I thought I'd get this started, since my league is only 2 weeks out, the meeting's coming up in a week, and I've started preparing my arsenal.

I did a run-through of all of my balls today, albeit on a 4 day old shot (surprisingly playable) to try to figure out which 4 balls I'm going to want to bring with me each week. I have decided on the following - I just did the surfaces today, post-bowling, so I'll have to try them out on the fresh Wednesday to make sure they do what I want.

From most aggressive to least,

Total Inferno at 1000
T Road Solid at 2000
VP2 at 2000
Avalanche Solid at 4000

I'm also finding a new team, as ours has lost a couple of bowlers and I'm looking to be on a more competitive team. In a 90% handicap league with bonus points for winning games by 125 (1) and 150 (2) pins, a 950 average team can't compete against teams at 1070+. I've heard about an opening on the team that won last year, so I hope to fill that void. I'm also going to give not drinking a shot this year.

cg, it seems I was on the same wavelength, as I was composing my thread-starting post as you were about to post. I'll let you run w/ this one...admins, feel free to delete my previous post, and I'll copy what I had there to this thread.

I'm likely to be back in my Wednesday night fun league, the Brunswick Mixed League. There is not a lot of prize money in the league, of course, but dues are reasonable ($15/wk. last year, with the last 3 weeks free). The league voted at the banquet last spring to increase the handicap percentage to 90% (of 1000), which should help reduce the advantage the higher-average teams have.

My team is not quite set, however: an old bowling buddy indicated that he may be returning this season and may join the league, so I would really like to bowl with him. There is also an old high school buddy who may join with his lady friend, and this would be their first league. If those friends completely fall through, I can always hook back up with my teammates of last year; however, Carl has indicated that some of his workmates may join the league, and, if they do, he'll likely be bowling with them. If that happens, my team will need a fifth person.

I don't have many goals, but one of them would be to crack the top three in average. rolling my first 700 series would be nice, as well. In any event, I won't have as high of expectations as I did last year, when I was coming off a better-than-expected summer.

This is a weird year so far. My Tuesday league fell apart. It was scratch, then people complained. It went to handicap and fell apart. The few teams left are moving to Thurs to sure up another handicap mens league. I have over time on mondays and thursdays so I cant bowl. I'll probably move to a mixed league on Weds at my local lanes. They usually have 17+ teams. I'm also looking at doing my usual Friday league. It's mixed and no $ in it but it is cheap and at a nice facility unlike my local lanes. It's 45 mins each way though and that gets old.

There is a tuesday scratch league I want to do except its a good 40 mins each way and its a 5 man team. On a work night that means no sleep for me. I got enough stuff going on outside of bowling that Im not that worried about it all as long as im out there.

Things are changing here too. My competitive Tues Nite team broke up. I had 2 bowlers from my Wed League who wanted to bowl, but 1 backed out. There were two women, both 200+ who wanted to bowl with me, but 1 lost her job, and has finance trouble, and the other took a new job, and works on Tues nite. So, I am looking for a couple of bowlers.

I have quit my Wed Nite league that I had so much trouble with last year. That will be a relief just to get away.

I have been trying to get on the 27 point Mon Nite for 3 years as a single, unsuccessfully. Once, my average put the team over the cap, and I got dropped. The other time, I was injured, and couldn't bowl. But, I have been practicing on Mon PBA shot this house puts down, and met some people doing it. When I made it known that I was interested in Mon. The desk man asked me to bowl on his team without any hesitation. Seems he has a new complete team, minus 1. He also asked me to sub on his Summer PBA Team, where I am holding a 195. This will be new and fun. Plenty of money in this league.

The trouble is that I will bowl Mon - Tues, and starve the rest of the week. Gotta find another later in the week so I don't go thru withdrawal. I do have a Fri Invitational league option, where I subbed 2 years ago. That may work out.

The more things change...

Actually my Monday night is holding together pretty well. Had one member drop, but he told me early on and had a replacement already, so it's all good. Everyone else is coming back. And supposedly there are 2 more teams this year than last. This is a competitive league.

Thursday I'll be 6th man again for the same team in the same house. Also a competitive league.

Wednesday I'm stepping out to another house. I don't want to be a "one house bowler" so I try to get out, bowl local tournaments and this year I'm hooking up with a few guys I bowled with last year on Friday night.

That Friday night league went from all men to mixed, semi-competitive to social, and I just don't do the social leagues any more.

I also will be doing some scratch tournaments this year - we'll see how that goes. LOL

It's hard to believe winter leagues are almost here. This year, I plan to bowl 3 leagues:

Sat - Fun mixed league w/wife
Wed - Competitive 5-man handicap league
Thu - Competitive PBA Experience league

When I returned to bowling two years ago, I never expected to be bowling 3 leagues a week. At first, it was just the Sat night league with my wife.

Last year, I had an opportunity to join a team on Wed night. This is probably the most competitive league in a 30 mile radius. Five men, 36 teams, tons of brackets. Paid over $7,000 to the winning team last year. Great league.

This summer, I started bowling in a PBA Experience league at a new house, and it has really shown some weaknesses in my game. The league continues on Thu night in the winter. I see this as something I need to do to continue to get better.

As far as arsenal goes, I recently became a Visionary Test Staff member, and am now the proud owner of 5 Ogres - Orange (reactive solid), Purple (pearl), Silver (pearl), White (urethane), and Pewter (particle). I have had good experiences with most of these so far, so along with my White Dot spare ball, my arsenal is set for now. That is, until I next succumb to the gotta-buy-a-new-ball syndrome.

What league is that? Close to DC?

Valley League at Terrace Lanes in Frederick, MD, Wed Night, 6:30 pm.

Below is a link to last year's final standings:
http://www.leaguesecretary.com/LeagueFilesStandings.aspx?LID=2817

Last year, I was the anchor bowler for team 16. This year, I will be replacing the 4th bowler on team 2. Looking forward to having a pretty powerful team.

Dan, you found any PBAx for the fall in our area? Ain't getting all the way up to Frederick for that one. I did a smattering of Bowl America research just for NOVA and Gaithersburg and came up zilch.

On restriction for two leagues this fall, one I'm stuck running at Alexandria, and one up in the air, but it's looking like a return to an extra-man on a Trios at US Hole. Be happy to run out on my usual team for a sport shot if there's one to be had. Have very little interest in just doing house shots until next summer.

I'd like to bowl in a winter PBAx league as well but I'm not aware of any houses in my area that have them. I guess there's not enough bowlers around up for the challenge and pain (and expense) to make it worth their while during the winter. The winter THS leagues are usually filled with bowlers who want big scores and high averages. I bowl at a house about 10 minutes from me that does have some good winter THS leagues which I'm looking forward to starting.

Currently for the summer, I'm in both a THS and PBAx league which I find is a good balance. The THS league pumps up my confidence and the PBAx knocks me down to size.