Another day, another tournament. I bit more disappointed in this one, but in hindsight, I didn't do bad.

Haven't bowled in this house in over year. It's my dad's league house - the owner is a real good guy, and he actually remembered me from then. He drilled my first fingertip ball for me - started with an 8 lane center, and managed to save enough to buy a 30 lane center in the same town.

Anyways, I figured it would be a house shot, since it was a 90% of 210 tournament. 3 games, break while the re-condition, 3 more games. I got into the scratch option as well, and a couple scratch and handicap brackets. Finally got to toss my first practice ball, and it was wet. Initial line was somewhere between straight up 10 or straight up 7. I couldn't tell you - apparently my "straight up the boards" Execution has gone out the window. I had no area, and missing by a board meant trouble. 158ish for the first game, then I came back in the 180s or 190s for the next 2 games. They were paying to 13 places, and I was in 12th I think after 3 games. Also, even with the 150, I got through 2 of my brackets in the first round, and went all the way with both of them.

Had lunch, got back. This time I had a plan. Grabbed the Infinite One going straight up 5. That started to over-react by the end of practice, so I moved in 2 and 1. Gave myself a little bit of miss room both ways, right? Well, I kept missing inside, and it held pocket the first 2 times, and then came the splits. Ball change, line change, just couldn't get it. 150 to open again. This time I was in 8 brackets (my winnings from the first round, minus 10 bucks that I pocketed). Moved down to the other end, and the lanes were hooking a bit more. I don't know what my 5th game was, probably 170 or 180. Finally, in the last game, I just moved in to my A game area (crossing arrows between 13 and 15), grabbed the Total for a slightly earlier read, and started getting around it enough that it would finish no matter where I put it. Finally, area! 4 pin, 10 pin, moved for a 4 pin, moved for another 10 pin, and then strikes. Finished with a 215.

I came in at last years book of 178. This year my current avg is 183, so I got to use last years. I averaged 182 for the tournament, only 4 over average. I placed 8th. I missed 2 single pin spares that, had I made them, would have boosted me to 5th, and added $145 to my pocket. I can't get mad at myself for leaving splits, and I can get a little frustrated for the 2 multi pin spares that I made bad shots at, but those 2 single pin brain [censored] cost me 70 bucks each. I ended up going all the way with the 2 brackets I got through in the second set as well.

The pay line was actually under 210/game, with handicap, so I feel a bit better about my performance now than I did when I was on the lanes. The scratch bowlers all seemed to hit around their average.

So,
Paid: 60 + 20 + 10 + 25 + 40 = $155
Won: 80 + 50 + 50 = $180

Lessons:
1) Don't miss single pin spares
2) Practice playing straight up the boards, and minimal angles near the gutter.
3) Get my fingertips redrilled on most of my balls - the pitches are all different. I can deal with the middle finger, but my forward/reverse is different on some ring fingers, and that really f's with your release.
4) Until I don't have an 'A' game, and can bowl wherever I need to, I need to find a way to make my A game work as soon as possible on the condition. I probably could have just slowed down my ball a little bit and played 3rd arrow all day, changing balls when necessary.

Next tournament is next Sunday, 3 minutes from my house. They put out less oil, and you can actually see the dry boards outside. Even at the foul line, the last 3 boards have no oil. Gonna get my stuff taken to higher abralon numbers, get a little more polish on it, and go to town.

From what you described it sounds like that was the move, play a slow hook off of the bounce area.

All of the moves you make should be based off of your "A" game which gives you a different reaction, but you feel as though you are still playing your "A" game. Changing your finger position, finger pressure, ball speed, where you are playing at, ball you use shouldn't change your "A" game.

It sounded to me like when you were missing left of target that you lost your alignment to your target especially when you missed the two single pin spares, that is a sign of miss alignment, or early timing caused by pulling the ball through.

Well I bowled pretty darn good for the team part of the Colorado State USBC tourney. First game I had a couple of opens for a 203. Second game I also had a couple of opens, but shot a 223. Third game I shot a 184, as I was all or nothing in that game... For some strange reason I couldn't hit my single pin spares to save my life. Only one I converted was a 9 pin leave... Though I'm still plenty happy with a 610 series at state, I'd be even happier if I shot at least one clean game. As a team we shot a 3514 which barely puts us in the cash lol. Oh well, singles and doubles next Sunday!

