I bowled on a PBA league last summer and really enjoyed the challenge. As far as looking like an idiot, yeh, I guess I did at times. But actually I think most of us did on that league. We all were "rookies " on the patterns we bowled on. I tried the PBA league to gain experience, and improve my game, and I think it accomplished that. I have only been at this game seriously since 2003-2004 and felt the harder patterns would kind of expidite my progress so to speak. Although not completely satisfied with the results from week to week, I did'nt think walking out of that league coming in 2cnd, with a 174 average was too bad.

Our PBA Experience league is going to be 3-person teams...I'm assuming the start is going to be about 7:00. And I think it's 3 games...so it shouldn't take longer than 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I'm really looking forward to it...April 27, 2007...embarking on unchartered territory.

I'm not sue Mike. I think they are still drumming up participants so they don't know how many will be participating and therefore how many per lane. But I do know they are expecting to oil 8 lanes.

On the weeks that the travel league is more centralized I don't think it would be a problem; if they bowl 3 games. But if you had to run to Capitol, Alpine or Landpark, you'd probably not have time. But if its run as a singles league then on those weeks where the Travel league is too far away you could skip the PBA league or vis versa.

Erin

One thing you want to make sure of when joining these leagues. It will be a learning experience. It will be frustrating and it will test your skill and understanding of the game. Hopefully after the league is finished you will have a new respect for what some people can achieve on these patterns. If there is one thing i've learned from my PBA experience league it is that spare conversion is an absolute necessity for decent scoring, and it is also alot more difficult to string 3-4 in a row to make up for a mistake. It may sound cliche, however these patterns do different things to the ball, even when shooting at a spare. Good Luck With your PBA experience.

Yeah, one of our Jrs averaged over 212 on it last night first night out, Shark pattern I think. Several 200+ games were bowled. I wasn't there, but that's what I heard.

One problem that came up was that the tape reader that the center owns (and I think its the only center of 12 in the associatino that owns their own reader) is outdated and doesn't talk to the computer that puts out the graph etc...... New tape reader is over $1500.

The league has no prize fund, about 32 bowlers they pay for lineage only. Don't know where the $1500 is going to come from for the new reader. They also had to order tape to read the lanes, but that's not much.

Erin

One of the league memmber in my thursday league was talking about the PBA Experience League. He is a 203 aerage bowler on my thursday league, but in the PBA Experience League he says he struggling he averaging 170 ish he like last monday was his worse showing he ball wouldnt hook at on the shark pattern. He told me he bowled awful he only average 108 on it. So sure going to be learning experience for those who are in the league.

It is definately an experience. People will find that they have more success on one pattern than another. The thing is it changes every week so so basically have about 15 min of practice to find something that works. I try to take notes on a specific pattern so i know how to play them next time around. I did score pretty well on the shark pattern last week. I shot 658, front 9 in the second game solid four pin in the tenth...missed it to shoot 267. Oh well. I'm still only averaging 179 in the league. I can't wait to bowl in a sport shot league this summer. From what i hear that should be fun.

BRIAN LONGO WROTE: I just hope they (individual houses) don't pull the same junk they did with the sport shot and make it into a half-assed lazy man's sport shot. It took whatever credibility the sport shot was supposed to bring to bowling right out the window.

I work at a bowling center and have been researching the PBA Experience "requirements" in hopes of starting a league in our house. Let's just say there are a lot of hoops to jump thru just to get approved to have the league. Between all the checklists and measurements of the lane conditions you must send in, I don't think it will become half-assed.

.....just my opinion.....Jim

I hope not, Jim. But you know what I'm saying. The "Sport Condition" wasn't very well regulated and some centers were taking a little "liberty" in the ratios and producing shots that probably weren't so, umm, "sporting". The main thing was the lack of solid regulation, which I knew would be somewhat of a problem due to the novelty of the idea and lack of preparation on USBC's part.

Don't get me wrong, though. Actually having the league in the first place takes a lot of effort, but I'd hate to see centers getting lax with the ratios and patterns. I hope this program sticks, and it just might. A lot of people want to see if they can "hang with the pros".

Brian.. I don't think they can get lax with the ratios and still be a sanctioned sport league. They have to graph the pattern every week.