PBA Experience League Recap

Pattern Final Averages

Cheetah: 187 (12 games)

NCAA#3: 183 (8 games)

Viper: 172 (12 games)

Scorpion: 170 (12 games)

Shark: 167 (8 games)

League Summary

Looking back, I think that my performance on the PBA patterns was slightly better than expected. While it was frustrating at the time, I knew coming in that these patterns would test the skills I had and expose the ones I lacked, and once I came to the realization that the league wasn't about scoring, but rather about learning, I started to bowl better.

I finished the league with a 176 average, which up until the beginning of August 2012 translated to a 193 average on a typical house pattern. I make the distinction because since the beginning of August, a 176 Sport League average now translates to a 198 THP average. The reason for such a dramatic jump in the adjusted average is that the USBC collected the data to create the adjusted average chart in two completely different ways. I won't go into the details here, but Jeff Richgels breaks it all down on his blog. In either case, my adjusted average is higher than what my final average has ever been; however, there are a few factors that come into play. The biggest factor is that I bowled about half the number of games in this league than I do in my usual league. With a smaller sample size, it is easier to distort the average of an overall performance.

I threw eleven 200 games during the league, which equates to 21% of the total games bowled. I also threw at least two 200 games on each pattern with the exception of the Shark, on which I threw none. My high game was a 235 on the Cheetah and my high series was a 771 on NCAA#3.

Self Evaluation

Not surprisingly, I fared much better on the shorter patterns. Since I typically throw down and in, I wasn’t trying to force a big hook into the pocket like some other bowlers. I did my best on the shorter patterns with heavier oil in the front end because my line was pretty direct toward the pocket, with a sharp hook at the end to drive through the rack. I wish I could have my missed week on the NCAA#3 back because I think my pattern and season average could have been a bit higher with an extra four games.

Again, not surprisingly, my worst pattern average was on the Shark.  This is the pattern that took me the farthest from my comfort zone, essentially narrowing the lane by 10 boards on either side forcing me to play deeper inside. The Scorpion was the other longer, heavier oil pattern and I struggled there as well. These patterns further exposed my need for a more reactive heavy oil ball and I am in the process of filling out my arsenal as a result.

Another glaring statistic is that my third game average, 166.77, is nearly ten pins under my season ending average and exactly ten pins under my next lowest game average, which belongs to the first game of the night. This tells me that I still need to work on quickly recognizing changes on the lane so that I can adjust my body position and mark before it impacts my scores. That being said, my final game average is 180.15 which tells me that even though it takes some time for me to recognize changing lane conditions, I do eventually make the correct adjustments.

Problems with the League

I developed a laundry list of grievances throughout the course of this league and after speaking with a few folks it sounds like these are all recurring issues from previous seasons. Many, if not all, of these problems could be solved by not having the bowling center manager and, might I add, the father of the high school All-American serving as league president.

The first problem is that the league didn't stick to the rules and oil pattern schedule distributed on Week 1. I unfortunately missed a week of bowling due to hospitalization and my teammate missed a week due to a vacation. While the rules stated that absent bowlers are given their average as their score for that week, we were not awarded any points if the opposing bowler did not beat our score. This most likely would not have provided enough points to move up in the standings, but why have rules if you are just going to make up new ones? 

Also, while we did receive a week's notice that the NCAA#4 pattern would be replaced by the Shark pattern; we received no notice that the last week on the Shark was being replaced by an extra week of the Viper. If you go back and read my description of each of these patterns, you will notice that they are polar opposites of each other. This change in pattern also happened to coincide with the All-American's second place team facing off against the first place team. Basically the All-American was able to utilize the league's two practice sessions to prepare for the Viper while her opponents walked in with equipment for a long heavy oil pattern instead of a short light oil pattern. It cost them the lead that night and they were not able to recover.

In the end, the league basically served as a way for the All-American to earn more scholarship money from all of us thanks to the manipulation of the rules and oil patterns by her father. There is a reason that not many people bowl in this league more than once and I will be joining them in that decision. If I choose to bowl in a PBA Experience League again I will be sure that it is sanctioned and has some means of accountability.

If I Had My Own PBA Experience League

Now don't get me wrong, the actual bowling was a great experience despite all the league BS that went along with it. But I think more could have been done to make this league more educational and fun for the entire group.

