tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66478749649397422752024-03-14T02:33:48.666-04:00Bowling in the BurghUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-90769254937413460972013-11-25T13:47:00.000-05:002013-11-25T13:47:12.592-05:00Week 12 and a Pre-BowlLast weekend I completed my third pre-bowl for my anticipated paternity leave in December. I was throwing the ball pretty well, at least as far as accuracy goes, but a lot of solid pocket hits left corner pins and anything high in the pocket left a split. I threw a 201, 188 and 181, but I thought my performance was better than what my series showed.<br /><br />On league night I fared much better, throwing a 219, 213 and 241. I started the night with five strikes in a row and was immediately in the opposition's head. My teammates could hear them talking about my average and how easy I made it look. Anytime I can make the opposing team focus on my play instead of their own I know I must be doing my job.<br /><br />Overall it was a pretty laid back night until the tenth frame of each game. The result of every game fell to my last frame and I was able to deliver all three times. We swept the third place team by a total of about 30 pins. Our team has been doing pretty well lately and I hope we can keep the momentum up as the position round closes in.<br /><br />The last half of the last game did get pretty interesting for me, though. After a week of cooler temperatures we had a bit of a warm spell. I had tape in my thumb hole from the previous week and left it in to get more loft on the ball earlier in the night. The result was that my thumb began to swell from the increased pressure and friction and by the seventh frame the hole was too small even after I took the tape out. Each throw was a crapshoot as to whether the ball would come off my hand at all. Luckily I was able to strike until the tenth frame. The first ball in the tenth stuck more than the others, missed my target right, and left the 2-4-5. I needed to pick up the spare and get six pins on last ball to win the game. I picked up the spare and decided to move my last shot to the center of the lane to make sure I wouldn't gutter on the last ball.<br /><br />It was a scary situation, one I hadn't dealt with before with the C-system. The weather has been cold the last few days, so hopefully I won't have the same problems tonight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-7195265183732127042013-11-18T15:05:00.000-05:002013-11-18T15:05:00.764-05:00Cold Weather & Sore ThumbsIf you live in an area that sees a lot of fluctuation in temperature as the seasons change it is likely that you will experience a change in how your ball fits your hand. In colder weather our fingers get a bit thinner and when it is warmer they expand. I luckily do not experience much change in my finger tips, but I do see and feel a change in my thumb.<br /><br />A few weeks ago the Pittsburgh area finally realized that it was autumn and that it had some catching up to, dropping from days in the 70s to days in the 40s and nights in the 30s. With that drastic temperature change came a quick change in my thumb size. It also just so happened that this change occurred when I had to use a ball I don't often throw and so I was a little slow to pick up on what was happening. The ball was coming off my hand early and so I subconsciously began to squeeze it during my follow through, which resulted in this:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-moQXhj7Vmfo/UoaBCTPlJmI/AAAAAAAAAbk/9x8DyN7gnWU/s1600/ow+my+thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-moQXhj7Vmfo/UoaBCTPlJmI/AAAAAAAAAbk/9x8DyN7gnWU/s200/ow+my+thumb.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />That is a blister that developed from the friction of squeezing the ball for three games. It stings, but doesn't hurt, and usually heals up enough in 7 days that some New Skin can be applied pain-free. In about 10 days it is completely gone. If you ever develop something like this check your fit because you are most likely squeezing the ball.<br /><br />An easy fix here is to apply a piece or two of tape in your thumb hole. Always be sure to place the tape in the back of the hole instead of the front to avoid altering the span. Another quick trick if you don't have any tape is to blow into the hole before inserting your thumb. The little bit of moisture provided by blowing into the ball will cause your thumb to grip the inside of the hole without you having to squeeze the ball.<br /><br />Off the record, or as off the record as I can be on a blog, alcohol consumption could help as well. As you may have noticed, drinking alcohol gives you a warm fuzzy feeling because it dilates the capillaries and brings more blood to your skin. This also has the effect, along with the added liquid, of swelling your fingers and thumb. Short of having your ball plugged and redrilled every time you need to change your fit, though, this is one of the more expensive options available.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-18735580035593822952013-11-15T15:03:00.002-05:002013-11-15T15:03:51.771-05:00Week 11 RecapThis past Monday's performance was average. Literally. A 609 series in a week where my league average is 203. My first game wasn't great, a 170, which wasn't really indicative of how well I was throwing the ball. I had two splits and a single pin miss that killed that game. I alternated strikes and spares for a majority of the second game. I finally was able to double late and finished the game at 215. I followed that up with a 224.<br />
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I did manage to determine that my previous troubles we more with my follow through than my speed. As long as I come through my shot after the point of release I am much more accurate. It is something that is usually automatic, but it seems right now I need to spend some time focusing on that part of my game. I easily resolved the speed issue, which was a contributing factor to an extent, but now that I have slowed my feet I am throwing more consistently and am balanced at the foul line.<br /><br />As my wife's due date quickly approaches I still have a couple pre-bowls to bank in preparation for league paternity leave. I also wouldn't mind building on my current average to bring a bit of stability to my scores now that the backslide has ended.<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-84578242079709126522013-11-08T14:23:00.003-05:002013-11-08T14:23:57.437-05:00Week 10 RecapI tried to avoid thinking about bowling, or more likely over thinking, all day Monday. When I got home from work to an empty house I gave myself a little pep talk to try to get myself out of my funk. I know I am a better bowler than what I was the past three weeks, no matter how down I may have gotten and no matter how much I questioned my skill. Monday night was a chance to take back some control and to do that I decided to focus on two things: slow down my approach just a little bit and make sure to follow through on every shot.<br /><br />The games weren't flashy: 191, 221 and 214. But I was consistent and barely missed my mark. I simplified my game and everything fell into place. I opened twice in the first game, leaving a 4-6 split and missing on an easy 4-pin. In the second game I started with seven straight spares including four 10-pins. The oil started to carry down the lane and I had difficulty striking in my adjusted line. Once I started coming in high I moved back to my original spot and struck five in a row to finish the game. <br /><br />I started really well in the third game, but am still having some difficulty with the transition late in the night. The ball ran high in the ninth frame and left another 4-6 split. I adjusted in the tenth frame, but the ball still ran on me and left the 3-pin. I overcompensated to shoot the spare and missed right. I hate opening in the ninth frame, not to mention the tenth, so it was definitely a bitter end to an otherwise successful night.<br />
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The real test will be to stay positive and on the upswing as we approach Christmas. I'd really like to finish this year over 205 and to do that I will need to eliminate most of the sub-600 outings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-47150651849098198082013-11-07T12:00:00.000-05:002013-11-07T12:00:07.937-05:00A Lost Bowling Blogger and Blue OilLast week I was shocked to learn that Matt over at Bowling Roller Coaster decided to pack it in after a few great years of updates. Matt was one of the first people to read this blog and offer comments and I enjoyed reading about his bowling journey. Matt, I hope you are still reading and I wish you all the best. I'll be keeping Bowling Roller Coast in the blog roll and I hope some day it will be reactivated.<br /><br />Now, onto some happier bowling news: blue oil! I was actually thinking about the possibility of visible oil patterns earlier last week before the announcement that the WSOB would be using blue oil for its televised finals and was shocked to see it had come to fruition in less than a week's time (you're welcome!). The visible oil will allow television viewers the opportunity to see how a sport pattern looks and breaks down throughout a PBA stepladder final. Of course some are already complaining that visible oil patterns are the end of bowling as we know it by taking one big variable out of the equation and letting the bowlers actually see the transition. I think it is the exact opposite. This is the PBA's way of telling the couch-riding bowlers at home who think they could do better to shut up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo from 11thframe.com</td></tr>
