League Play?

[TotallyDefiant]

How long should I practice and work on my game before considering to join a league? The reason I ask is because the two bowling alleys in my town have leagues and both leagues will be ending their season in April. I know I would like to get my average up atleast 30 more pins before considering playing in league. Did you guys join a league right away or did you wait until your average was a certain number?

[Perrin]

The first time I bowled as an adult was in a league.
:)

guessing that covers the answer for me.

around here if you are a registered league bowler in the house you also get discounts on open bowling so the usbc sanctioning pays for itself pretty quickly.

[bowl1820]

How long should I practice and work on my game before considering to join a league? The reason I ask is because the two bowling alleys in my town have leagues and both leagues will be ending their season in April. I know I would like to get my average up atleast 30 more pins before considering playing in league. Did you guys join a league right away or did you wait until your average was a certain number?

Since it's late in the season I wouldn't worry about getting on one now, maybe go down and try to sub to get your feet wet and see how it all operates.

Then sign up for a summer league, their short and you can get warmed up for the winter season.

Bowling against others is a really different feel than practice and the only practice you can get with it is by doing it.

[TotallyDefiant]

Since it's late in the season I wouldn't worry about getting on one now, maybe go down and try to sub to get your feet wet and see how it all operates.

Then sign up for a summer league, their short and you can get warmed up for the winter season.

Bowling against others is a really different feel than practice and the only practice you can get with it is by doing it.

Bowling league is something I am wanting to do but do not want to be going to just bowl. I want to be competitive lol. Eventually I would like to get good enough to bowl in some tournaments but I know the tournaments will be a long way down the road for me. Main thing with being a sub on somebody's team is I do not want to hurt a team that has been bowling together all winter. Would not have a clue how they would rate me anyway to be a sub. I do not have a recorded handicap like all of them.

[bowl1820]

Bowling league is something I am wanting to do but do not want to be going to just bowl. I want to be competitive lol. Eventually I would like to get good enough to bowl in some tournaments but I know the tournaments will be a long way down the road for me.
Another place to start is trying your hand at jack pot bowling (colored pin bowling, moonlight bowling, rock & bowl etc.), you get a experience with competition, bowling with others and a chance to win some prizes.


Main thing with being a sub on somebody's team is I do not want to hurt a team that has been bowling together all winter.
A lot of bowlers think that, but you have start some place and you won't necessarily hurt them.



Would not have a clue how they would rate me anyway to be a sub. I do not have a recorded handicap like all of them.
Leagues have rules regarding entering averages, if you don't have one then you will establish on the first night you bowl.

[tccstudent]

If you have a AMF bowling center around you they are starting a 10 for 10 league all the time this may be a good place to start and get your feet wet. The league will be 10 weeks at $10 a week. You may be able to find one that will take you into the summer season where you would be able to find a better league.
As far as most of your leagues they are handicapped so consistency is more important then high scores in regards to being a team player.

[TotallyDefiant]

Another place to start is trying your hand at jack pot bowling (colored pin bowling, moonlight bowling, rock & bowl etc.), you get a experience with competition, bowling with others and a chance to win some prizes.

Can you go in to more detail about this? Rock & bowl at my centers is just a time for kids to come out and playing under the disco lights and have fun. What are the others you mentioned?

[TotallyDefiant]

If you have a AMF bowling center around you they are starting a 10 for 10 league all the time this may be a good place to start and get your feet wet. The league will be 10 weeks at $10 a week. You may be able to find one that will take you into the summer season where you would be able to find a better league.
As far as most of your leagues they are handicapped so consistency is more important then high scores in regards to being a team player.

That makes sense. I just don't think I am consistent enough yet. My games are varying to much in my opinion. anywhere from a 163 to a 201 right now is where more scores have been falling everytime I bowl.

[MICHAEL]

If you have a AMF bowling center around you they are starting a 10 for 10 league all the time this may be a good place to start and get your feet wet. The league will be 10 weeks at $10 a week. You may be able to find one that will take you into the summer season where you would be able to find a better league.
As far as most of your leagues they are handicapped so consistency is more important then high scores in regards to being a team player.

will it be sanctioned???

[tccstudent]

will it be sanctioned???

I doubt it the ones around here aint

[J Anderson]

That makes sense. I just don't think I am consistent enough yet. My games are varying to much in my opinion. anywhere from a 163 to a 201 right now is where more scores have been falling everytime I bowl.

My two cents: Do not wait until you feel that you are good enough or consistent enough. If you join a summer league, you'll establish an average the first week, probably somewhere around what you average now. As you improve you'll start beating your average on a regular basis, making you a valuable member of the team.

[TotallyDefiant]

sounds good. I am going bowling tonight and will talk to them about it then. hopefully role close to 200 all 3 games tonight.

[bowl1820]

Can you go in to more detail about this? Rock & bowl at my centers is just a time for kids to come out and playing under the disco lights and have fun. What are the others you mentioned?

