Well, the luck of the Irish was not on my side tonight. The oil pattern started out playable for about the first 2-3 frames of the first game. After that, is was all downhill. It was obvious the house decided not to oil fresh before our league based on the early roll I was seeing during practice. I tried to make several adjustments to get the ball to go longer, but nothing seemed to really work. The weather being unseasonably warm and low humidity didn't make things better. The usual transition ...
Riot This ball is great for medium to heavier oil patterns. The continuation through the pins is very impressive. With the cover stock and core combination the ball will match up with a verity of players that play multiple angles to the pocket. I changed the surface to a 3500 grit finish because it was a little too strong for me at the factory surface finish. The ball will react accordingly to the ball surface change that you make. (Example: If you polish the ball, it will go longer with ...
This ball is made for medium to light oil patterns that are 39 feet or less in length. Out of the box this ball has a skid flip reaction. When it’s in heavier oil I had problems with it skidding too far down the lane. Once it comes out of the oil onto the dry part of the lane it really makes a right hand turn to the pocket. To solve this problem, I changed the surface to 4,000 abralon. This change made the back end smoother and the ball seemed to read the lanes much better and had a more consistent ...
Didn't bowl this week due to a nasty virus. Made the call not to go about an hour before league start. Was also considering bowling the Regional PBA event at Scott AFB. Decided to wait until the Madison event next month. The only problem is that the Madison event is on the Scorpion pattern, which is by far my weakest pattern After watching Wes Malott dominate last year on this pattern, I will get the Mutant Cell for the Scorpion as well as the Shark. This week's tourney is on the Chameleon ...
Looking to add a heavy oil ball to my arsenal. I currently have an Ebonite NVS, Total NV, and Big One. These work great for house conditions, but the performance is not that great on a heavy, long oil pattern. Being a loyal Ebonite customer for over 20 years, it is difficult to consider any other manufacturer. The 3 top contenders are the Roto Grip Mutant Cell, Ebonite Mission, and Brunswick C-System 3.5. My main use for this ball would be tournament play, namely the USBC tourney and Hoinke Classic. ...
Had a good night shooting 274, 233, and 248 for a 755. I know that 274 seems like an odd number, but I'll elaborate. The lanes were freshly oiled with a standard house pattern. I started the first game with my Ebonite NVS and strung the front 9. I was playing a 8 board out to 3 and I knew this line wouldn't hold up all night. Too bad the left lane decided to transition in the 10th frame. I thought I threw a pretty good shot and left the 2-8. I left the bucket on the fill ball giving the 274. After ...
Had a solid night with a 679. Still having issues with consitently making the 10 pin. Finally decided to break down and buy a T-Zone to replace the pearl Rhino I was using for 10 pins. With only 5 weeks left in the season, may wait to get the T-Zone drilled and then practice in the off season.
I wasn't able to bowl on Monday as planned because of a snow storm. I ended up going in on Tuesday to Val Lanes for their all you can bowl for $9.99. I was hoping to get in 3-4 games before my arm tired. The lanes were pretty dry because this was at 9:30 pm, right after league play. The first game I had some trouble getting used to how dry the lanes were and threw a very sad 86, I'm not counting that one, I was just warming up. I also was worried that my arm was hurting a little early ...
I picked up my Ebonie Matrix spare ball and went to the Early Bird Special at Air Lanes for $1.29 per game. Bowled 3 games and I'm happy to to report my arm felt great. I was there 5 minutes before opening time of 10 am and the place was packed, mostly with fairly serious bowlers. Luckily I shared the lane with a couple playing very casually with house balls. I was very worried to get real serious players who would think my game sucks horribly... I'm just way out of shape. Game #1 ...
The same day I got my new ball and bowled my first two games I went home for a while, worked on homework and then decided to go to a nearby alley to throw a couple of games. I paid for 1 hour and when I threw my first throw my arm basically broke down. I couldn't even pick up my 15 lbs ball, I'm horribly out of shape after 8 years of not playing... I was still very sore Thursday and Friday but Saturday I finally felt better so in between MBA classes I decided to go throw a game at ...
I got my Ebonite Evolve drilled and I'm getting used to it, I hadn't bowled since '02 so I expected to throw a 110 average at first. The first two games weren't too horrible, although I couldn't find my stance and the 15 lbs ball felt pretty heavy. I bowled a 126 and a 129, the real scary thing is I only picked up 14% of spares, and 0% of single pin spares... I don't have my spare ball yet, so I was using a house ball as a spare ball and I felt like I had no control of it. ...
Well the only thing I asked from my family this year was the opportunity to go bowling with the wife - just the two of us. This is something we literally haven't done in over a year, I've gone by myself, and I've taken my daughter bowling, but not just the wife and I. So last night we decide to hit the bed early - in our case it means 1am instead of 2am. Unfortunately daughter and son were both up at 4am, and son decided that he was unhappy again at 6am. Needless to say, our ...