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<br />If all goes well, though, I see a great future for visible oil. Whereas the PBA is using the blue oil as a way to emphasize difficulty, I see this invention as a teaching tool. All junior leagues should utilize the blue oil as a way for youth bowlers to learn how a typical house pattern looks and breaks down and how these changes affect their balls' reaction. While the colored oil is not good at showing the amount of oil in each area, it will still give newcomers one less thing to try to understand when learning about patterns. This philosophy could also apply to Sport leagues, perhaps by using blue oil the first week a new pattern is used.<br /><br />One of the great difficulties of bowling is that we don't see the variables that effect each throw. Imagine golfing on a course where all 18 holes are in the exact same place, but the trees, sand traps and water hazards are invisible and move around each shot. This new oil will let bowlers and non-bowlers better understand the changes that take place during a game and, perhaps, give us all a greater appreciation for how we read and adjust to these changes when we can't see them. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-37487110445768256402013-11-04T15:10:00.001-05:002013-11-04T15:10:06.608-05:00Week 9 RecapI knew it was going to be a bad night before I stepped in the alley last week. As I approached the front doors another league member pronounced "There'll be no oil tonight!" Apparently the machine broke down right before the lanes were to be dressed for league so we were bowling on a day's worth of breakdown.<br /><br />I threw the C-system in practice with hopes that I could play further inside, but after ten minutes I could tell that I would need to go to my bag and pull out the Python. It was another terrible performance, but I can't really blame the lanes for this one. I was inconsistent. I could hit my mark no matter how hard I tried (perhaps I tried too hard?). When I did hit my marks I was great, confirmed by my 216 second game that followed the 146 opener. Whatever mojo I had going into the third was quickly cast aside and a 175 was all I could manage.<br /><br />I need to break out of this free fall. I thought I was better than this, but last month's 769 series seems like a distant memory, a fluke. I'm running out of ideas on how to correct missing left. I've tried not bending over so far, staying behind the ball, keeping better balance, but once one thing goes right another seems to be thrown out of sync in its place. I think I just need to simplify my game, boil it down to the bare bones. Just follow through on every shot and don't worry about anything else. Let it come back to me. Let it build around the one good thing I can control and do well. I've got the muscle memory, I just need to figure out how to push the reset button and start all over.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-88281938259047900382013-10-22T16:20:00.001-04:002013-10-22T16:20:55.849-04:00Another Paternity Leave Pre-BowlIt is sort of difficult expecting a baby in the middle of league season. Our first was born in June and my wife actually bowled an entire season while pregnant. Our second is due on December 22nd, but you never really know when the baby might get sick of her current abode and decide its time to venture out to see the world. To be a good father and husband I am planning to take at least a month off from my regularly scheduled league nights to help out with the baby and our 2 year old. As a result, I need to roll off for at least four weeks of bowling so I don't leave my team high and dry and also to get in a good number of games to make this year's average comparable to last year's. I need to get these pre-bowls in now in case the baby decides to come early. Since I don't know the exact week the scores will be used it makes the recap format a bit more challenging, but I'll give it a whirl.<br /><br />On Sunday I threw my second week of paternity pre-bowls. I wanted to shake off the collapse of Monday's performance and so I really focused on finishing balanced at the foul line and following through over my target. The result was a 224, 212 and a 213. I haven't thrown many average 600s this season, everything has been well over average or well under, and so this was a pretty good outing.<br /><br />The lanes were a bit dry, but were manageable and even a bit forgiving when using the Python. The only problem I have discovered with that ball is the fit of the thumb hole. When I play three games with it I get a pretty bad rub on the outside of my thumb just below the knuckle. I lose a layer of skin, it gets red and irritated, but always heals up enough so that I can throw a layer of New Skin over it before the start of league next week. It typically only happens when I need to use some tape, but its not an issue of the ball being too tight. Its very odd and the only solution may be to just have the thumb redrilled, but since the ball was already resurfaced due to the machine damage from last season is it really worth it or should I just buy a replacement. So many decisions.<br />
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My biggest concern during the outing was spare shooting . . . again. I missed a 10-pin in the tenth frame of the first game and the first frame of the second game. I also miscalculated on an adjustment to pickup the 1-2 in the tenth frame of the third game. It has been both poor decision making and poor execution all happening at the most inopportune moments. If I'm going to continue my success on the lanes and maybe even get better I will need to improve my spare shooting and become more consistent in my overall play.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-25829136315240022112013-10-18T14:06:00.001-04:002013-10-18T14:06:12.464-04:00Pre-Bowl and Week 7 RecapOn Sunday I went out to bank a few games for my upcoming hiatus when my daughter is born. The lanes were not as dry as last week's pre-bowl, but they were definitely not treated after a long night of open bowling. Luckily I was throwing a much better ball and was able to put together my first average series of the season: 237, 191 and 192. My spare shooting was still sub-par, though, particularly the 10-pin.<br />
<br />On Monday, then, I had some confidence that I had shaken the troubles of two weeks ago. My first game, a 225, pretty much confirmed this. Though a missed 9-pin near the end of the game did give me some cause for concern and was an omen of things to come. The following two games saw me revert back to being unable to hit my marks. I was constantly missing left and was bitten by splits a few times. I threw a 172 in the second game and a dismal 155 in the third, a new season low. A positive is that I made all but one of my corner pin shots and I was much better at spare shooting overall.<br /><br />Outside of weeks 2 and 3 I have been unable to string together consistent good performances, which was a key to last year's success. Being unbalanced at the foul line has been a big part of what is dragging down my game. I wasn't able to correct it on Monday night and I will have to shake it off and get back on track my next time out. I probably should have switched down to the Python after the first games as the oil was getting a bit unpredictable at the end of the first game. In the end, though, if I can't hit my targets it doesn't matter what ball I'm using out there.<br />
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I have to miss the next league night and have scores already on file, another 552 matching this week's performance, but will be back on the lanes on Sunday to pre-bowl another set for later in the season. I thought that throwing 3 extra games a week would help me break out of these problems, but I feel like what I need right now is a break.Hopefully scaling back to 3 games this week will put me back on track.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-9498220688859477862013-10-09T13:45:00.003-04:002013-10-09T13:45:59.707-04:00Week 6 Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 268<br /><b>Game 2:</b> 245<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 256<br />
<b>Series:</b> 769<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 256<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 212<br /><br />Coming into the night my goal was to keep my head down and hit my mark on every shot. After my last three outings I just needed to simplify my game and let the rest fall into place. I threw quite a bit of practice and felt pretty comfortable, like I was still loose from throwing on Sunday. Also, the line that was working best for me had me throwing right over the second arrow which gave a clear mark to hit on each throw.<br /><br />My first shot hit a little high to leave the 4-pin, which I spared. Then I threw the next seven strikes in a row before another high hit left the 4-7, which I also spared. I struck out in the tenth for a 268. The second game developed the pattern of a double followed by a spare through the front eight frames. I broke the pattern with strikes in the ninth and tenth frames before leaving the 10-pin. I missed right on my spare attempt for my first open and my third 245 of the short season. The third game started with another double. I left the 6-10 twice in a row, chopping the 10-pin on the first attempt and converting on the second. I was able to strike out for a 256 and my new high series, 769.<br /><br />During my first game I knew I was going to have a big night. I just felt on. My only two shots all night that missed left went Brooklyn for strikes. I kept my head down and I never felt more focused. And I've never thrown that many strikes. The two opens stung a bit, especially given how obtainable an 800 series could have been, but I kept my cool and I'm happy to report I am out of that slump.<br /><br />It doesn't happen often, but I could feel the eyes at my back throughout the night. People were watching and it felt great. I don't think I'm arrogant or anything like that, but man does it feel good to be noticed for the right reasons. I got a few comments about a 300 game in my future and the possibility of going pro which I always dismiss, especially the latter, but coming from people who are around bowling a lot it tends to carry a bit more weight with me than the random comments from some kid while I am out practicing. With this consistency and focus maybe that 300 isn't so far away.<br />