Colored pin or Jack pot bowling is where they usually have three colored pins in the rack and when the pins show up in different positions and you throw a strike you some money. Or you pick up a certain split. They also have things like high game pots, clean game, Best ball etc. Like say a red headpin is worth a $1, a yellow is worth .50 cents etc.

Moonlight is similar but you do it with the lights out except for the pin deck. One house here had a special shot they turned all the lights out even on the deck the rack had all black , over weight pins. They then did a drawing and if you got picked, you got to shot at it. The pot on it got up to $1500 one time because it rolled over (You had to fill out a tax form on the winnings)

Moonlight is good for concentrating on your mark.


And rock & bowl is basically like you said, but it's good for bowling and getting use to distractions. They also had prizes like drinks and food no money prize since its lots of kids.

[TotallyDefiant]

Colored pin or Jack pot bowling is where they usually have three colored pins in the rack and when the pins show up in different positions and you throw a strike you some money. Or you pick up a certain split. They also have things like high game pots, clean game, Best ball etc. Like say a red headpin is worth a $1, a yellow is worth .50 cents etc.

Moonlight is similar but you do it with the lights out except for the pin deck. One house here had a special shot they turned all the lights out even on the deck the rack had all black , over weight pins. They then did a drawing and if you got picked, you got to shot at it. The pot on it got up to $1500 one time because it rolled over (You had to fill out a tax form on the winnings)

Moonlight is good for concentrating on your mark.


And rock & bowl is basically like you said, but it's good for bowling and getting use to distractions. They also had prizes like drinks and food no money prize since its lots of kids.

Ok. I have seen them doing that before but never knew what they were doing. They had raffle tickets and all going on that sunday. have not seen them do it in a few months though.

[zdawg]

My two cents: Do not wait until you feel that you are good enough or consistent enough. If you join a summer league, you'll establish an average the first week, probably somewhere around what you average now. As you improve you'll start beating your average on a regular basis, making you a valuable member of the team.

That's exactly what I did, in fact the day my league started I hadn't so much as set foot in a bowling alley since college so were talking 15 years or so. That's what handicaps are for LOL

[vdubtx]

No reason I see to not start in a league as soon as you can. Don't need to have a certain average until you get better and get into scratch leagues etc. Leagues are fun and you will learn a lot from just watching others bowl and how they play the lanes compared to yourself.

[Blacksox1]

Do not wait TD. Sub in the remainder of the season in both leagues. Join a team if a spot is available. Make contacts now. Meet people and see if you are compatible with them, or them with you. Consider it a trial period till the end of April, get the word out that you want to bowl full-time in the fall!

[TotallyDefiant]

Did not get a chance to talk to the guys about leagues lastnight and boy was it a bad night of bowling. Bowled two games 137-144. Could not get any kind of rotation on the ball all night plus my thumbhole ended up cutting my thumb on the first role of the night. At the end of the second game I decided to try the two handed bowling style. WOW!!! The power and revs I was able to put on the ball was unbelievable. Threw 3 shots like that to end my night and I tell you that was an explosive impact hitting the pocket. Did not lose any mph throwing it that way either. The screen still said 18.5mph on my two handed throws. I may use this method until my thumb heals back up.

[vdubtx]

How did the hole cut your thumb up?

[TotallyDefiant]

How did the hole cut your thumb up?

On the inside of my thumb right on the last crease of the thumb. Hurts like **** to bend it due to the cut now. I am guessing the edge of the hole is a little on the sharp side and not smooth enough. But to better describe it where the ball sits on your thumb at setup is where it cut my thumb.

[vdubtx]

On the inside of my thumb right on the last crease of the thumb. Hurts like **** to bend it due to the cut now. I am guessing the edge of the hole is a little on the sharp side and not smooth enough. But to better describe it where the ball sits on your thumb at setup is where it cut my thumb.

Yeah a cut right on the crease at the base of the thumb is not fun. I would certainly have your shop work that hole out and smooth it. Shouldn't have ever been that sharp to cut in first place. Do you use a thumb slug or just a regular drilled hole?

[Ptnomore]

Did not get a chance to talk to the guys about leagues lastnight and boy was it a bad night of bowling. Bowled two games 137-144. ...

Definitely...don't wait to join a league. What I haven't seen anyone mention, is that you are more valuable to a team, with your lower average than with a higher one. Reason being is, you bring to the team two things...a higher handicap for the team, as well as the much higher likelyhood of you bowling WAY over your average, than the higher average guys. Typically, with a lower average, if you bowl under your average, it's not by much.

First two years I bowled in adult leagues (3 and 4 years ago) my team was repeat champions. We were accused of sandbagging, but we were legit. All relatively new to bowling, if not brand new, with low averages, and the desire to get better...and we did. But the higher average teams couldn't overcome our handicap to beat us at the end of the season, because by then, we were bowling much higher than our averages.

[zdawg]

Definitely...don't wait to join a league. What I haven't seen anyone mention, is that you are more valuable to a team, with your lower average than with a higher one. Reason being is, you bring to the team two things...a higher handicap for the team, as well as the much higher likelyhood of you bowling WAY over your average, than the higher average guys. Typically, with a lower average, if you bowl under your average, it's not by much.

