Sometimes your ball will land in a divot. Or, someone didn't rake the sand trap, and you'll be in their deep footprint. Will you curse the person that didn't replace their divot, or learn how to hit a ball out of a divot?

Frankly, I agree with Lefty that one guy throwing inconsistently isn't going to noticeably change the pattern. Sport patterns are frustrating, and it can be very hard to figure out the right adjustments to make. If you tell yourself it's someone else's fault and get flustered, you're not giving yourself a chance to learn what you could have done to bowl better. If you don't allow yourself to learn from the situations you are presented with, you will be none the wiser the next time you run into the same situation (and you will, if you continue to bowl tough patterns).

I'm starting to see your not fond of others point of view. The point of being a member on a form, is to have healthy debates. My perspective on your situation was only based of the limited details you choose to give us. I have a team mate on my Monday night fall league who stands up on the approach for what seems to be minutes in a Statue of Liberty like pose, who not only makes every rival team want to kill him, but me and the rest of my team mates as well want a kick his A**. It's aggrevating but that's his style, so we as well as the rest of the teams have to deal with it!

Bad sportsmanship is blaming others for your bad bowling. Bad sportsmanship is not finding a line that works for you but may breakdown some one else's line.Lanes breaking down is part of the game. Otherwise, the lanes would be oiled after every game and we would have 1 to a pair. That's not the point of bowling. If you can't adjust to lanes breaking down then you will be only a guy who can throw on a house shot. Bowling good for the first 2 games in a tournament before the lanes break down will make you a good bowler 20% of the time. Congrats, that would make you a house shot bowler

This is my first post here, seems like you guys have a great forum going.

I have been bowling my entire life and actually earned enough from scholarships to go to college from it. That being said, I have not bowled very much competitively as an adult & am just getting back into the swing of things. In fact, this summer has been my first exposure to a sport shot, with the main local house holding a shootout on a different pattern each Sunday.

I've found that regardless of what you're doing or what others are doing, sport shorts break down very quickly and force adjustments. It does not matter that some guy has a sanded ball that he wipes after each shot - adjust accordingly. switch to a ball with more polish and / or less hook, find a new line, take your hand out of the shot, etc., etc.. There are a million different things you can do to adjust, as the others on this forum have suggested.

The one thing you don't want to do, however, is get a sour attitude and let it ruin your day. Once you do that, you lose focus & take away any great chance you had of competing.

Long story short, my best friend as a kid who was a great jr. bowler but had difficulties as an adult also displayed some of the anger characteristics you've mentioned yourself having (both in this thread and others). In fact, his anger problems were so bad that I removed him from my team - my best childhood friend of 15+ years. It taught him a lesson and he cooled it down, and guess what? This past Sunday on the Route 66 pattern, he bowled his first 300 after struggling through portions of the qualifying rounds. In years past, even months ago, his attitude would have ruined him and he'd have been done for.

Blaming others for your bowling will get you nowhere, and is a weakness that will prevent you from reaching the level you'd like to be at.

Looks like my newness to these forums caused me to make an error in my previous post. I replied to mikhial66, meant to reply to mattyg3535 (in case of confusion).

RGrawhammer, if you just use the quick reply at the bottom of the page it shows as a reply to the last post. Most of us that use that reply section will use the name of the person we are replying to if making a direct reply. I believe most of us knew you were responding to the original poster so don't worry too much about it.

Oh by the way, welcome to the site.

RGrawhammer, if you use the threaded view of the site you will find yourself becoming very sad very quickly. It took me all of 10 minutes to turn if back off, once I enabled it a long time ago.

Yes, yes, yes, I get it. I let the guy get to me instead of playing my own game. I just wanted some positive support but I guess it is only tough love here? Thanks for the kick in the [censored], I needed it. As a side note......the person who is in charge of the lane conditions/owner pulled me aside last night. She wanted to know about the shot and she asked about Mr.40 grit and I didn't bring it up. She had complaints from others about him. Apparently this guy cause "trouble" just because he can. She said he was caught using an illegal ball on this league and others before. I think that is why she asked about the shot, and how it played, because he was on my pair. She was kind of pissed to learn that he was using that ball. Anyway I am over it! I bowled 14 games today on dry lanes with 3 different balls so I will have no excuses next week. Shot 250's and 240's just playing straight with heavy forward roll. Sorry for getting out of line guys!!!! I HATE GOLF!

I'm glad you get it and no one is trying to be mean.

If you go into things with the expectation that there will be challenges like this (along with even more difficult ones), you're going to be much better equipped to handle them.

The other thing to note is that sport conditions, all on their own, can cause you to vary drastically in their score. One pair you may bowl well on while the other you struggle to shoot 140. That can even happen on the same pair. My high game on sport (287, front 10) was followed with a 140 game. It can go away that fast and that drastically.

There better be a parade in the streets if I shoot 260+ in my PBA Experience league, if I shoot 280 I want the key to the city!!