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The thing I look forward to the most after a big night is telling my dad. I'm 28 years old, married with a daughter and another on the way, but he is the first person I think about when I'm doing well. I bowl because of him and he helped me get to the level I am at today. He is always so excited to hear about these nights and is so proud that he brags about it to his teammates on Thursday nights (one of which is my little brother who isn't a bad bowler in his own right). When that perfect game does come I know who is getting that first phone call.<br /><br />For now, though, I need another good performance before my turd of a pre-bowl is used on October 21. The team struggled early on, but we've taken 12 of 14 possible points the last two weeks. A few more big nights and we are in the running as the first half comes to a close around Christmas. Personal slumps and triumphs aside it is a team sport and anything can happen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-25353717769942666032013-10-07T15:50:00.001-04:002013-10-07T15:50:10.058-04:00Week 8 Pre-Bowl Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 179<br />
<b>Game 2:</b> 172<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 201<br />
<b>Series: </b>552<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 184<br />
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And the song remains the same. Coming into the alley on Sunday I had one goal: get out of this slump. I knew I was missing my mark to the left because I was unbalanced at the foul line, but I still wasn't very clear on what exactly the problem was. I needed to diagnose and resolve this issue if I was going to bowl better.<br />
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The lanes were dry, untreated after a night of laser light bowling. I moved down to my Python and just for fun at the end of practice I decided to throw my plastic spare ball. Surprisingly it hooked quite a bit and I was able to cover about 12 boards in the backend. I was basically able to throw my preferred line for a fresh oil pattern with my most reactive ball with my non-reactive plastic ball.<br /><br />I started the first game with a turkey and then missed my mark left in the fourth frame, but I finally found the problem. I was looking up before my ball crossed my target, pulling my head up and causing me to miss left. i focused on keeping my head down the rest of the day and I only missed my mark a handful of times after that. I chopped my spare in the fourth but had a pretty solid game until the ninth and tenth frames. I left pocket 4-6 and 8-10 splits killing my chances at a 200 game.<br /><br />The second game started with a double before the wheels fell off again. This game I missed four spares, including three single pin leaves. Not corner pins either, a 6-pin and two 8-pins. I finished a bit stronger to salvage another game in the 170s.<br />
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The third game was better. Not too many strikes, but I kept it clean. After four straight pocket hits couldn't carry the corners I moved down to the plastic ball and played over the 8-board which gave me a better entry angle and better carry. I squeaked out a 201 and I was thrilled.<br /><br />For the most part I came in and did what I set out to do. I diagnosed a problem and I fixed it. I tried to make the best of a bad situation given the lane conditions and I suppose I was lucky to escape with a 550+ series.<br /><br />The next issue to tackle is my lackluster spare shooting. Now that I can hit my mark, it should just be a matter of concentration and execution. I know how to line up for spares, now I just need to get it done. We'll see how things pan out tonight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-86641729652231362582013-10-04T12:44:00.001-04:002013-10-04T12:44:41.312-04:00Week 5 Recap<b>Game 1: </b>166<br />
<b>Game 2:</b> 159<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 205<br />
<b>Series:</b> 530<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 176<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 204<br />
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This week was awful and I was really down after a pretty poor performance. My timing was off causing me to be unbalanced at the foul line which then caused me to miss my mark left on most shots. No matter what I did I could not consistently deliver a good shot. I wasn't getting good carry when I did hit my mark and I missed a few easy spares. It bothered me. I thought I was better than that. I thought I was capable of making adjustments and fixing problems. I thought wrong.<br /><br />I've bowled poorly before, but this was the first week that truly bothered me. I put off writing this post all week and considered giving up the blog altogether. Who needs to relive failure over and over again? Well, successful people do, that's who. That is how they learn. That is how I will get out of this free fall.<br />
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Let's be honest, two stellar weeks so early in the season put my average well above my abilities. Seeing that big number next to my name was exciting, but it made me believe I was better than I am. I made an naive goal of not bowling below a 550 this year after completing my first season with no 400 series. The last two weeks have grounded me, though, and I'm determined to not let my average get below 200. I know I can do that, I just need to work on a few things.<br /><br />A few days removed from the unpleasantness I can see a bit clearer and find some positives. I know what my problem was, I just need to fix it. I think it is a matter of posture and following through on my shots so some practice should clear that up. Also, the lanes were dry again this week but I was able to move left, find some oil and return to the pocket so long as I hit my marks. These are steps in the right direction.<br /><br />I've composed myself now and have some confidence back. I can fix this. I am pre-bowling on Sunday to start banking games for my paternity leave in December so I can get to correcting my game soon.<br />
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Until then I just need to stay calm and get through this little slump.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-38002286200530764772013-09-26T15:08:00.002-04:002013-09-26T15:08:45.090-04:00Week 4 Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 219<br />
<b>Game 2:</b> 192<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 158<br />
<b>Series:</b> 569<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 189<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 211<br />
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Welp, reality hit me hard this week and the fantasy I was living on the lanes quickly came to an end. It has been feast or famine for me through the first four weeks of the season and this week was famine time.<br /><br />Right away I got off to a rough start in practice. A recent cold snap here in western Pennsylvania caused my thumb to shrink a bit and I had to put some tape in the ball. It took a few throws to get my grip right and I never really threw a good ball during practice.<br />
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Not to be discouraged I made a guesstimate as to where I should stand to start the first game, moving my body and mark a board left from my usual line. Luckily it worked great and I started the night with a 5-bagger. In the sixth frame I missed my mark right by a board and the ball just hung out the length of the lane to leave the 1-2-8, which I chopped for an open. I struck again in the seventh frame and threw a couple spares and a strike before leaving an 8-10 split my second ball in the tenth frame.<br />
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The second game started with two opens, a missed 10-pin and a split. I struck in the third and had the ball hang out on me the next two frames to spare and split for another open. Instead of fighting the lanes which were running high when I hit my mark and hanging out when I missed slightly I decided to make a ball change in the sixth frame. The change worked great and I was in the pocket the rest of the game with five strikes and two nine counts.<br /><br />The third game presented the same difficulties as the others. Accuracy was the name of the game and I just didn't have it Monday night. When I hit my marks I was in the pocket, but the Python wouldn't carry the corners. When I was off my marks the ball held right and I would leave pretty large groupings on the deck. Two bad opens, including a missed 7-pin, left much to be desired and I was lucky to escape with a 158.<br /><br />I thought the oil played like a shorter version of the Shark sport pattern this week. Left of the 10 board was hooking pretty well, but anything to the outside of 9 wasn't coming back. Unfortunately I didn't have this epiphany until the drive home after the damage had been done. I probably should have stood at about 28 and played over 12, further inside than usual but the ball was moving well in the backends and would have produced good carry. I'm having a hard time picking up on how to apply my previous experiences to the changing conditions I've faced so far this season and it is something I will need to get better at quickly if I want to continue improving.<br />
