Finally I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Mike White]

Since coming back to bowling in June/July of '12, Ive tried to learn the way the modern bowling ball wants to be thrown.

But for the last year and a half it has been for the most part unsuccessful. It requires what to me is a very weak release.

I've found I have a very difficult time being consistent while throwing the ball that weak.

So at the beginning of the year (2014) I decided to go complete old school.

Back in the 1980's I used a Faball Nail (Urethane - Blue)

The closest to that might be the Blue Hammer, but it has a modern core in the ball.

So I settled on the Storm Polar Ice, and drilled one up on the 20th of January.

The first couple of times using it I was a rust bucket.

Last night however, it finally showed it's promise.

1st game was much better than the final score.

Strike, Ring Ten, Strike, Ring Ten - Whiff, Pocket 7-10, solid 8, 2-4-8 (got the 10 to fall), Strike, Big 4, Ring Ten, Strike for count.

2 shots not flush, and I shot 160.

2nd game I had a boat load of 9 counts (don't remember the specifics) and a late 5 bagger for 225.

3rd game it all came together. 2 frame was a bit high, but carried the 4 pin.

The rest were dead flush 10 in the pit, for a score of… yep. 300.

Now the weird coincidence.

24 years ago (Jan 29 1990) I shot 300, and it was the 5th Monday of the year.

Last Night (Feb 3rd 2014) was the 5th Monday of the year.

[MICHAEL]

Since coming back to bowling in June/July of '12, Ive tried to learn the way the modern bowling ball wants to be thrown.

But for the last year and a half it has been for the most part unsuccessful. It requires what to me is a very weak release.

I've found I have a very difficult time being consistent while throwing the ball that weak.

So at the beginning of the year (2014) I decided to go complete old school.

Back in the 1980's I used a Faball Nail (Urethane - Blue)

The closest to that might be the Blue Hammer, but it has a modern core in the ball.

So I settled on the Storm Polar Ice, and drilled one up on the 20th of January.

The first couple of times using it I was a rust bucket.

Last night however, it finally showed it's promise.

1st game was much better than the final score.

Strike, Ring Ten, Strike, Ring Ten - Whiff, Pocket 7-10, solid 8, 2-4-8 (got the 10 to fall), Strike, Big 4, Ring Ten, Strike for count.

2 shots not flush, and I shot 160.

2nd game I had a boat load of 9 counts (don't remember the specifics) and a late 5 bagger for 225.

3rd game it all came together. 2 frame was a bit high, but carried the 4 pin.

The rest were dead flush 10 in the pit, for a score of… yep. 300.

Now the weird coincidence.

24 years ago (Jan 29 1990) I shot 300, and it was the 5th Monday of the year.

Last Night (Feb 3rd 2014) was the 5th Monday of the year.

NICE shooting Mike!! Was that 300 in league?? I FRICKEN HOPE SO!! Regardless,,, nice shooting!

[tr33frog]

Congrats on the 300 Mike, nice bowling! Sounds like you were getting some ball that were too aggressive for the line you wanted to throw, glad you found something that fit!

[Aslan]

I like this post because he did it OLD SKOOL. So what are we talking here? Were you playing 2nd arrow? Straight shot? A little "flare" at the end?

From your summary, it sounds like you played you line and waited for it to work as oil got moved around. Or did you make a minor adjustment after game 2?? Inquiring minds want to know!!?

Storm is probably not going to want to publicize the 300 game though. They kinda have a vested interest in people buying BYTEs and IQs and Zero Gravitys....they don't want a bunch of potential customers pulling Polar Ices out of their closet.

But MOST importantly...welcome back Mr. Mike. I've been wondering where you've been hiding. I'm gonna be giving you a call in a couple weeks to set up a time to have a ball drilled. The Frantic is nearing semi-retirement and I want to have you tri-grip drill my Slingshot.

[MICHAEL]

OK MIKE,,, NOW don't tell me your Irish, and that your the 5th Son, of a 5th SON!!! That would solve the weird!

[Mudpuppy]

Nice work. You have to stick to your guns and repeat over and over to nausea.

[circlecity]

Good shooting Mike. I just bought a storm polar ice hybrid, but it''s for my spares. It does give me a nice shot around 5-10 board when lanes are dry. Crazy thing is that ball is made in China. booo

[RobLV1]

So which is it, the Polar Ice, or the new ball that you're going to use for the entire night?

[Mike White]

So which is it, the Polar Ice, or the new ball that you're going to use for the entire night?

The Polar ICE is what I'll use on the THS. If I go to tournies i'll have to experiment with what works for me on flatter / longer oil.

[RobLV1]

It's kind of ironic that the first article that I wrote for BTM back in 2007 addressed the potential dangers in forming preconceived ideas in bowling. It's a topic that I keep coming back to. Any time that a bowler shows up to bowl either in a league or a tournament with the idea that he has or is going to decide how to play the lanes, it's kind of like walking across a frozen lake without knowing if the ice is really strong enough to keep you from falling in. In a nutshell, the lanes tell us how they want to be played, not the other way around. This includes what ball to use, as well as what line to play. It's great that you were able to shoot 300 in the third game, but what about the first game? Could you have perhaps done a whole lot better than 160 the first game with a more aggressive ball, and changed later? Just some food for thought.