Week 5/Cheetah Recap

Game 1: 201
Game 2: 191
Game 3: 116
Game 4: 235
Series: 743
Week Avg: 185
Cheetah Avg: 188
Season Avg: 185

After last week's success, I felt fairly confident coming into this week. I started practice shooting the same line I started my first game with last week and it carried over beautifully into my first game this week. I stood with my left foot at the 20 1/2 board and threw at the 8 board at the arrows (black line on diagram).

The first game went pretty well. I was consistently in the pocket and high hits were carrying well. I left mainly single pin spares until the tenth frame when I missed my mark to the left and missed the headpin, leaving the 1-3-6-9. I over compensated and missed the headpin the right on my spare shot for my only open of the game. I finished with a 201.

The second game saw an early open in the second frame when I chopped the 2-4-5. I struck a few times until the seventh frame when I chopped the 6-10 split. Luckily I marked the rest of the way, including a turkey, and finished with a 191.

The third game was the one I had been worrying about. This is the game where the oil pattern breaks down and the line shifts slightly. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the game where my mechanics break down, making it difficult to distinguish which reactions are my doing and which are caused  by changing lanes. I opened in seven of ten frames, including five opens in a row consisting of back to back 4-6 splits, a 5-7 split, a missed 2-pin and a chopped 3-9. I was inconsistent in hitting my mark, but when I did the ball was coming in light. I finished the game with a 116, my worst since March 2011.

For the last game I moved right to the 20 board and shot at the 7 board near the arrows (red line on diagram). That slight adjustment did wonders for my game. I started with a spare and then threw five strikes in a row, made a 10-pin spare, and then threw another two strikes. In the tenth frame I missed left and left the 3-6. I thought it was simple enough, just move to where I was standing during the third game and I would be fine. Instead I missed my mark right and chopped the 6-pin, opening in three out of four tenth frames. I finished the game with a 235, another league high for the night, and salvaged a 743 series to bump my season average up another pin.

Two of my goals for this league were to be more consistent in hitting my marks and to learn how to quickly identify and adjust to changing lane conditions. And so far, these two problems have been holding me down, specifically in the third game. I know what to expect and when to expect it on the Cheetah pattern, so next week I need to be aware of what is happening during the third game and concentrate on executing my shots.

I haven't bowled on a house pattern since I started the PBA Experience league and I wonder if it is improving my game as planned. According to the USBC adjusted average chart, my 185 average is comparable to a 202 house league average. Lets hope my average in this league continues to rise and translates to big changes come the fall.