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To make matters worse, I was not throwing a good ball this week. Adjusting to different fits was a concern every time I changed balls. My thumb was loose in the Python and when I switched back to the more snug fit of the C-System I was holding onto the ball way too long. The quick change in weather really had an impact on my thumb size and I'm looking forward to a more stable climate once autumn and winter kick in. The fit problem pulled me into a downward spiral of timing and balance issues that really did a number on my third game. Instead of trying to battle the lanes and my physical issues I should have just concentrated on fixing my game and let the lanes come to me in time.<br /><br />As a great man once said, "A bowler's mind divided cannot strike" . . . or something like that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-64638884078917307802013-09-20T12:52:00.003-04:002013-09-20T12:52:39.670-04:00Week 3 Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 231<br /><b>Game 2: </b>203<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 245<br /><b>Series:</b> 679<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 226<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 218<br /><br />We finally had the whole team together this week and our opponent had four of five bowlers so we expected to be in for a long, but competitive night of action.<br /><br />The lanes played pretty close to where they were the week before; however, most everyone was playing left of the second arrow and so I really only had to contend and adapt to whatever changes my ball made to the oil conditions. I struck right away and spared in the second frame before shooting the next six in a row. In the ninth frame I left a 4-7-10 and missed my mark on the spare attempt for a big open leading into the tenth frame. I managed to spare and strike in the tenth for a 231 game, but the open foundation frame really stung.<br />
<br />
Throughout the second game I was struggling to find a new line that would carry. After starting with a double I came in high in the third frame and started to leave single pins. I scattered a few strikes in the game to keep within striking distance. I needed good pin count in the tenth frame to pull off a team win and a solid pocket hit left the 8-10 split. That is already the second game this year that was within my reach and I let it slip away.<br />
<br />
The last game was much stronger. I was not going to let that second game happen again. Two members of the opposing team rolled off one game so they could leave early, so there were seven of us on the pair and the pace picked up a bit, which had the potential to screw things up. Luckily it didn't. I doubled, spared, and then threw my second six-bagger of the night. I left the 7-pin on my first ball of the tenth frame and another errant spare attempt officially cost me a 700 series.<br /><br />I left the center pretty disappointed, but the drive home gave me some time to realize that I've reached a point in my game where I can be really upset about leaving three opens and averaging 226 in a night. This was the first time I ever came close to throwing back to back 700 series and I really wanted that. It was also unfortunate that one open fell in the ninth frame and two others came in the tenth. If any of those come earlier in the game I may have reached 700 and possibly won the team a game.<br /><br />The season is still very young, but I'm getting a little concerned that my mental game suffered slightly over the summer. I spent a lot of time working on the details, but I really only threw five regular games and didn't have a chance to get in a pressure situation. Last year if the game was in reach I could go out there and get the job done, but so far that hasn't been the case this year. Hopefully it will come back to me as the season progresses. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-15703788447431970022013-09-11T13:50:00.003-04:002013-09-11T13:50:53.343-04:00Week 2 Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 236<br /><b>Game 2:</b> 234<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 245<br /><b>Series:</b> 715<br /><b>Week Avg:</b> 238<br /><b>Season Avg:</b> 214<br /><br />When we arrived at the lanes this week we found out that they filled our team with a nice couple that were in the league last year. From a pacing stand point this was a relief. It should also make for a fun and more competitive season. One of our regulars had scheduled vacation this week, though, so we will have to wait until week 3 to get the whole team in action.<br /><br />This week was the complete opposite of week 1. The lanes were being oiled as I walked in the door and so they played pretty similarly to the majority of last season. I was also a bit more focused this week and made a conscious effort to make better decisions and adjustments.<br /><br />After starting the first game with a couple of light pocket hits I moved a half board right in the third frame and really never looked back. After a strike in the third and a missed 10-pin in the fourth (my only open of the night) I struck the next six in a row and spared to finish the tenth frame for a 236.<br />
<br />
The second game was pretty similar with a spare or two breaking up a string of strikes. I shot a 234 in the second. I started the third game with two more spares and then had another six bagger. I started running a little high and so I moved up a few inches on the approach, but never really got back to form to finish out the evening. I needed to strike on my first ball in the tenth to get the win for the team, but I left the 4-pin. I spared and left the 8-10 to finish the game with a 245 and a 715 series.<br /><br />If there is such a thing as an effortless 700 series this was it. As long as I put the ball between the second and third arrows it was a strike. When I did leave something it was a corner pin and when something was a bit off it was easy to identify and correct. My one shot outside the pocket was a Brooklyn strike. <br /><br />This was probably the most consistent high series I've ever had and despite the success I never found myself feeling rushed or nervous. I've finally thrown enough bigger names to stay calm and focus on the task at hand. I can now act like I've been there before because I have; now its just the matter of getting up to that next level where I start to feel the butterflies again.<br /><br />Nights like this are fun, but they make for a terrible weekly blog post, don't they?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-60451654587352639732013-09-04T14:11:00.002-04:002013-09-04T14:11:56.191-04:00Week 1 Recap<b>Game 1: </b>180<br />
<b>Game 2:</b> 222<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 168<br />
<b>Series:</b> 570<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 190<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 190<br />
<br />
Our team is down to three bowlers this season with two "Vacancies" filling in the fourth and fifth spots. It might fill in in the coming weeks, but for now we might be looking at early nights all season long. This will put a lot of emphasis on quick decision making and also run the risk of a faster pace than is really needed. We will have to be mindful that we are bowling at a pace that works best for us, or else we'll be putting ourselves at a disadvantage every week.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately one of our bowlers had to work and so we were down to only two bowlers for opening night. The lanes were a bit drier than I remember seeing seeing all last year. Perhaps the center forgot leagues were starting that night. It took some time, but by the end of practice I thought I had found a line that worked well for me . . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkCcz52Tx4g/UidyYc7r7gI/AAAAAAAAAao/LsKI7qEf5f4/s1600/splitsville.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkCcz52Tx4g/UidyYc7r7gI/AAAAAAAAAao/LsKI7qEf5f4/s200/splitsville.png" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_991912473"></span><span id="goog_991912474"></span>I was so wrong! I started the first game of the season with four straight splits. A 4-6, 5-7, 8-10, and 3-10. Luckily I managed to convert the last one. There were even a few pocket hits in there and I think the other team started to feel bad for me. All I could do was laugh, really. I switched down to a weaker ball and managed to throw a turkey and spare out for a 180 game. The three straight opens killed me.<br />
<br />
As the first game wore on I started coming in a bit light. I thought that this was being caused by the front end oil being pushed further down the lane so I decided to go on the offensive. I switched back up to the C-System and was able to throw my preferred line for most of the game. By the end of the game the oil was gone and I switched back down to the Python. I left a 3-9-10 in the seventh frame, but managed to convert the spare and finish with a clean 222.<br />
<br />
The third game was a lot like the first. Some mixed success, but overall I wasn't very comfortable. I left two additional splits this game, converting one of them. I missed a 10-pin on my last ball in the tenth frame for my only non-split open of the night. It was a hard fought 168 to be sure, but I was thankful to escape with that and live to fight another day.<br />
<br />
I know what you're thinking because I was thinking it to: "Zach, this summer you practiced playing all those different lines, why didn't you just do that?" I did move left a bit to catch some oil in the middle of the lane, but either the ball wouldn't grab or I wouldn't get good carry when I did hit the pocket. Could I have fine tuned a better line to the pocket that was more successful? Probably. Actually that is most likely what I will do from here on out. <br />
<br />
But my thinking was this: I carry two different balls for a reason and with my style of play these conditions seemed better suited for the Python. I transitioned from ball to ball without any issue or "lost frames," so I think the summer practice did help me in that regard. Plus it was week 1 of 34, if I am going to start experimenting this was the perfect time to do it.<br />
<br />
I think it is important to look at the positives from this week's outing. The first positive is the seamless transition from ball to ball that I mentioned before. The other big one is the successful implementation of the offensive strategy I outlined above. In the second game I read what was happening on the lanes and worked the oil to benefit me. Without that big game I don't know how this week would have turned out, but I think it would have taken more than the Labor Day break to recover.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-7660852479455635892013-08-26T13:18:00.000-04:002013-08-26T13:22:37.242-04:00Sandbagger Prevention League Results and ThoughtsI’m not gonna lie: managing the Sandbagger Prevention League