Given the 14 week format we used this year, I would advocate two weeks per PBA animal pattern and the US Open pattern for the first twelve weeks. At the beginning of the first week of each new pattern there would be a short tutorial session where the oil layout is discussed. The PBA produced videos about each animal pattern on YouTube could also be utilized. This allows everyone to be on the same playing field and have an understanding of what the preferred lines are for each pattern. This was how I prepared for the animal patterns and these videos provide a great introduction and idea of what to expect on the lanes.

The results of the first twelve weeks would serve as the basis for seeding a tournament in the remaining two weeks of the league. The tournament patterns would be voted on by the league and announced at the end of week 12 to ensure that teams bring the correct equipment for the lane conditions. The results of the tournament would serve as the final league standings, providing every team a chance to compete for the league championship and maintaining the feel of competition throughout the entire season.

Sport Leagues as a Solution to Sandbagging?

In the Richgels' blog post I mentioned above, he also made an interesting connection between Sport Leagues and the recent discussions of sandbagging and handicap leagues. He noted that one way to eliminate sandbagging is to make Sport Leagues the norm, encouraging competitive bowling over the recreational bowling that has recently gained the most support and is seen by many as the downfall of our sport. This way tournament averages, even on a THP, would use Sport League averages instead of general league averages, thus giving an advantage to those who take the time to get better. This is probably the most favorable solution I have heard concerning the issue of sandbagging because it is the first one to actually encourage the improvement of ability. If you want to succeed in Sport Leagues you have to be good, there's no faking it, and I imagine it would be much harder for a sandbagger to turn it on all of sudden like they tend to do on a THP.

Final Note

I suppose I won't really be able to evaluate the success of this league until I am able to reflect on my performance this fall. A jump in my average, increase in accuracy or ability to adjust more quickly to changing conditions would all be indicators that the PBA Experience was a worthwhile experience for me.

Week 14/Viper Recap

Game 1: 176
Game 2: 211
Game 3: 192
Game 4: 169
Series: 748
Week Avg: 187
Viper Avg: 172
Season Avg: 176

I started out the evening with a great practice session. I was throwing strikes with ease and had plenty of time to shoot corner pins before the start of the first game. At the completion of practice I was standing with my left foot on the 22 board and throwing at the 7 board at the arrows (blue line on diagram).

Unfortunately the good shots didn't follow me into the first game as I left the 1-2-4-7 in the first frame and hooked the ball just past the headpin on my spare shot for an open. I threw a few good balls, but overall I had a difficult time hitting my marks, both at the arrows and at the break point. When I did hit my marks, though, the ball was coming in a bit light. Luckily my only other open in the game was a barely missed 3-10 split. I finished the game with a 176.

To start the second game I moved my body one board right (black line on diagram) and started hitting great. I was in the pocket just about every shot and the spares I did leave were typically single pins. I shot my first clean game in weeks for a 211.

An errant ball to start the third game left the 1-2-4 which I managed to chop for an early open, but overall I was still throwing really well.  The few times I did miss my mark were easily diagnosed and corrected. I opened once more by chopping the 3-6 in the eighth frame and finished with a 192.

The last game gave me some problems. I started by opening my third first frame of the night by just missing the 4-pin. I followed that up by hooking the ball past the headpin for the 1-3-8-9 in the second frame and the 1-2-4-10 in the seventh.  Much of the rest of the game consisted of spares from light pocket hits. I tried moving back on the approach, but in retrospect I should have moved right to standing at the 20 board and shooting at the 6. I struck in the tenth frame, but followed it up by opening a 1-2-4 on my last ball for a 169.

Overall, not a bad finish to the league. My biggest enemy this week was keeping my own pace and not rushing through the games. Once I gathered myself and controlled my pace I was in pretty good shape. I enjoyed the Viper, despite the debacle my first week on the pattern, and I thought that it was slightly more forgiving than the other animal patterns we faced.

I now have a ten day break before my fall league starts on the 27th. Between now and then I am planning to go out for one practice session so my wife can shake off the rust after taking a year off and so I can evaluate my performance on a typical house pattern after a summer on PBA patterns. I will have a PBA Experience League recap, practice session recap, and Sandbagger Prevention League introduction before the 27th.

Week 13/Viper Recap

Game 1: 202
Game 2: 162
Game 3: 203
Game 4: 171
Series: 738
Week Avg: 184
Viper Avg: 165
Season Avg: 175

What a difference a little preparation can make. After reviewing my earlier post on the Viper pattern, I came into the week with a plan. Play as far outside as I can and move my line inside as the pattern breaks down throughout the night to find more oil. Practice went smoothly and I started the first game with my left foot on the 21 board and throwing at the 6 board just left of the first arrow (blue line on diagram).