The Ebonite Evolve has finally been delivered. I tracked it on Fedex's website all morning and it was delivered at 12:07, just after noon. I cut my lunch short and will take off from work a couple of hours early to get it drilled and take it for the first test drive. So by tonight I should have a decent idea of how out of shape I am and some stats to post onto BowlSK... I'm thrilled!
According to Fedex my Ebonite Evolve should be delivered tomorrow, so I'm very close to having everything in place to get a few games under my belt. Also the book "Bowling Fundamentals" arrived today, one of my two books for now to get me back into the swing of things.
I decided to go to the only Pro Shop in town that's open on Sundays to check out their stuff. I decided to buy Dexter shoes, a 2 ball roller and an Ebonite Maxim for a spare ball, and then order my main ball an Ebonite Evolve online. I chose the shoes and the bag and got my hand measured. The pro shop owner marked up the ball and prepared to drill it, I was watching him through the window. He made the hole for the ring finger and everything looked great. Then he was working on making the whole for ...
I grew up in Costa Rica and picked up bowling around my junior year of high school. Circumstances at the time only allowed me to practice once a week and play once a week in a league. I had an Ebonite Matrix Trimax that I loved and a spare ball. When I left for college at Iowa State University unfortunately I couldn't bring my bowling balls because they were too heavy. I went back home about once a year and never did get around to bring them so over time I just sort of stopped bowling. ...
The time between my first 300 game and my second 300 game was 9 years 3 months and 13 days. The time between my last two 300 games was about 23 hours. 12/09/09 third game of the night and then 12/10/09 second game of the night.
If the PBA folds, does it really matter? by James Goulding III This has been a subject that I had hoped to never write about, and that is the VERY real possibility that we are seeing the last days of the Professional Bowler's Association (PBA) as we know it. With the recent confirmation that the tour stop in Medford was cancelled due to lack of sponsorship dollars and the hard economy, it brings once again to the forefront the possibility that the PBA may not last another ...
Updated 11-20-2009 at 09:51 PM by Maine Man
As a tour rookie back in 1983, Walter has seemed to be unstoppable out on tour. Like him or not, he's definitely proven that he's here to stay. 26 years and 46 professional titles later, Walter continues to prove why he should be considered the greatest bowler ever. Turning 50 in October didn't seem to phase him as he won his record breaking 46th PBA title on Nov 1 over PBA veteran Chris Barnes. When will Walter throw in the towel and let some of the other bowlers ...
Keeping Equipment Clean: One Key to Success by James Goulding III Getting good coaching, watching video, and working in a pro shop have all been valuable tools that have helped me become a successful bowler. But, there is also another part of my game that is important on a weekly basis, and that is taking care of my bowling equipment so that it takes care of me on the lanes when I need it. What I mean is, I can’t expect bowling balls to perform at their ...
Tonight was the first night I have bowled on my PBA Experience league. (I missed the 1st 2 weeks due to our little road trip.) We were bowling on the Cheetah pattern tonight, and I did surprisingly well. The line on the Cheetah pattern is to play outside of the 5 board, but I moved inside with my target being the 2nd arrow, and the ball didn't get any further right than the 5 board. I think the main thing that helped me was slowing down my approach, and getting some loft on the ball. I rolled ...
Had a fair night on the lanes Friday night. Unlike my Wed night league, I get a more consistent reaction playing the outside at Dick Weber Lanes. I ended up rolling a 197, 245 and 181 for a 623 series. As far as my spare shooting goes, I did miss one single pin spare. Other than that, I thought my spare shooting was decent. On the last game, I just stopped carrying, but my spare shooting kept my game respectable. My pin fall can be viewed at http://www.bowlspot.com/share/T1hbQ9dCsums1925.
I continue to struggle on my Wed night league. I started out ok, but then I stopped getting a consistent reaction. I was playing the outside shot (where I tend to be more comfortable). However, at the end of the 3rd game, it finally clicked that most of the bowlers that are doing well at that house are playing around the 3rd arrow. I think I have been stubborn about playing the outside, and not paying enough attention to where other people are having success. I need to make a genuine effort ...
Balancing Technology with Tradition by James Goulding III I have been thinking a lot lately about the direction of the sport of bowling, and some of the good and bad things that have shaped the sport we have today. Any way we slice it, technology advancements have put their permanent mark on the game of bowling, and the jury is still out as to whether or not those changes have helped or hurt the game as a whole. The one thing that can not be debated, however, is that there ...
One good night doesn't mark the end of a slump, but it is a start. I came into the night with the strategy of playing the outside until my ball started hooking too much, and then make the move in side with a ball with a bit more surface (along with concentrating on a lose arm swing and getting the ball out on the lane). The strategy worked. I started off the 1st game with the greek church (no lose arm swing and set the ball short) and then followed that with 8 in a row. I left a baby split in ...
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