was a lot more time consuming than I anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was basically managing seven leagues all
at the same time and these silly things called work and life kept getting in
the way. But I finally have results for our 27 week season. Thanks again to all
that participated.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The final scratch averages were as follows, with Sam as our simulated
sandbagger:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 115px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">219</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">213</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">205</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">200</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">174</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">173</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">157</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 38.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="51"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">112</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The goal of the SPL was to identify a league in which good bowlers were rewarded,
sandbagging was not beneficial, and not so good bowlers were kept in
competition so they would be driven to get better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a baseline our eight bowlers participated
in a scratch league with predictable results as follows:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 109px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">105</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">102</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">96</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">84</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">61</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">57</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">32</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 33.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="45"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">3</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The scratch league results are nearly identical to the list of averages. Sam
and EBH swapped spots, but their averages are only a pin off so I think that is
negligible. While sandbagging is clearly not beneficial in a scratch league, we
also see that poor bowlers are kept well out of competition with everyone else.
Scratch leagues are great for advanced bowlers or groups at a similar skill
level, but they are not for an all-inclusive league.<br />
<br />
Using the same scratch scores I broke our bowlers down into two divisions based
on average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sam and EBH dominated their
division and Matt 1 and Matt 2 ran away with theirs. Two rounds of divisional
brackets were used to determine the division champions. The winner of each
division then bowled head to head to crown a league champion, with the
championship match being 100% handicap based on the higher average of the two bowlers. EBH
defeated Matt 1 for the league title.<br />
<br />
Another scratch divisional league awarded 1-4 points based on how the bowler’s
series ranked within their division in addition to one point being awarded for
each game won in head to head play. I didn’t use the brackets to determine the
division champions this time and so the bowler with the most points in each division
squared off for the league title: Sam and Matt 1. This time the better bowler
prevailed and Matt 1 was the league champion.<br />
<br />
Competition was pretty good within the divisions, especially the top tier
division with the three Matts and me. Only 19 pins separated the best and worst
averages and most matches were pretty close. The lower division had a greater
disparity between the best and worst averages and the standings were not as
close as a result.<br />
<br />
Next I tested the traditional 100% handicap league with the following results:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 127px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">90</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">88</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">75</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">71</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">68</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">65.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">54</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 47.25pt;" valign="bottom" width="63"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">32.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The best bowlers came in first and second, but the worst bowler finished third.
A skilled sandbagger could also take advantage of this league to climb the
standings. These results are not overly shocking because the better bowlers
averaged so much higher than the worse ones and so the large skill difference negated
the benefit of the handicap. I am also not a skilled sandbagger and had a
difficult time plotting Sam’s results to cheat the system.<br />
<br />
Another 100% handicap league assigned one point per game won in head to head
competition, but then also awarded 1-8 points based on how the bowler’s series
ranked that week. Using the same games with this small scoring change resulted
in the following standings:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 121px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">210</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">207</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">174.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">174</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">168</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">149</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">125</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="57"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">103.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The mid-level bowlers were particularly punished here because they lacked the
benefit of a high skill level and a high handicap; though, competition between
bowlers of comparable skill was much better. A combination of awarding points based on how a series ranks each week and
the division format could render a pretty competitive league.<br />
<br />
The same two league styles were also used in an 80% handicap based system to see
if a lower handicap would alter the results. The regular league results were as
follows:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 128px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">96.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">95</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">75</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">70</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">67</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">50</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">49.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">39</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And the league that awarded 1-8 points based on series resulted in the
following:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.65pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 145px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 1</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">225.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 2</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">223</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Zach</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">185</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Matt 3</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">181</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sam</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">165</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">EBH</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">129.5</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Doc</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">100</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 48.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="64"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Lauren</span></b></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 15.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 61.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="81"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">93</span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The straight 80% and 100% handicap league kept the closest competition with
57.5 points separating the first and last place bowlers. While the scratch
league results came the closest to reflecting the bowlers’ skill levels, the
80% handicap league that awarded series points also came pretty close.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Takeaway</b><br />
<br />
There is really no way for a bowling league to fairly compensate for a 100+ pin
difference in average between bowlers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a scratch league the lower average bowlers are more likely to feel
that they can never catch up to the high average bowlers, probably resulting
in them quitting instead of using it as motivation to get better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a handicap league the better bowlers are
essentially punished for their skill and mid-level bowlers become fodder for those with high averages and high handicaps. When you factor in prizes for winning the
league, most improved average, etc., the temptation for sandbagging is pretty
strong. I know, no groundbreaking results here.<br />
<br />
The divisions within a scratch league idea did work out pretty well, though. When
bowlers averaged within 20 pins of each other their point totals stayed close
while still reflecting the bowlers’ skill levels. The ability to advance to a
higher division could serve the motivator role without being too overwhelming.
