Ebonite man

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 riding the edge of the oil around 8 board could be a possibility, but here the oil gradient was so severe that if I missed a fraction to the right, I was lucky to hit the 3 pin. I used every ball in my bag, including the old pearl Rhino, and still no luck. Most of my games were in the 170s or 180s with a 233 high. The one line I didn't get to try was inside out to about 10 with the Rhino. I was supposed to bowl 20 games over 2 days, but I popped my knee during game 13. Guess I'm starting to feel the effects of old age. Only bowling 1 league a week doesn't help either. Lesson learned here- the right equipment can make a world of difference. A ball with a great deal of skid on the heads and a weaker backend reaction would most likely have done the job. In this day and age of reactive resin bowling balls, the best choice here might have been an old White Dot.