The first game started a little rough as I missed an easy 6-pin to open in the first frame. Luckily I was able to shake it off and throw a good mix of strikes and spares the rest of the game for a 202. I felt like I had more control over how the ball was moving and the majority of my hits were in the pocket. It was a great first game to help me forget about last week.

The second game started off with a few spares before the bottom dropped out. Starting in the fifth frame I left the 5-6 split, chopped a 6-10, and left the 2-4-10. I wasn't coming through the ball very well so I made an effort to concentrate on my release and the problem resolved itself. I stayed clean the rest of the way and finished with a 162.

One of our opponents was playing a similar shot to mine, so I moved my body and mark a board left to the 22 and 7 boards, respectively, to start the third game (black line in diagram). I was back in the pocket and striking pretty well. My only blemish was a missed 4-pin in the sixth frame when the ball hooked a little more than expected. I finished with a 203.

The last game saw another missed 4-pin, this time in the seventh frame, but overall I was in good shape for another over average game. Unfortunately I also missed a 10-pin in the tenth frame to keep me under average with a 171.

I felt pretty good this week for a few reasons. One was that, like I mentioned earlier, I felt more in control of the ball. I knew where the break point was and was able to get the ball there with consistency. I anticipated the pattern breaking down and was able to successfully adjust. I was also able to control my body. I consistently hit my marks and, when I did miss, was able to quickly diagnose and correct the issue. Mainly it was that I was dropping my shoulder at the foul line, so by keeping my upper body straight at release I was able to follow through more effectively. My realization a few weeks ago that this is a learning experience, especially since we clinched last place about half way into the season, also helped a bit.

Another big reason was that I was having fun. I really like the guys we were bowling against this week, too bad it was only our second time going head to head. They were both good bowlers and had no intention of rushing through the games. We kept a steady pace and finished in under two hours, but we were the last pair to finish by an entire game. Our two teams also shared the same views on certain people and aspects of the league, but I'll air our grievances in my league recap.

So this coming Thursday is our last week for the league and the Viper pattern. I hope I can keep the momentum going for Thursday and take it into the fall league.

Week 12/Viper Recap

Game 1: 134
Game 2: 139
Game 3: 168
Game 4: 143
Series: 584
Week Avg: 146
Viper Avg: 146
Season Avg: 174

I was excited to come to bowling this week because I wanted more more crack at the Shark pattern. However, as you can see by the title of this post and the oil pattern diagram to the left, we did not bowl on the Shark as scheduled. Instead, we were informed just before practice started that we were going to start bowling on the Viper pattern a week early. I'll save my grievances with this league for my season recap, but needless to say I am now just adding to the list of reasons why I will not be bowling in this league next summer.

I like research. I feel most comfortable when I have some knowledge of the pattern I am facing and can visualize the pattern to understand why my ball reacts a certain way. During the week leading up to a new pattern, I spend some time reviewing instructional video and read all I can on how bowlers throw successfully on the new pattern. I had done all of this research back in May for the Viper on some bad information from the league president/bowling center manager (you can view that post here). My plan was to review that post before the first week on the Viper, but instead I came into this week blind.

The Viper is basically the exact opposite of the Shark. While the Shark is a long pattern with heavy oil on the outside forcing bowlers to throw deep inside with little hook, the Viper is a short pattern with light oil causing the ball to hook early. I remembered that the pattern was short, but I couldn't remember the preferred line to play. During practice I found a line that was working standing with my left foot at the 22 board and throwing at the 10 board, similar to a dry house pattern (black line on diagram).

I immediately began to fail in the first game by leaving the 4-9 and 6-7-10 splits in the second and third frames, respectively. I followed those up with a chopped 1-2-8 in the fourth. The highlight of the night came in the sixth frame when I converted the 4-7-10 split, but no one saw this great shot because they were watching Olympic women's judo. I missed a 2-4-5-8 in the seventh and 3-9 in the ninth frame to clinch a truly awful 134. The worst part about the splits during this game was that they were the result of slightly high pocket hits. Those shots didn't look like they should have been as catastrophic as they turned out to be.