If payouts are kept within divisions they will be a bit smaller which in turn
could further discourage sandbagging. This could be tweaked to work at the
individual and team levels.<br />
<br />
Now there seems to be a growing divide among bowlers, at least if you can
trust those on Facebook groups as a representative sample. I’ve seen many
conversations where good bowlers belittle the accomplishments of others in
house leagues, essentially stating that it isn’t real bowling since the ball
does most of the work. I disagree to an extent, the ball doesn’t throw itself down the lane,
but there is most definitely a difference between accomplishments on a THP and
sport patterns. <br />
<br />
I think there is a great desire for bowlers to try out the sport patterns, but
the USBC and local centers do not make them easy to come by (at least not in
Pittsburgh). A drive needs to be made to make USBC sanctioned sport leagues the
norm in league bowling. This gives good bowlers the motivation they need to get
even better and provides practical experience for tournaments. House leagues
still have their place at the junior level and in beginner leagues since they
are a great way to learn bowling basics. Much like junior bowling, I think the
introduction of coaches at beginner leagues for those that wish to utilize them
would also help push new bowlers to improve. The scheduling of coaches could be
the responsibility of the local USBC chapters and could also help promote the
various coach certifications. <br />
<br />
As it stands there is no set milestone in place, other than honor scores, to
entice the majority of bowlers to improve. If they do not set personal goals
then they are perfectly content showing up every week to go through the
motions. If the USBC can include minor ways to reward good bowling, like
becoming eligible to move into a higher tier league (i.e. graduating from a THP
beginner league to a sport league) then perhaps the talent pool will improve so
that handicaps are no longer required to “level the playing field,” effectively
eliminating the sandbagger to a dark place in bowling’s history.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-84632706053672365462013-08-19T13:40:00.000-04:002013-08-19T13:40:24.915-04:00Summer Practice #4Where did the summer go? I expected to get in two practice sessions per month this summer to stay fresh and try out a few new ideas to improve my game. Yet here I am, exactly one week until the start of fall leagues and about three practice sessions short of my goal.<br /><br />But the old saying of quality over quantity has prevailed this off-season. While I didn't hit the lanes as much as I would have liked, I made each session count and I think I have benefited from the time I did spend in the bowling center. I've become more comfortable playing different areas of the lane by striking from the first, second and third arrows with regularity. I've also gotten better at adjusting from one ball to the other by switching between them from frame to frame. And I learned what doesn't work. Speed changes do more harm than good for me, and so I will move that further down the flow chart of adjustments.<br /><br />For my last practice session I wanted to shoot a straight three game series to see if I have improved over the summer, or at least to make sure I haven't gotten worse. My first game was a 243. I was striking fairly easily and my only open was a 10-pin. I had some difficulty striking my second game, but was able to pick up my spares until I could adjust. In the tenth frame I left the 3-10 and when I attempted the spare my ball took out the 3-pin and grazed the 10-pin just enough to make it spin, but not fall. I finished that game with a 199. I did pretty well in the third game, throwing a turkey and a four bagger, but I also left a 4-10 split and missed the 4-7 in the tenth frame to finish with a 216. It was a pretty good way to finish the off-season and I'm really looking forward to starting the season.<br />
<br />
We had our league meeting last Tuesday, which was pretty uneventful. My team is down two bowlers this year: my wife is not returning because we are expecting another baby in December and Joe, our lead off man who bowled great last year decided that 36 weeks is too long a season. One interesting change this year is that the league is accepting junior bowlers who are 17 and older. The only difference for them is that any money earned would be paid out as a scholarship so their junior/collegiate eligibility is not put in jeopardy. Its quite the risk to the junior bowler, I think, but who am I to say no, especially when the league is hurting to fill the teams.<br /><br />Week 1 starts on August 26th and I can't wait to start where last season left off. Time to put it to the wood.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-85208231577565869682013-07-26T09:49:00.000-04:002013-07-26T09:49:17.462-04:00Keep Calm and Keep BowlingOn a whim this week I decided to check out the US Open standings. I was pleased to see that a former teammate and competitor from my junior days, Jacqui Reese, was competing. I was even more pleased to see that coming into Friday's match play she was tied for seventh, four spots away from making her first television appearance. After dominating the Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley women's bowling scene for about eight years it is great to see her excel at the highest level.<br />
<br />It was really a pleasure to watch Jacqui's junior career and if you were smart enough to really pay attention you could really learn a lot from how she approached the game. We were in the same Saturday morning and summer doubles league for a few years and I was lucky enough to bowl on her team for the junior team tournament back in 2002/2003. You could never tell how well Jacqui was bowling just by looking at her. Some bowlers wear their performance like a mask: if they are doing well they are all smiles, but if they are doing poorly they look angry or defeated. Jacqui had one look while she was bowling: determined. After every shot you could tell that she was analyzing what she just did and thinking about the next throw. It was very methodical, professional even, and it is the epitome of how a good bowler should concentrate on their game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7E5gibrw1s/UfJ6subDCvI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/yPYLipe5NsQ/s1600/keep_calm_keep_bowling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7E5gibrw1s/UfJ6subDCvI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/yPYLipe5NsQ/s200/keep_calm_keep_bowling.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<br />It took a long time for this lesson to sink in for me. When I was doing bad I felt even worse. I'd get mad. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't make adjustments. The whole outing was a bust. I spent a little over two years away from bowling when I started college and when I came back I had a new attitude. I decided to take the Jacqui approach, at least for the most part. I refuse to let my performance get me so upset that I can't concentrate or make adjustments. I've said many times that every game, every outing, is a learning experience and you need to seize that lesson as it is happening rather than reflecting on a poor night of bowling once it is over. A bad week at league can stick with you the rest of the day, which is why leagues take place at night (this is contrary to the popular belief that we bowl at night so we can work during the day), but while you are in the moment keep your calm, remember what you know about how to adjust, and keep trying until you find what works.<br /><br />I can't argue with the results. I averaged somewhere in the 181 range when I finished juniors. Once I made an effort to keep my composure I jumped into the 190s and have been on a steady increase ever since.<br /><br />So good luck through the rest of the tournament, Jacqui, and thanks for being a great role model. <br /><br />Keep calm and keep bowling.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-76329069747163114282013-07-19T15:03:00.003-04:002013-07-19T15:03:31.693-04:00Summer Practice Session #3This past weekend I decided to hit the lanes for some more practice. I wanted to work on my timing when adjusting ball speed and also getting a few more revs on the ball by rotating or flicking my fingers at the point of release.<br /><br />After being away from the lanes for four weeks the rust was quick to show. During my warm up in the first game my timing was completely off and I felt a bit uncomfortable. I had a difficult time hitting my mark and a lot of the little things I managed to correct over the last year and a half had returned. It took some time to reteach myself to not dip my shoulder, keep my back straight and follow through my shot, but I got back where I needed to be by the end of the game.<br /><br />Once I was back in shape I started out by trying to add some more revs on the ball, hoping that this would help me out when the ball seemed to hit a bit flat or there was oil farther down the lane. At the point of release I would pull my middle finger up toward my palm and my ring finger out toward the back of my hand. Its not a dramatic movement, but that quick flick of the fingers at release did add a few more revolutions on the ball. I got the idea from an article that said to practice tossing a tennis ball win the air and make it spin without turning your wrist. One nice attribute of this technique is that it did not affect my accuracy and when I am bowling really well I feel I do this naturally. It is something I need to focus on a bit more, but with time this may become part of my regular release or at least a regular go-to adjustment.