Brian, set your main goal. Are you going to be a house bowler , couple of times a week. Or, are you going to bowl in tournaments and more difficult conditions?

House bowling is more forgiving and many people, probably the vast majority, are very satisfied with that as their level. Others, look for the additional challenge that lane conditions can provide.

In my few years of PBA experience, I find a strange phenomena taking place. Higher average bowlers have a negative impact when first faced with this. It is now an accepted fact that your average will drop 15-20 pins. And, that is for reason.

However, as I have seen, there is lesser impact on those who average, lets say, under 175. My assessment of this is a first ball syndrome. It is much more difficult to strike on PBA conditions, and that's what the higher average bowlers need to maintain their average. Other bowlers don't rely on strikes, but can make their share of spares. PBA conditions won't hurt that bowler as much.

If your revs are lower than 300, your speed is controlled, you work with a turn of 6 boards or less, and can roll straight at spares, a PBA pattern won't affect you as much.

What it does is let you develop and improve under the toughest conditions as others are developing on a House shot. Bottom line, you will ultimately have more success. It may take a short while longer, but it will happen, especially with training.

Okay, I'm not feeling so intimidated now. Tonight's practice pattern that they laid down was the viper. Either it's one of the more easier patterns or I was just extremely lucky.

As I said before my average over the summer was 140. Tonight I bowled 6 games and didn't have a game under 160. I had four in a row at 175 1 at 161, and a 182.

Now I'm stoked.