Ebonite man

  1. 2013 Hoinke

    Just got back from the 2013 Hoinke tourney in Cincinnati and what an eye opener. Bowled this tourney about 6 years ago and cashed in the doubles with a modified house shot. This year made me long for even a sport shot to be put out there. The worst possible condition for me was the reality, a reverse block. I couldn't keep the ball off the headpin no matter how deep I moved inside. Plus, not having the speed needed to keep the ball from overreacting sure didn't help. Thought maybe an outside line ...
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  2. Been a while

    Wow, can't believe its been over a year since my last entry. This season just came to an end this week and it was quite an eventful one. From a team standpoint, it was very pedestrian finishing in the middle of the pack in both halves. As far as the shot goes, not too much difference from past seasons, with 8 out to about 6 being the norm. A move in to a 12 out to 6 line was needed late in the 2nd game or the beginning of the 3rd, especially when the high school kids were practicing during December-January. ...
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  3. Bad backend problem fixed?

    After last weeks horrific carry, decided to go with the Virtual Energy right out of the gate. Thought I was on 25-26, but it turns out I ended up on 29-30, probably the best pair. Tried my straight up 6 line, and this was solid from the start. There were quite a few of us playing a similar line, so I expected transition to occur much sooner than usual. To my surprise, I did not see any transition at all, and stuck with the same line the entire night. The last game was an adventure, starting with ...
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  4. Bad backends

    Don't know where my last post went- I know I did my last entry about 2 weeks ago. In any event, just a summary of what happened last week. Had my usual arsenal and started as always with the NVS as has been the norm over the last 6-8 weeks. This ball is the earliest rolling of the three and should pick up the backends fairly early. It was evident that something was very different as the ball kept coming in flat no matter what angle of attack I chose. It was also curious that pins were tending to ...
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  5. Finally got this figured out?

    It's been a few weeks since my last entry with the Thanksgiving holiday and shopping, haven't had a lot of spare time. May have finally turned the corner with the new lanes. Been staying with the Mutant Cell early on with "fresh" oil (high schoolers moved the pattern around quite a bit) before the start of league play. Had 33-34 last week and 35-36 this week. Both of the these pair are fairly similar with the left lane moving 2-3 boards more than the right. Went with the Mutant Cell on ...
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  6. Same old story

    This week was a repeat of last week as far as the high schoolers go. At least there were only 3 on the last pair where I would be bowling. This pair, 39-40, historically has shown 39 to be about 5 boards tighter than 40. This was the case even after the new lanes surface was put in. Someone mentioned that 40 has something like a 1/16 inch of pitch to the left. This doesn't seem like much over a 60 ft lane, but I guess it is enough to make some of the difference. Started with the Mutant Cell and ...
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  7. Downhill slide

    Looks like this is shaping up to be the season from hell. As soon as I walked in the center, my mood shifted from an upbeat positive to a forget about shooting any big scores tonight feeling. Every single pair the league bowls on was occupied by high school kids, supposedly practicing for the varsity team. As I looked around, I couldn't believe how much the sport has diminished if this was the best bowlers from the school. Many scores I was seeing weren't even breaking 100, and this was not due ...
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  8. Week 7 results

    Been a while since my last entry. Long hours on the job have cut into my free time lately. Last week it was back to 25-26 again!? which last time was a real challenge with 26 being flooded with oil. Got to start practice on 26 this time and started with a little bit deeper inside line than in weeks past with a 14 out to about 7 line. Had the Mutant Cell Pearl, Total NV, and NVS in the bag this week. I usually make an effort to throw all 3 balls during practice to see early on which will give the ...
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  9. Week 5 results

    Didn't bowl on the 5th due to working late and a senior tournament shutting the house on the 12th. Was on the end pair 39-40 last night and with the new lanes, thinking maybe the huge difference seen before wouldn't be there. Started with the Mutant Cell on a 9 out to 5 line during practice. Felt pretty good with my early shot execution, so seeing the ball going high suggested either a move left or a switch to a less aggressive ball. A guy on the other team was using a Total NV and struck on every ...
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  10. Week 4 results

    Had the previously known "crappy" 25-26 on tap for last night. Since the new lanes have been installed, the shot has been much more consistent the first 3 weeks, so I wasn't expecting anything different. Our team was assigned lane 25, so this is where I started practice. Tried the usual 8 out to about 5, and the shot was solid in the pocket. Looked like status quo on this night as well. But wait, not so fast, as I tried the same shot on 26 only to chop the 6-9-10 off a full rack. WTF?!!! ...
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  11. Week 3 results

    Had another high scoring pair with 35-36 being on tap for tonight. Lanes again were oiled fresh and backends stripped. So far this season, the house has been doing the oiling about 1/2 hour before the start of practice, something they rarely did last season. Started with the Mutant Cell again and played a bit more of a belly going from 8 out to 5. Trying to play straight up 5 just wasn't going to work as the ball tended to overreact. My first couple of practice shots were using this line and both ...
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  12. Weeks 2 results

    What a difference a week makes when you have the right equipment. Had 33-34 this week which had been a dicey pair in past years. With the new lanes, it was interesting to see that this pair still played very similar to before, with the left lane giving fits. Started with the Mutant Cell playing straight up 6 board. This looked good during practice and was the shot early on. The left lane did not want to carry all that well unless I got some extra lift. As a result, quite a few 10 pins were in the ...
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  13. Week 1 results

