Saturday night (sigh)

[Double C]

Due to our weird night shift schedules, the only time my wife and I can bowl together, is eithe Fri. Or Sat. Night. Getting used to large squads of youngsters, who are clueless about bowling etiquette...etc.
It forces one to really concentrate. Initially I thought the lanes were dry. Minor oil ring on my ball, made me think so. However, I could not buy a hook. I bowled in a dry house once, but last night, my ball just would not work.
Thinking it was dry, I tried everything, to no avail. Started bowling with my plastic ball. I think the problem was me. Just could not get it together. Timing was off....and the lane was maybe more oil than I thought.
Then, in the 5 th frame of game four, I stepped in some spilled liquid, left by a bunch of exuberant teens, who had left about 20 minutes earlier...with my slide foot...of course.
So played the remainder just walking to the foul line, and laying it down.
The wife...well, bless her heart, just crushed it. She uses a straight plastic ball, and just kept laying down. Very little speed, and short backswing.
She normally uses a 13 lb. ball, but decided to use my 15 lb. plastic. She used her 13. For spares. Her prior PB was 135. She threw a 125,138,133,162.
So proud of her!! :) :)

[LOUVIT]

I think you were over thinking when you seen the conditions.....As we all know you need to play the lane not let it play you. As far as the youngsters I know my house tries it's best to separate us bit sometimes it can't. You need to concentrate on your lane and your game....IMO....

as far as the approach conditions I would have went to the desk and had it cleaned up.

[Tony]

Pretty much all the lanes around me have cosmic , moonlight bowling on the weekend, add the kids jumping up on the approach at any second, or standing in a group on the approach, or any of the other crazed things they do are enough for me to avoid those type of conditions most of the time.

I have done it here and there, with the kids and it does help me learn to block out all the noise, movement and other distractions and focus more on bowling, if I can see the marks on the floor and lane. it's a bonus.

I agree with Lou, call the counter and get the spill cleaned up, maybe even tell them about your shoe and maybe get a house shoe to put on your slide foot until you get your shoe dried off ?

Congrats to your wife, those distractions didn't seem to bother her .

[DMS]

My wife and I call it 'The Concentration Test' practice. I can't stand the cosmic lights, loud (and bad, mostly) music or the crazed millenials.... BUT... It really teaches one to block out all distractions incredibly effectively. Bowling in a 'standard' condition afterwards seems absolutely placid and civilized in comparison. We do cosmic about once a week, usually. So... There's my 'crumudgeon' side.

Now meet my 'ambassador of the sport' side...

If you stay cheerful, and be friendly, some of (I'd even say most) of the kids on your neighboring lanes can be incredibly friendly and kind. We've gotten to know our neighbors many times, and it gives us an opening to discuss the rules of etiquette, finer points of the game, amusing terminology and history of the game. If you bowl good, they'll REALLY respect you, in most cases. Then the distraction becomes answering questions from your new-found friends, which never bothers us. Great way to turn casual, young 'bowlers' into older serious BOWLERS. A plus for us all.

Congrats to Mrs. Double C from us, too! Sounds like she's solid as a rock!

Mr. Double C... Good chance you were experiencing heavy carry down from plastic balls being sprayed all over the lane all day long. Happens at our home house, too... particularly noticable where they use very low viscosity oil which is easy to move on the lane surface. Gotta' slow the ball speed way down, move way outside and / or just start throwing a straighter shot as noted above.