<br /><br />Next I wanted to try increasing ball speed by holding the ball higher at the start of my approach. My problem with increasing speed in the past is that my timing would become erratic and as a result I could not consistently hit my target. I usually hold the ball at about waist level, so I decided to try lifting it up level to my chin. It was awkward at first to be sure, but I eventually got the hang of it. It will definitely take some practice to get used to the change in stance and even more practice to be able to change back and forth between my normal approach and this adjusted one. One thing I like about this bowling center is that it tracks your ball speed. My normal delivery is typically 15.6 mph (I checked back in a post from last summer and it was the exact same speed), but the change in height only increased the speed to just over 16 mph. Is this slight change in speed significant enough to risk feeling uncomfortable and missing my target? At this point I'm going to say "No, it isn't." I have proven that other small adjustments, such as moving my body up/back/left/right, are just as effective and serve the same purpose as changing ball speed. They also do not carry the increased risk associated with not being comfortable with an adjustment. I think this season I will push the speed adjustment further down on my adjustment list, reserving it for situations for when all else has failed.<br /><br />For my last game I tried one of my new favorite practice methods: throwing over each of the right four arrows for a strike. I struck on each with the C-System and then started to work my way back right with the Python until I ran out of frames. I like this game because it really lets me see what my ball can do on every part of the lane and allows me to see how each ball compares in those areas. Another benefit is that it forces me to play areas I don't usually consider, so if I ever face a particularly challenging lane condition I will be able to play these lines with confidence.<br /><br />While my scores were a bit lower this session, I think over all it was very beneficial. I learned some things about what adjustments will work and what will not so that I can be prepared for the upcoming season. I think I can get in at least two more sessions before the start of league, so from here on out I plan to play real situation games to fine tune my decision making. I want to start this season throwing as well or better than I was at the end of the last one, and so far I think I have put myself in a good position to do just that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-22027183125975593532013-06-19T15:39:00.000-04:002013-06-19T15:39:00.629-04:00Summer Practice Session #2Over the weekend I made a trip to the bowling alley for my second practice session of the summer. This time out I planned to work on different wrist positions. After posting video from my last session and the expert analysis of Matt from <a href="http://bowlingsamoans.blogspot.com/">Bowling Roller Coaster</a>, I also decided to work on not falling off my shot.<br />
<br />
After a few frames to warm up I began to bend my wrist in toward my body at the start of my delivery. This cupping position allowed me to get a few more revs on the ball and generated a stronger reaction when the ball started to hook. While this will be a valuable resource on heavier oil, it does come with the drawback that I was pretty inconsistent at hitting my mark. I think that is something that will go away with more practice, but for now I will have to weigh the pros and cons of making this adjustment during league play.<br /><br />After shooting a game a piece with each ball using the bent wrist technique I spent another game and a half focusing on holding my position at release. When I am at the top of my game I can do this naturally, but after spending some time away from the lanes once league ended I found myself reverting to some bad habits. I also paid a bit more attention to how far I drift on the approach from where I start my delivery on the second row of dots to where my sliding foot finishes at the foul line after release. It turns out I consistently drift ten boards right from my first to fourth step. I don't feel this hurts my game at all, but it will be something to consider working on for another session.<br />
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Even with all of the different adjustments I am working on I have still managed to average 200 over 7 games. I hope to carry the success from last season right into this fall and I think these practice sessions are a tremendous help so far.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-48204384186732260542013-06-11T21:30:00.001-04:002013-06-11T21:31:44.059-04:00Summer Practice Session #1As I mentioned before, I have decided to forego a summer league this year to develop a practice regimen focusing on a few weak points in my game. For my first session I wanted to work on playing different lines and areas of the lane.<br />
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I started by throwing five frames to warm up and set a baseline, which was my typical line of standing with my left foot on the 24 board and throwing over the 8 board at the arrows. Once this was established I moved my body and mark right so that I would roll over the first arrow and strike consistently. After a couple tries I found a good line and was able to carry pretty well. Then I moved my body left and my mark to the second arrow and tried to strike from there. Even though this line was only two boards different than my baseline I found this to be the hardest to strike with regularity. I eventually threw a few good balls and decided to work further left to shoot over the third arrow. This brought me to a part of the lane I rarely consider, but I was able to manage some success quickly.<br />
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In addition to gaining familiarity with what my go-to ball can do on various parts of the lane, this exercise also helped me get a bit more comfortable throwing in areas I seldom use. Throwing at the 4 or 5 board doesn't have to be scary or intimidating because the ball will come back to the pocket. On the other hand, when done correctly, throwing closer to the center of the lane can also be useful on particularly dry lanes on league night. Gaining versatility will allow me to be prepared for varying and changing lane conditions and make me a more difficult bowler to play against.<br />
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After playing around with these lines I threw one last game reverting back to my baseline, which still worked best (that's why it was my baseline). I struck the first 7 frames and then left a 10-pin in the eighth. As I was two steps into my delivery in the ninth frame the lights went off in the bowling center and the blacklights came on. It was 11AM, birthday party time. Since there were no accompanying lasers I couldn't see individual boards and my last two frames were a bit off. I still finished with a 244 game, but it could have been a bit better.<br />
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Luckily, early in the last game I took a video of my delivery for analysis. The line I'm playing and delivery are typical of what I was throwing in league this past season.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LibaCgABw7k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Starting at the footwork I noticed that my first step does come slightly left as recommended, forcing me to walk a straight line to the foul line and allowing a straight arm swing. I start my delivery from a crouched position to compensate for the fact that my sliding knee does not bend much at the point of release. This results in the ball landing about 4 feet out on lane instead of seamlessly from my hand just over the foul line. Also, the toe of my sliding foot points inside rather than straight ahead, which I find offers a bit more balance. Which brings me to my balance leg, which is elevated instead of sliding on the approach. This can be an issue sometimes causing me to fall off my shot to gain balance, but since this is pretty much how I have bowled my entire life I think I have adapted fairly well.<br />
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My shoulders stay pretty level and square to the foul line when I am throwing well. If I dip my right shoulder or open up my shoulders then my accuracy tends to suffer. You'll notice that I start with the ball pretty close to my body just under waist level, resulting in a backswing that peaks just even with my head. I also stay behind the ball until the point of release when I rotate my thumb from about 3 o'clock to about 11 or 12 o'clock. I plan to work on ball and wrist positioning over the summer so the backswing and hand position could vary.<br />
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I'm interested to hear your thoughts and analysis of my video. I'm far from text book and always looking to improve, but for now it gets results.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-51383677542574914282013-06-05T15:03:00.002-04:002013-06-05T15:04:16.119-04:00Mixed League 2012/13 RecapAfter a sub-par performance in the 2011/12 season I sought some valuable experience over the summer by joining a league that bowled on PBA patterns. The league placed an emphasis on accuracy and adjustments and as a result my fall league scores reaped the benefits. In addition, I added a new ball to my arsenal, the Brunswick C-System Alpha Max, which has become my new go to ball. I have been able to strike with more regularity and my spare shooting has greatly increased now that I have a system to determine the number of boards I need to move for each spare shot.<br />