I was asked to be a doubles partner by two people I know in a local Handicap Singles/Doubles tournament. You can enter as many times as you like in the Doubles event, so I bowled twice today. I have already bowled 3 weeks ago, and frankly, had trouble with the oil patterns, struggling with a 540 in the Singles and 560 in the Doubles. So, today, I decided to change balls.

I pulled out my Dull balls which I rarely use, and roughed them up with the Burgandy Scotch Brite, that I think is 320 grit. This proved to be much better as they grabbed the lane better, didn't slide, and actually finished.

I finished with 620 first set and 640 second set. Adding my 20 pins cap made me respectable. Even with my partners who each had higher cap, both sets were about 1400. A far cry from the top Doubles over 1500.

What it did was make a decision for me as to which balls I would bring to Nationals. The Scorchin Inferno and the Total Shock & Awe are back in my bag. The Shift and the BigRBang are out. So, I will bring 4 balls. The other two are the Conqueror and the Terminator. I will not bring a spare ball, 1 for space, and 2 because I can kill the Terminator for corner pins. So I will have 2 polished and 2 dull balls. I of each drilled for early arc and for length.

It was strange to see the top Singles score over 900. A 175 bowler had his first ever 800 series, and added 40 pins cap per game at 90%/220.

I can see a 175 bowler with his first 700, but an 800 is very suspect, that is true sandbagging, you can learn a lot from that guy Dennis.

Last weekend in the squad after the one I bowled in the AMF Doubles Tour a guy bowled 840something, with games of 300, 240something, and 300. I heard it was three 10 pins that second game. His team only finished third, he wasn't in the optional single scratch pot, and I'm assuming he took first in the optional single handicap pot. He does get a little bit of handicap so I know he is under 220 since the handicap is 90%/220.

Cal just under 220 is a far cry from just under 180 and your guy would have lost to Dennis' guy by over 100 pins!

I still think it is more respectable to get a shotgun and a ski mask and just rob the tournament office than to sandbag like that, but maybe it is just my way of thinking.

I wasn't saying the guy sandbagged. Averaging over 200 shotting an 800 isn't inconceivable it just takes more carry than one normally has and in this case almost all carry which is more of what I was referring to.

Now a 175 bowler either got extremely lucky or sandbags either by throwing off or sticking to leagues in the tougher houses that help keep averages down. I've heard that several people in my area stick to the tougher houses for that reason. Sandbagging is something I guess I'll never understand as I want to do the best I can every time I step up on the lanes in competition, if that means I have to bowl with no handicap so be it.

Bowling your best in a tough house is not sandbagging, IMO. I will always seek out the hardest shot I can for my leagues. If that means I get an advantage in tournaments, so be it. Maybe those other people should stop bowling on cake shots.

One thing I noticed was the tournament operators didn't distinguish between House averages or Sport League averages. They took an average as of Dec 31, supplied by the House for verification. So, if the 175 bowler was bowling on a PBA shot or not was not clear. They did have a list of the PBA Pros that they did check against.

One fellow, who bowls as an amateur in local PBA tournaments was bowling on the lanes next to us. He had a House average of over 230 and his lowest game of 6 was 237, with a couple of 279's mixed in. But, he was bowling in the mixed doubles with a woman pro whose lowest game was 231 for 6 games.

They left with the top spot of mixed doubles. One of their games was 279 for him and 268 for her. At that level, there really shouldn't be any difference to distinguish a man from a woman. I've seen 3 woman pros bowl, and they all shot over 700 scratch.

If I remember correctly from the posted score sheet, Dave Traber was on the top Doubles score, and GP's friend Biondo was second on that list. It's not on the internet or I would link you. Traber had an 830 and his partner had a mid 700.

It's good to rub elbows, and really see the difference between their game and mine. Where I will have 3, maybe 4 good first balls a game, they will routinely have 8-9.