    Decided to go with the Ebonite equipment to start this season based on the end of last year's good performance. The lanes were oiled and stripped fresh so the thinking was to start with the Big One which picks up the roll a bit earlier than the NVS or NV. This was obviously not going to work as every ball kept coming in light. Switched to the NVS with a slower ball speed straight up 6 board. This ball also came in light, but was at least getting light hit swishers. Last season, not a single 7-10 ...
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  14. Preseason practice

    Had the league preseason meeting followed by a free practice session on the new lane surface. Brought both Ebonite and new equipment to see what was the difference in reaction. Started throwing the Storm and something about the pitch didn't seem right. Couldn't get real good lift unless I cupped the ball-- an unexpected fly in the ointment. Even with a fairly weak release throwing the Storm, the ball reaction was very clean and both lanes played almost identical. Switched to the Ebonite Big One ...
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  15. Off season update

    Just got a flyer from my home house saying they are changing the lane beds putting in a new synthetic surface. I guess this is the latest and greatest from Brunswick. The claim is the ball reaction should be much cleaner and consistent. If this is true, this will be a welcome change to years past. The question now is do I still use the old Ebonite equipment or go back to the Storm/Roto Grip. I haven't been able to get out and practice for over a month now and wasn't planning to until the week before ...
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  16. Shark pattern

    Just haven't had the motivation to get out and practice this summer. Finally decided to give the Shark pattern a try this week and what a difference from the Cheetah. This pattern is really long (42 ft) and heavy across the boards. Tried a straight up 10 line and this seems like a good approach at first. My slower ball speed allows me to play this line while the usual play on this pattern is deep inside. Once the oil started to carry down, I started to leave flat 10s. This was using the Mutant Cell ...
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  17. Summer practice 1st week

    Haven't been able to get out and practice until now- almost 2 months after league ended. This was evident in the first couple of games as it took quite a while to get loose. The Cheetah pattern was on the slate for this week and this pattern requires play near the channel. Thought I might try a bit deeper line starting at about 10 out to 5 at the breakpoint. The Virtual Energy looked like a good bet for this shot as it skids better through the heads. Also, this is the shortest sport shot pattern, ...
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  18. End of 2011 season

    The 2011 season is mercifully over after a roller coaster ride. Had 31-32 again this week for the sweeper pot and just can't seem to get motivated to do real well this week as all the standings had been final with the exception of the 2 teams that won the halves. Not to mention, the aches and pains that have accumulated over the last 4-6 weeks have taken a toll. Tried the usual straight up 6 line and this seemed to look good. Had a slower ball speed tonight as the right knee was giving me issues ...
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  19. 3/23/11 results

    In the waning weeks of this season, it is becoming more and more evident that the old Ebonite stuff is the way to go. Had 37-38 this week which has been the highest scoring pair for the league. Tried the usual straight up 6 line with the Total NV and this looked good. The major difference between the Ebonite and the Storm/Roto Grip is that I can't get lazy with the release or the shot won't recover. I have been experimenting with a bit more of a cupped wrist position to make sure I get the extra ...
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  20. 3/16/11 results

    As the season winds down, late season injuries are starting to become an issue. Popped my knee late in the third game and may keep me sidelined for next week. Not that it really makes all that much difference as the team is well entrenched in last place. Couple that with tearing my ring finger and it makes things real difficult. A guy on the opposing team popped his wrist in the 2nd game. With all this, still managed to have a half way decent night. 27-28 was on the slate for this week, and this ...
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  21. 3/9/11 results

    After tonight, I can say I am truly an Ebonite man. Decided to bring the Big One and NVS for 25-26 which has been by far the worst pair we bowl on. Carry historically has been horrific with the new equipment, so I started with the Big One playing a straight up 6 board line just like last week. Got locked in very quickly and the carry issue disappeared with every pocket hit carrying during practice. This carried over into game one with the only non-strike being in frame 2 with a soft 10 resulting ...
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  22. 3/2/11 results

    Decided to bring the NV and Big One out of retirement last night to see if I could improve carry. At this point, anything would be an improvement. Started with the NV during practice playing an 11 out to 6 line and this looked good. Just had to make sure I hit the ball otherwise it wasn't going to recover. Had 39-40 which always has shown 39 to be about 5 boards tighter than 40. This difference was not as great this time, around 2 boards. Started the first game going Dutch the first 4 frames and ...
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  23. 2/23/11 results

    Looks like the downhill slide continues. This has just been an off season on a personal level and for the team. Had a good pair last night in 35-36 and just could not get real comfortable. The lanes were oiled fresh and backends stripped, so I expected the ball to really move. Decided the best choice would be the Mutant Cell since I wanted to lessen the entry angle. Even this ball came in at a fairly steep angle and I left a ripping 7-10 during practice. This set the tone for the rest of the night. ...
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  24. 2/16/11 results

    This season looks like a lost cause for the team after tonight, but had a really good night individually. Had 37-38 which has been one of the highest scoring pairs in the league. After using the Mutant Cell last week, thought I would give it a shot again this week. Tried the usual 10 out to 6 line and it was obvious this wasn't going to work. The heads were drier and backends moving more than usual, so moved in to 15 out to 8. This was the answer and suprisingly the shot held up all night on the ...
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  25. 2/9/11 results

    Had 27-28 tonight which has been a fairly decent pair in the past. Carry was an issue the last time I crossed this pair, so the thinking was to go with the Mutant Cell which has a flatter entry angle versus the Virtual Energy. Last time, lane 27 was the headache, but tonight, lane 28 was the problem. Carry was still a problem leaving 10 10 pins on the night with the majority on 28. Throw in the token 7-10 again (at least it wasn't at a critical point in the game), and the scoring was quite pedestrian ...
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