getting back into bowling after 20 years

[DanielMareina]

I once bowled in a no tap tournament that was doubles. My partner bowled terrible and I shot a 298,278,290 and not a single person asked me to bowl with them on either of the next two tournaments! I still don't understand to this day! Ever since then, I decided that no tap tournaments are for low average bowlers to feel good, not for great bowlers to be appreciated. LOL! I wish you the best of luck though!

[threeripmin]

maybe people just thought that you were out of their league?LOL maybe youre right, im just dying to bowl against anyone. if there are'nt a lot of good bowlers im not bowling in it.

i just ordered a new storm ice for spares and i found out that the guy that owns the pro shop right down the street is an old touring pro form the early 70's, i like that a lot! im going to be bugging him for stories.

[DanielMareina]

The Ice Storm is a great spare ball. You will like it! That is the one thing that all the pros do the same, throw straight spares. It has increased my spare shooting accuracy by a ton in the last year. I used to use a spare ball that didn't hook much, but would flatten out still. Once I went to a ball that goes perfectly straight, I feel tons more confident that I know exactly what it is going to do. I am sure you will be happy with it too!

[threeripmin]

im sure it will work out great. when i was a kid every saturday night at 6 there was a no tap tournament and then at 9 there was moonlight bowling. moonlight bowling was where they turned the lights off and put a few colored pins in each rack, if you got a strike with a colored head pin you got a dollar. you would get paid for all sorts of things, good bowlers could pretty much bowl for free. it was fun and its why i got kicked out of juniors. lol ive looked for things like it but all there is is this lame cosmic bowling crap.

[threeripmin]

well, the pot game league can only have 24 people and there was 24 people there today so i didnt get to bowl. they say that only 12 showed up last week. hopefully i can bowl next week. it looked really cool to me, there was a few older dudes that look like they were really good in their day. its 11 for the linage and 1 dollar a game for high game pot and 1 dollar a game for the hi low doubles. they draw for the doubles each game putting a high average with a low average.

[JAnderson]

Threeripmin – welcome back to the game. You’re absolutely right about the game and technology changing so much in 20 years. One of the challenges you may need to evaluate is the need to adjust to the lane vertically (front-to-back). Plastic and urethane (20 years ago) didn’t hook much, if at all, in the oil. Today’s reactive and proactive equipment with cores that allow the ball to flare, hook in the oil much more than the plastic and urethane of days gone by. Today, it isn’t always a question if the ball hooked enough, but did it hook early enough? Too early?

Couple of things to note from some previous posts – please remember the lurkers!

The UBBC Open Championships (aka "nationals") is as about as fair as it gets as far as lane conditions. They do an excellent job at maintaining the lanes, but the pattern is challenging. It’s in Reno this year. Why they chose to reduce the reverse oil so much on a surface that typically hooks more than the other venues is a bit odd, but nationals at the stadium is nationals at the stadium. Everyone that enters is bowling on the same thing.

A “small” core does not necessary equate to a tame backend reaction any more than a “large” core equates to a sharp backend reaction. Cover stock composition and preparation (all other things being equal) will have a bigger influence on ball reaction than core shape. The Hy-Road is a great piece which is why Storm brought it back 10-years after its first inception with a new cover stock. It’s the cover-core combination that makes the ball a generally reliable “control” piece.

Personally, I give free lessons to league bowlers.

Absolutely awesome. Hour versus half-hour lessons really depends on the student’s ability to focus on a single thing. Many student’s will get bored working on one thing for more than 30 minutes. Heck, many of them get bored after 10 minutes! Half-hour lessons aren’t bad at all.

[threeripmin]

thanks, jay!

my wife bought me a new ball the other day. i got the reign and im hoping it will work well with my reign of fire. so i now have 3 new balls but im still working on getting the right fit. today ill throw the reign for the 3rd time but the other two times i dont really count. im going to try and bowl in the pot game league again today and its at an amf house.

i threw my reign for the 1st time in the no tap tournament and it was a big mistake, shot 223 230 then switched to the reign of fire and shot 277 194. its not too bad for the first time bowling with good bowlers in 23 years.

[DanielMareina]

Those aren't bad scores at all. Especially since you are just getting used to new equipment. Just as an aside, you are much better off starting off with your Reign of Fire and then going to your Reign. I love my Reign, but it has a little over/under problem on fresh oil. I usually wait atleast till half way through game 2 to throw it. Once a little oil gets pushed down the lane, the Reign is awesome! Good luck in your pot game tonight!

[threeripmin]

ive been thinking the same thing, daniel. im still trying to work out my span problem. this new guy drilling my stuff thinks that my reign of fire is drilled like a simi finger tip and has my span a little longer in my reign and spare ball. i really like the feel of my new reign so im going to give it a shot today. if it works out im going to change my fire to match it. i think this is one of the reasons ive stayed out of bowling, i knew i was going to have these problems getting a good ball and that it would cost a lot of money. its all going to be worth it in the long run and like ive said im having fun doing it all.

some dude bowled 900 with the reign of fire the other day.

[threeripmin]

bowled in league for the first time yesterday and averaged 193. i was a bit nervous and missed a few early easy spares. i plan on doing much better next week. it was fun and everyone was very cool to me.