Is it against policy to post "our opinions" on the pattern after we bowl it?
Course for me its gonna be awhile, im not bowling till the May 25th & 26th.
This will be my 15th straight year!
Not sure what avg their gonna use for me?!? My new "sport adjusted avg", aka based on my USBC Open tourney avg, its 205 but my book is 208.
I too totally disagree w/ their new policy of not publishing the pattern, and also that even w/ it, it really didn't give us much of an advantage. Particually when trying to practice on it. It's 1 thing to give your "Lane oil man" the pattern, its a totally different thing to actually accurately oil that way AND have it match exactly to what you'll see in Vegas. I've done this b4 an every time I got to natl's it was totally different than what I had practiced on. And the live streams? yeah they were nice. U could get somewhat of an idea on where to play/how to attack, but finding a bowler w/ a similar style to you? Not so easy.
Everyone bowls differently, an once u get on the lanes, its just u an the pattern, an all u've got is your knowledge a skills to try an attack it. Seeing what the pattern is, watchin others bowl it, or practicing on it, can't substitute you actually on the lanes bowling it for real.
The main thing u really wanna practice for USBC???? Spare shooting!!!! This will make or break you. Obviously splits u wanna try to avoid but they are inevitable. All u can really do is to try an cut down on them as much as possible, well really all opens.
As for watering down the field and spreading the $$ around thinly? ehhh, are any of us really there to make a living? We're there for the challenge of it. Hell I go just so I can right it off my taxes. I make my $$ in the other tourneys and use USBC for tax write offs =) Course having said that, its been awhile since I came home with OUT a check.
Wow, I just checked and I'd hafta go all the way back to my first trip to nationals in Knoxville 2003 when I came home w/ $0, well should also mention got zip in '05 in Baton Rouge but, that was kind of a weird year: Only got to bowl team, wasn't allowed to bowl dbls/singles due to a train derailment, they closed the convention center BUT they went ahead an paid my entry fee for the next year, so not a total loss. Albuquerque was my smallest check $33.78 which was '08 I believe. wow, interesting. but regardless, its never enough to cover the expense of going.
Good luck out there!
_________________________
Avg: 208
High game: 300 (only 1 sanctioned so far)
High series: 815
USBC Open: 16 consecutive years
Open Avg: 184
Open Avg last 3 years: 181
The new 2018 avg adjustment: 210
2002 Hoinke Tournament All events Champion