Week 16 Recap

Game 1: 183
Game 2: 185
Game 3: 209
Series: 577
Week Avg: 192
Season Avg: 194

As I write this, it occurs to me that this is a pretty important day for me. Firstly, its my 4th wedding anniversary. But more appropriate for my readers, this is my 100th post of Bowling in the Burgh. I basically started this blog as a way of forcing myself to review my weekly league night performance so that I could determine the flaws in my game, as well as providing a forum for tips and advice for the average league bowler. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something as complex as the Sandbagger Prevention League or receiving nearly 7,000 page views from 10 different countries in about a year and a half.  Thank you to everyone who reads the blog.

This week we bowled on my least favorite pair of lanes. Not only do I average 14 pins under average on this pair, but it also happens to be the set right next to the open bowlers. I had to play a little further right than usual this week, but overall I felt pretty confident in my line. The left lane seemed to be a little drier than the right, so any adjustments on one lane would not carry over to the other.

I had three opens all night, one in each game. I left a 4-6 split on a pocket hit late in the first game and missed an easy 10-pin early in the second. During the third game I had left the 1-2-4-10 in the fourth frame and managed to convert, but when the ball hung out again on the first ball of the tenth frame leaving the 1-2-10 I couldn't convert.  If I make one of these opens I hit my average for the night. At least I didn't see the 8-10 this week, so that's a plus.

The past two weeks have felt like a struggle, but I'm really not throwing a bad ball and my scores really haven't suffered. I left a lot of 4-pins this week from high pocket hits, so it is really just a matter of an inch or two for that pin to fall for a strike. Once again I think I should have started out with the C-System until I could break in my preferred line. If practice shows this same oil pattern in Week 16 I think I will give it a shot.

Since our league night falls on Christmas and New Year's Eves we are off until January 7th, which feels like an eternity. I will be out of town until after New Year's, so unfortunately I can't take advantage of the extended break to get in some practice.

If you miss me during the holidays, check out the SPL page, which I have updated to include scores for weeks 11-14.

Thanks for reading and happy holidays.