Any league that I've bowled in where the full team is not bowling the first night has used a vacancy in the spot of any bowlers not competing that night. If a bowler hasn't thrown a ball yet in competition that season in that league how can they be part of the league has always been the rationale. This happened this past fall on my Saturday team. Two of my teammates, my brother and sister-in-law, couldn't be there, they were attending a funeral for her grandmother. I did have someone that could "sub" in one of the spots but not the other and was told to use a vacancy for the spot no one was bowling in. The following week neither of them was coming either and I was told to use a vacancy for both of them that week. Later that night I found out they would not be bowling this season and other bowlers were found to take those vacant spots.

As for the average the league uses, its like everyone else said, the league rules determine what average you use. I've never bowled the same summer league twice, and they are normally fun leagues that you set average the first night. In leagues that use previous averages through the first X amount of weeks in generally goes previous league average, if none highest or possibly cumulative previous season's book average, if neither than any current seasons average that can be proven and if nothing there then you set a new one.

My league starts in less than 2 weeks, and I found out a little something about my soon-to-be teammates (Ray from the Pro Shop was kind enough to put my team together) this week. The two males are 190+ bowlers, and the female only bowls here in the summer, as she's a horsewoman who spends her winters in Florida. I'm told she's a decent bowler as well, though, so here's hoping we click.

I think most of you are right, and it is a By-law item. It was the case that no one had a copy, and the house entered the starting averages. There were NO officers in attendance on the first night.

I thought the house had to keep by-laws on file, but there was no one of authority to look for them.

That is why we all said we would look into it. First night had plenty of schedule conflicts for other bowlers.

I subbed for 12 games last year. Generally, 9 establishes an average. So, it probably is right. It is worth it to ask the question, though. It could be 5 points.

AABPA Travel League-

5/12 1st week

Shot a 548...I call it a good start considering I finished with a 159 average last summer.

1st game- 155...fishing all over the Track area for a good look. Add in bad shots as well and get this. First two frames missed a 6-10 and a baby split (nervous).

2nd game- clean 202...Made a ball change and played a direct line to the pocket. Made iffy spare pickups but I'll take them. Much better shooting.

3rd game- 191...Couple of splits but no silly spare misses.

PBA League-

477 (157, 161, 159) Chameleon pattern. Tried to play round 6,7,8 straight up. First game I got one strike and was proud of that. Only silly miss was a ten pin in the eight frame. 157 was cause of spare pickups. Second game had splits and missed a four pin early. Couple of more strikes. Third frame no silly misses but some more splits. I was told I was one of the more consistent bowlers that night on our pair.

To sum up the PBA League:
I squeeze on the downswing
I have balance issues at the foul line (whenver I'm skippy/jumpy I know that my footweight are on my toes instead of the backpart of my foot). Lately I have a bad knee pain on my left leg.
I was throwing my arm on the downswing

Lotta work to do but enjoying the challenge already.

Thats what I like about it Guns, the challenge. I don't expect to be lights out great, but I do expect to get better as the season goes on. Hopefully it will help me in the long run become a fairly decent bowler.

I started my PBA league last night on the Shark pattern, and struggled. But I have two more weeks on this pattern, and last nights experience should help me next week.
But they are resurfacing the lanes next week, a few days before we bowl again...so maybe what I learned last night...lets just say the lanes may be even more difficult. But they will be harder for everyone.

Smoother lanes with the length and volume of the Shark, ouch. At least you know it will be the Shark this week and can bring a few more higher friction balls.

In all honesty, I don't think there's anyone that doesn't struggle on these patterns in the Experience Leagues. It's just that everyone is different about how much they struggle.

I can't say for sure, but I think it's a tie between the Shark and Cheatah in terms of toughness and most difficult for me. The reason I'm not sure is because I haven't bowled the Scorpion, and I don't know whether I've bowled the Chameleon. Does anyone have any tips for these two patterns? If I'm not mistaken, the Chameleon is 39 feet and the Scorpion is 41 feet or vice versa.

By the way, when talking feet on a pattern, is it that long across the whole lane and just heavier in certain areas, or is it only that long on certain parts of the lane which makes it seem heavier on those parts? For example, does the cheatah just have heavier oil down the outside boards than the middle boards of the lane with equal length across the lane, or is it 35 feet down the outside boards and shorter in the middle? I'm thinking it's the former, but I've just been wondering for the sake of having this type of information.

The length of the pattern is across the whole lane. As for the Cheetah, you are either misinformed or you are not bowling on the Cheetah. The Cheetah is drier out side of the 5 board, it is considered the Pro's version of adult bumper bowling aka the typical house shot, and its played near the ditch at the breakpoint. This season the PBA did modify it in some tournaments to add a little more oil on the outside, but it was still very light oil, and dry compared to the middle of the lane.

The Chameleon is 39 feet, but the Scorpion is a foot longer than you mentioned at 42 feet with a little more oil down lane. I would definitely try a direct line with both of them at first using your benchmark ball to give you and idea of which way to go, either on the lane or with balls out of the bag. The Scorpion probably will need something with a little more surface at least to start the night.

The cheetah has the heaviest concentration of oil of all of the patterns, the others may have longer patterns, but the cheetah uses the most oil, but it only goes 35ft. Many of the non PBA events like experience leagues try to get away with putting less oil than the pattern requires and much less in the middle since you aren't supposed to play the lane there anyway, this makes the pattern play extremely difficult when the outsides go away and you are forced to hit the breakpoint on the 4 board from farther inside.

The real cheetah pattern is oiled from gutter to gutter for the first 10 feet with the heaviest concentration from the 8 board on the right to the 8 board on the left, the outsides progressively use less oil to the end of the pattern and less oil from front to back after the fist 10 feet, but the first 10 feet are supposed to be flooded to help get the ball down lane and for the ball to make an abrupt move off of the break point, causing the bowler to make a smoother release and use less axis rotation to tame the jumpiness off the break point.

I have only gotten to bowl on this two times at Ron Clifton's house and when he had it put down at one of the clinics he did here. He likes to use this pattern as a teaching aid to help bowlers reduce their fear of the gutter and to trust the ball.

I think this is what my house does with the Cheatah, except for some reason it seems like the outsides(6-7 and out) had more oil because aywhere from inside at the breakpoint gets you through the nose or brooklyn. Outside at the breakpoint maybe made pocket. The exception to this was if you were using a stronger ball, then you could make better shots. This was just the last time I bowled on it about 2 months ago.

When I bowled on it a year ago it was the same inside deal, but the outsides were a little more forgiving because they seemed to have less oil which gave an aggressive move off the breakpoint. I'd say this one was closer to the real cheatah because of the way the outsides were, but they cheated us out of whatever oil the middle is supposed to have because we shouldn't play there. I shot 300 on this pattern that day.



So it's actually drier outside 8 board for the first 10 feet and after the first 10 feet it's drier on all parts of the lane? After the first 10 feet, should the heaviest volume of oil still be in the middle?

Unless someone has high revs, is it true that they aren't supposed to swing the shot by more than 5 boards on any of these patterns? On what was said to be a Viper or Chameleon, I was playing with my feet on 20 shooting 11 at the arrows with 9 being the breakpoint. When I missed right and it went out to 3-5 at the breakpoint it still came back sometimes, even smashing the pocket. For what it's worth I was throwing a Twisted Fury OOB surface. Is this possible if it was either the Viper or Chameleon(I have medium revs)?