Practicing on a sport pattern

[JasonNJ]

I was wondering if any of you guys ever had a center lay down a pattern just for you to practice on? Is that something a bowling center will do for someone? Would this be something they would charge extra for? I'm just curious because I haven't bowled on too many sports pattern before and I want to practice some before joining a sports league or a sports tournament. Thanks.

Jason

[J Anderson]

I was wondering if any of you guys ever had a center lay down a pattern just for you to practice on? Is that something a bowling center will do for someone? Would this be something they would charge extra for? I'm just curious because I haven't bowled on too many sports pattern before and I want to practice some before joining a sports league or a sports tournament. Thanks.

Jason

It depends on the center. I suspect that most would not want to be bothered with putting a sport pattern out for one person.

The other possibility is to find a sport league and ask to practice on one of their lanes after they are done. Here in Fairfield CT, the Sacred Heart University women's bowling team practices right after we finish the Monday night sport league. What is less well known is that a sport or challenge pattern is put down for the Youth leagues Saturday Morning. Unfortunately most of those lanes are used for cosmic bowling after noon. Rumor has it that our center will put out sport patterns on a number of lanes at the request of the pro shop operator, so you might be able to get it through the proshop.

[Amyers]

Some of the houses I bowl at would do this some would not. Of the ones that would I am a very good customer at. Mostly smaller houses around here that would be willing to do this private owned. I second trying to find a scratch league and bowl on them after they finish league. That is how I got started bowling on sport patterns.

[JasonNJ]

That's a good idea, only issue is the sports league at my house is on Tuesday so that would mean convincing the wife to let me add another night of bowling since I usually bowl Mon and Weds.

Some of the houses I bowl at would do this some would not. Of the ones that would I am a very good customer at. Mostly smaller houses around here that would be willing to do this private owned. I second trying to find a scratch league and bowl on them after they finish league. That is how I got started bowling on sport patterns.

[JasonNJ]

Thanks for the reply, yeah I may try bowling after the sports league ends just hoping the lanes aren't too burnt by then.

It depends on the center. I suspect that most would not want to be bothered with putting a sport pattern out for one person.

The other possibility is to find a sport league and ask to practice on one of their lanes after they are done. Here in Fairfield CT, the Sacred Heart University women's bowling team practices right after we finish the Monday night sport league. What is less well known is that a sport or challenge pattern is put down for the Youth leagues Saturday Morning. Unfortunately most of those lanes are used for cosmic bowling after noon. Rumor has it that our center will put out sport patterns on a number of lanes at the request of the pro shop operator, so you might be able to get it through the proshop.

[J Anderson]

Thanks for the reply, yeah I may try bowling after the sports league ends just hoping the lanes aren't too burnt by then.

With sport patterns, who you follow on the lanes is probably a bit more important than the specific pattern in terms of how it will play. Our league used to try for as close to PBA conditions as we could get with only 4 bowlers per pair of lanes and moving to a different pair after each game. Summer session switched to moving after a 2 game set. Winter, due to the center being completely full with leagues is up to 6 per pair and not moving so the same 6 people bowl all four games on the same lanes.

In summer we find that the better bowlers average much higher the first set, but wind up grinding it out the second set trying to find some kind of line through the mess left by THS bowlers trying out the sport shot.

[JasonNJ]

I was at my local center tonight bowling with some buddies and I asked the maintenance guy if he could hook me up with a pattern and he said sure. Just let him know what night and he'll reserve the last 2 lanes for me and lay down the pattern. Which is sweet because there is a NJ Masters tournament coming up on Oct and they're going to announce the pattern in a few weeks. Once I find out the pattern, I'm going to practice on it and hopefully do ok in this tourney. Most likely, I'm going to get destroyed but I'll chalk it up as a learning experience. Danielle McEwan bowled in this tourney last year and she finished 9th.

[J Anderson]

I was at my local center tonight bowling with some buddies and I asked the maintenance guy if he could hook me up with a pattern and he said sure. Just let him know what night and he'll reserve the last 2 lanes for me and lay down the pattern. Which is sweet because there is a NJ Masters tournament coming up on Oct and they're going to announce the pattern in a few weeks. Once I find out the pattern, I'm going to practice on it and hopefully do ok in this tourney. Most likely, I'm going to get destroyed but I'll chalk it up as a learning experience. Danielle McEwan bowled in this tourney last year and she finished 9th.

Sounds like you've found a good bowling home. Good luck in the tournament!

[Amyers]

I was at my local center tonight bowling with some buddies and I asked the maintenance guy if he could hook me up with a pattern and he said sure. Just let him know what night and he'll reserve the last 2 lanes for me and lay down the pattern. Which is sweet because there is a NJ Masters tournament coming up on Oct and they're going to announce the pattern in a few weeks. Once I find out the pattern, I'm going to practice on it and hopefully do ok in this tourney. Most likely, I'm going to get destroyed but I'll chalk it up as a learning experience. Danielle McEwan bowled in this tourney last year and she finished 9th.

Just don't forget that how a pattern plays has a lot to do with the lanes it is being applied on. Don't lock yourself into a spot just because that was the spot at that center or on that set and get to your tournament and expect that everything will be exactly the same because it rarely is.

[JasonNJ]

Just don't forget that how a pattern plays has a lot to do with the lanes it is being applied on. Don't lock yourself into a spot just because that was the spot at that center or on that set and get to your tournament and expect that everything will be exactly the same because it rarely is.

Yeah thanks for the advice. I just want to get familiar with the way the pattern plays and I was also going to go practice a few times down at the house where the tournament is being held.