First two years I bowled in adult leagues (3 and 4 years ago) my team was repeat champions. We were accused of sandbagging, but we were legit. All relatively new to bowling, if not brand new, with low averages, and the desire to get better...and we did. But the higher average teams couldn't overcome our handicap to beat us at the end of the season, because by then, we were bowling much higher than our averages.

Same thing is happening with my team right now, 4 beginners, 1 experienced bowler who hasn't bowled in about 5 years prior to this league starting. No intentional sandbagging, its just the nature of handicaps over a season.

[TotallyDefiant]

Yeah a cut right on the crease at the base of the thumb is not fun. I would certainly have your shop work that hole out and smooth it. Shouldn't have ever been that sharp to cut in first place. Do you use a thumb slug or just a regular drilled hole?

I use a thumb slug. I had them work on it a couple days after having it drilled. It was fine until I started working on keeping my hand behind and under the ball instead of on the side. Once I placed it underneath the ball is when it got me.

[Mike White]

If you have a AMF bowling center around you they are starting a 10 for 10 league all the time this may be a good place to start and get your feet wet. The league will be 10 weeks at $10 a week. You may be able to find one that will take you into the summer season where you would be able to find a better league.
As far as most of your leagues they are handicapped so consistency is more important then high scores in regards to being a team player.

That $10 for 10 doesn't include the $20 you will have to pay to get a sanction card.

If you find a league that starts on or after Aug 1, then your card will be for Aug 1 2014 thru July 31 2015.
This is good if you plan on joining another league in September 2014.


If you find a league that starts earlier, the card will effectively expire July 21 2014.
You will have to pay another $20 if you join another league in September 2014.

When in doubt ask what date ranges the $20 sanction fee covers.

I've heard of a few secretaries in leagues that start in July, will hold off submitting the sanction info to USBC until after Aug 1.
It's a little shady, but then again, the whole $20 thing can be considered a bit shady.

[mc_runner]

Sanctioning is actually an interesting point.

One league I'm in requires any bowler participating to sanction before they throw a shot - in which case you'd have to pay up as a sub. The other one I'm in, while it is a sanctioned league, does not require subs to sanction themselves. Also around here those $10 for 10 week short schedule practice leagues are almost never sanctioned. Best to check with the alley/league if you have a question though!

I'll throw in my 2c though - the $10 for 10 leagues are really good for getting a feel for the league type play. You can make some league contacts there and it's really low/no pressure - and you'll get an idea of what kind of average you'll start league with.

[J Anderson]

That $10 for 10 doesn't include the $20 you will have to pay to get a sanction card.

If you find a league that starts on or after Aug 1, then your card will be for Aug 1 2014 thru July 31 2015.
This is good if you plan on joining another league in September 2014.


If you find a league that starts earlier, the card will effectively expire July 21 2014.
You will have to pay another $20 if you join another league in September 2014.

When in doubt ask what date ranges the $20 sanction fee covers.

I've heard of a few secretaries in leagues that start in July, will hold off submitting the sanction info to USBC until after Aug 1.
It's a little shady, but then again, the whole $20 thing can be considered a bit shady.

I thought the summer sanction was supposed to be less since it only covers 3 or 4 months instead of a year.

It used to be a bargain, If you signed up for a summer league, the membership was good through the following summer. Then you were in sync with the regulars and would pay for September to September.

[vdubtx]

LINK (http://www.bowl.com/Program_Changes_2014/Program_Changes_2014-2015_Home/Adult_short-season_membership_available_March_1/) Short Season new program

[TotallyDefiant]

Finally spoke with them about leagues lastnight. Told me I had to wait for Summer leagues to roll around and he would sign me up then. I started a new thread with my new personal best scores from last night.

[J Anderson]

Sanctioning is actually an interesting point.

One league I'm in requires any bowler participating to sanction before they throw a shot - in which case you'd have to pay up as a sub. The other one I'm in, while it is a sanctioned league, does not require subs to sanction themselves. Also around here those $10 for 10 week short schedule practice leagues are almost never sanctioned. Best to check with the alley/league if you have a question though!

I'll throw in my 2c though - the $10 for 10 leagues are really good for getting a feel for the league type play. You can make some league contacts there and it's really low/no pressure - and you'll get an idea of what kind of average you'll start league with.

I think that sanctioned leagues are required by USBC rules to have subs also be USBC members. I suspect that in many sanctioned leagues, only a few bowlers have actually looked at the USBC rules, and the league operates as the officers feel like doing until there is a problem.

[mc_runner]

I think that sanctioned leagues are required by USBC rules to have subs also be USBC members. I suspect that in many sanctioned leagues, only a few bowlers have actually looked at the USBC rules, and the league operates as the officers feel like doing until there is a problem.

You're probably right. This is a friendly more for-fun league with no cash prizes and everyone pretty much knows everyone, I know the subs don't get any awards if they do well and there haven't been any issues at all in the years I've been in it.