! I am ready for a challenge...... My EGO being such, that if its not a challenge, then what's the purpose??? I also think it will take me to another level in bowling skills.... Ice

[MICHAEL]

The taping started over an hour late, but it gave me an opportunity to talk to several people about the Blue Oil. Among others, I talked to Parker Bohn, Wes Mallot, Stu Williams, Kelly Kulick, Patrick Allen, and Tom Clark. I also got to look at the blue oil close up after another tournament (PBA League something or other), and several players (Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson, and Missy Parkin) practicing on the new blue oil. The main thing that I saw, just by looking at the oil is, as I've said on several occasions based on theoretical and practical test results is: CARRY DOWN NO LONG EXISTS. The only carry down that was there was a few streaks left by plastic balls thrown at ten pins. The next time that you even think that the ball quit hooking so you should move right (kick youself in the shin, hard, and say, "No, you fool, it's burn, move left and find some Oil!"


Wow,,, good point!!!!!! I never really thought about balls NOT careering down! The new balls absorb the oil... GREAT POINT!!!

[Mike White]

The taping started over an hour late, but it gave me an opportunity to talk to several people about the Blue Oil. Among others, I talked to Parker Bohn, Wes Mallot, Stu Williams, Kelly Kulick, Patrick Allen, and Tom Clark. I also got to look at the blue oil close up after another tournament (PBA League something or other), and several players (Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson, and Missy Parkin) practicing on the new blue oil. The main thing that I saw, just by looking at the oil is, as I've said on several occasions based on theoretical and practical test results is: CARRY DOWN NO LONG EXISTS. The only carry down that was there was a few streaks left by plastic balls thrown at ten pins. The next time that you even think that the ball quit hooking so you should move right (kick youself in the shin, hard, and say, "No, you fool, it's burn, move left and find some Oil!"


Wow,,, good point!!!!!! I never really thought about balls NOT careering down! The new balls absorb the oil... GREAT POINT!!!

It's not that the balls absorb oil. They do, just not fast enough to stop the carry down.
It's the track flare that keeps the oil on the surface of the ball from contacting the lane on subsequent revolutions.

Non-flaring balls (i.e. plastic, and reactive resin) streak oil down the lane.

In your average league there are usually plenty of Non-flaring balls in use, so expect to see plenty of carry down.

[MICHAEL]

It's not that the balls absorb oil. They do, just not fast enough to stop the carry down.
It's the track flare that keeps the oil on the surface of the ball from contacting the lane on subsequent revolutions.

Non-flaring balls (i.e. plastic, and reactive resin) streak oil down the lane.

In your average league there are usually plenty of Non-flaring balls in use, so expect to see plenty of carry down.

Your right MIKE,,, flare shows in the form of oil on the ball, and then wiping it off does remove oil from the lanes to a degree,,, along with the smaller amount that the ball absorbs...

How many league bowlers throw plastic reactive resin?? I would imagine a larger number of league bowlers want the Big Boys, with huge Flare?? I say this from looking around at other bowlers balls on league night.. anyway POINT TAKEN!!

[Mike White]

Your right MIKE,,, flare shows in the form of oil on the ball, and then wiping it off does remove oil from the lanes to a degree,,, along with the smaller amount that the ball absorbs...

How many league bowlers throw plastic reactive resin?? I would imagine a larger number of league bowlers want the Big Boys, with huge Flare?? I say this from looking around at other bowlers balls on league night.. anyway POINT TAKEN!!

A non flaring reactive resin ball will streak oil.
A plastic ball (without a modern core) will streak oil.

You probably don't see very many non-flaring reactive resin balls.

The big difference is you are at the bowling alley during the type of leagues you are interested in. I'm there for every day of the week (I rotate my days off) so I see a full spectrum of bowlers, from juniors, seniors, low average, and high average.

Actually very few bowlers are capable of controlling the "Big Boy with huge flare" so no, not a large number.
Thats not to say people don't buy a "Big Boy" and learn the hard way.

It seems a large portion of my work has been either fixing spans from other drillers, or modifying surfaces to get the ball to roll at the right place.
45 minutes before league starts, a line forms for people who want their ball sanded and/or polished.

I'm having a hard time convincing people to clean their ball after each session, so the next week the ball looks pretty ugly again.

I'm going to have to make a rule that says I won't clean/polish/etc their ball if they are about to bowl against me in league.

Sunday I cleaned up a ball for a guy bowling against me (he's about 175ish) and he started with the front 6.
Friday same story (175ish) with a "DV8 lemon drop" that looked like he rolled it thru a tar pit.
I made it look pretty again and he closed with a 225 game.

BTW plastic resin ball, while it technically exists, isn't the normal term for it.
A plastic ball is in a different category than a resin ball.
The technicality of it is, what we call plastic balls, should be called polyester.
Since all balls not made of wood or rubber (yeah really old) are a form of plastic.

[noeymc]

the amount of carry down is so little any more its not really a factor

[circlecity]

The WSOB is going to have dyed oil for the ESPN telecast in about a month. The PBA press release doesn't really say whether the players can see the dye or if it's something that only the camera can pick up, but I'm really interested in seeing how lanes actually transition over the course of a few matches.Take a read:
http://news.pba.com/post/2013/11/1/PBA-to-Introduce-Dyed-Oil-for-ESPNe28099s-World-Series-of-Bowling-Telecasts.aspx

That is pretty cool and will be interesting to check out.

[vdubtx]

Can't wait to see the telecast on December 1 with this blue oil. Think will be pretty cool to see.

Only thing this blue oil does not show is the volume of oil across or down the lane, only that there is oil there. To the mainstream people, this will still not be any better indicator of how oil patterns make bowling on them tough.

[vdubtx]

Pattern challenges will televise on following dates, all on ESPN all at 1pm ET.

Cheetah December 1st
Viper December 8th
Chameleon December 15th
Scorpion December 22nd

PBA World Championship will televise on December 29th.

[Mudpuppy]

very interesting I have to see this blue oil

[mike_thomas93]

I might need to check it out, as well. That's gonna be a huge gamble. Just have to see how it plays out.

[sara2117]

I think it will be awesome! A lot of people don't understand how challenging certain oil patterns are. Now they will see what we have to deal with. I'm sure a lot of the pros won't enjoy getting the dye on their shirts though.

[MICHAEL]

I think it will be awesome! A lot of people don't understand how challenging certain oil patterns are. Now they will see what we have to deal with. I'm sure a lot of the pros won't enjoy getting the dye on their shirts though.

A stain is a stain no matter what the color, quote the raven, never more!! :rolleyes: As long as the color doesn't clash with the shirt, should be COOL,, iceman