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Last season I threw 39 200 games and 7 600 series compared to 53 200 games, four of which were 250 or better, 17 600 series, and two 700 series this season. My high game and series this season, a 279 and 730 respectively, were both personal bests. My low game, a 136, and low series, a 516, both came on the first week of league. This also means that I didn't throw any series under 500 all season, a first for me.<br />
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One big problem I managed to correct this year was my difficulty in adjusting to lane transitions. Last season my second game average plummeted while I took several frames to adjust to changing oil conditions. This season I got progressively better from game to game, averaging 196 in game 1, 201 in game 2, and 208 in game 3. By gaining the knowledge and confidence to make quick adjustments I was able to continually improve as the night wore on.<br />
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When I started this blog my goal was to achieve a 200 average by the
end of the 2013 season. Despite gall bladder surgery which kept me off
the lanes for 20 days I was able to reach my goal and then some. My 202.48 average is another personal best and over ten pins better than last year's final average. Once I fully recovered from my surgery and had some experience with my new ball, say from week 11 on, I averaged 208.<br />
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While I benefited from the PBA Experience league last summer I have chosen a different course of action for this summer's training. I plan to spend a few days each month at the alley working on a few weak aspects of my game. These include changes in ball speed and hand position, as well as getting comfortable in playing different parts of the lane. I also want to gain familiarity in how each of my balls react under the same conditions so that I can seamlessly transition between the two during league play. In addition I plan to utilize video of my form to identify potential problem areas that can affect the ball's performance on the lane.<br />
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I hope to have a productive off season and pick up where I left off when league starts back up in August. How are you spending your summer?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-15482455694626449882013-05-23T13:51:00.001-04:002013-05-23T13:51:41.458-04:00Week 34 & The Pay OutDespite our team accumulating the most overall points during the season we fell short of winning either half and, therefore, were not competing for the league championship.<br />
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For those of us not bowling for first place week 34 was another no-tap fun fest with a 9 count or better earning a strike in the first game, an 8 count or better in the second game and a 7(!) count or better in the third game. I managed to throw only 36 times to earn a 9-pin and 7-pin no tap 300 and an 8-pin no tap 287. It was disappointing that we weren't in the running for the championship, but it was even more disappointing that we didn't have to defend our third place finish in the final week.<br />
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We were unable to attend the league banquet the following weekend and so we didn't receive our payout until May 20th, but it was well worth the wait. Those two no tap 300 games earned me $10 each, which meant that my one bad ball in the second game cost me $10. In addition, I received some money for perfect attendance since I rolled off the few weeks I missed for my surgery. I also won some money for the men's high scratch series. As a team we earned money for finishing in third place and for throwing the high team handicap game, which held up through the majority of the season.<br />
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Now that I know what to expect I prefer this league over the one I bowled in the last two fall seasons. Overall the people are friendlier and there are financial reports issued every quarter, which was an improvement from the other league. On an individual level the competitiveness wasn't really there, only two of us finished with a 200+ average, but I think that is something that can be improved upon. I had a great time and look forward to going back next fall.<br />
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Coming up soon I will have a recap of the season's performance and I will start my summer practice regimen. And I will finally tabulate the SPL results and what they mean for the future of league bowling.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-83152757094729649762013-05-03T11:49:00.000-04:002013-05-03T11:49:00.416-04:00Letter to a 10-PinDear 10-Pin,<br />
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I'm not sure if you remember me, but you will be etched into my memory for a long time, defiantly staring me in the face as your nine friends lay in the pit behind you. I really wish you would have joined your friends.<br />
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I suppose it was destiny. I
predicted it would happen over the course of my bowling career, joking
that you would one day ruin my first run at a perfect game. I wasn't really sure when it would happen, but I suppose I should thank you for not waiting until my twelfth shot and putting me out of my misery in the eighth frame.<br />
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Actually, I really do want to thank you. You've helped me gain a bit more confidence. I now know that I can throw eleven strikes in a game and make twelve consecutive perfect throws. But I now also realize that there is a good bit of luck that goes into every 300 game; good bowlers just put themselves in better position to be the recipient of that luck more consistently than everyone else. I've worked hard taking each step in getting closer to being one of those bowlers, and you are now the only thing standing between me and perfection.<br />
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We have been enemies for some time, but all I could do was shake my head and smile when I saw you standing there. It was meant to be. And I know that one day, hopefully some day soon, you will fall with the others and I will have my moment.<br /><br />You remain my motivation,<br />
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Zach from Bowling in the BurghUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647874964939742275.post-29600177504248870112013-04-30T11:49:00.000-04:002013-04-30T11:49:29.463-04:00Week 33 Recap<b>Game 1:</b> 215<br />
<b>Game 2:</b> 279<br />
<b>Game 3:</b> 234<br />
<b>Series:</b> 728<br />
<b>Week Avg:</b> 242<br />
<b>Season Avg:</b> 202<br />
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Coming into the night we found out we were tied for second place, five point behind the second half leader. We needed a big night, a lot of points, and a little luck if we were going to win the second half and go on to the league championship game.<br />
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The first game went pretty well. I started with a double and then lost my line a bit in the middle of the game. I started hitting light and the strikes weren't coming. I decided to move right a half board and the strikes started coming again. it was the only adjustment I made all night. I felt like I was struggling a bit, but I finished with a 215 game. As a team, though, we didn't have a great outing and our opponents had a couple pretty good games. They opened the door in the tenth frame, but by then we already too far behind to win the points.<br />
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In the second game my only focus was to throw over the 8 board. If I hit my mark the pins didn't stand a chance. I never felt more focused. I struck the first seven in a row with no sign of nerves. To my teammates' credit, they did a great job of keeping me laughing and distracted. I threw another great ball in the eighth frame, but a ringing 10-pin remained on the deck. I could hear a few groans and gasps as I turned around, but I stayed calm and picked up my spare. It didn't change anything and I threw four more balls the exact same way to strike out. I scored a 279, my new personal best. I also put myself in a three way tie for the league high game. As a team we picked up the win and managed to tie the total pin count after two games.<br />
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I started the third game with a turkey before a high hit left the 3-10, which I chopped. I picked up a 4-pin spare somewhere along the way, but threw eight total strikes during the game. My second ball in the tenth swung out to the right and, although it hit the pocket, the entry angle was too steep and I left the 8-10 for another open. I finished with a 234 game and my second highest series, a 728. The team also picked up another victory and a total pin bonus point. We learned that the first place team lost their first two games, but they appeared to have the third game well in hand and so we had no chance of overtaking them.<br />
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Last night felt easy, and frankly that's a little scarey. I felt no sign of nervousness or butterflies after striking the front seven and every ball was right on target. My small progressions this season have reached the final step. I just threw eleven strikes in a game. There is only one more place to go from there.<br />
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Next week is our league playoff. At worst, I think we will be bowling for 3rd place. I guess there is money on the line there. I am also in the top three for high scratch game and series which usually pay out and I have the second highest average in the league. Not a bad season. Now its time to finish big next week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2