The second game was more of the same, though I decided to move right a bit to standing at the 21 board and throwing at the 7 (red line on diagram). I'm not going to bore you with the details, but it didn't go well. My ball is drilled to hook a little earlier on the lane, an attribute that usually works to my advantage, but not this night. Luckily I had my old Columbia Boss Titanium with me and I decided to switch to that starting at the sixth frame. Now this ball doesn't hook as early as the Python and is a little less reactive in general, so my thought was to get this ball to hook further down the lane or at least ease the entry angle into the pocket to avoid the splits. My only miss after switching balls in the second game was an easy 8-pin and I finished with a 139.

To start the third game I moved left to try to find a little more oil in the frontend of the lane, standing at 22 1/2 and throwing at the 8 board (blue line on diagram). I hit high to leave the 4-6-7 in the second frame and missed a 5-pin in the seventh. I am missing entirely too many 5-pins lately. My only other open this game was a 1-2-9 in the ninth, but a lack of strikes kept this game to a 168.

In the fourth game I reverted back to either light pocket hits or Brooklyn shots, leaving multiple pins for many shots. I opened in four frames, including the ninth and tenth, all with seven counts on the first ball. I finished with a 143 game and a series I would have been ashamed of if I had only bowled three games, let alone the four I bowled this outing.

Now I don't mean for my lack of preparation for the Viper to sound like an excuse (though its very difficult for me to believe that, so I don't know why I expect you to). For the most part my adjustments were correct, with the exception that I never moved far enough outside, but how I started the night sabotaged the entire evening. I started by playing further inside, then moved outside, and then came back inside again.  This caused me to push through the oil too early in the night, leaving me nothing to adjust into when the lanes started grabbing really early later on. Next week I will start the evening playing closer to the gutter and as the night progresses I can move left into the oil.

Everyone was struggling, so I don't feel too bad, but I have two more weeks left in this experiment they call the PBA Experience League, and I plan to make the most of it.

Week 11/Shark Recap

Game 1: 198
Game 2: 170
Game 3: 149
Game 4: 198
Series: 715
Week Avg: 178
Shark Avg: 167
Season Avg: 177

My plan coming into the week was to try to play a line a little further right of center than I did in week 10. During practice I found a pretty good line standing with my left foot at the 24 board and throwing at the 12 board at the arrows. This allowed me a little more room for error, but missing half a board to the right still resulted in completely missing the headpin. For some extra motivation this week I bowled against the high school All-American.

The first game was pretty successful all things considered. I was in the pocket just about every frame, but left a lot of corner pins. Luckily I was on my spare game to start the night and stayed clean for the first fifteen frames of the night. I started running a little high so at the sixth frame I moved left a half board on the approach and threw three strikes in the second half of the game. In the tenth frame a high hit left the 3-9-10 split, but luckily I was able to convert to finish with a 198.

I threw a strike and a few more spares to start the second game before chopping the 6-10 in the sixth frame. I shook it off and marked my way to the tenth frame, where I opened by missing a 5-pin. I came in high the last few frames, but still made a slight adjustment for the spare and just barely missed. I finished with a 170.

The third game was another painful one. I missed a 1-2-4-10 in the second frame and opened on a 6-7 split in the fourth. I followed that up with a chopped 1-2-4 in the fifth frame, but I tried to not let it get me down. I kept telling myself this is a learning experience, figure out what is wrong and fix it. And I did. I threw great first balls the rest of the night. Unfortunately, in the eighth and tenth frames, those solid pocket hits left the 8-10 split. I adjusted in the tenth after leaving the split in the eighth by moving up a few inches, and I did hit better, but the messenger just barely missed the 8-pin before it fell into the pit. I was lucky to finish the game with a 149.

The fourth game was a lot like the first. I threw some great balls, but many were only nine counts. Along the way I did convert a 2-8-9 split, kicking the 2-pin off the left sideboard to take out the 9-pin. The only bad ball this game came in the ninth frame when I hit a little light and left the 4-6 split. I struck out in the tenth frame to score another 198.

After the last month and a half, this week was incredible. It felt great to throw two games in the 190s and my new line worked perfectly. The hardest part is being able to throw the exact same shot all night long, because  missing my mark by as little as a half inch or speeding up a little bit will result in missing the pocket. I also split the head-to-head with the cocky All-American and was competitive in every game. For the most part I had fun, though, and that was exactly what I needed.

We have one more week for me to throw a 200 game on the Shark pattern and I have thrown at least two 200s on each pattern so far. I'm also on a ten game drought without throwing over 200, so I have some more motivation for this Thursday. But I think things are starting to look up . . .

Week 10/Shark Recap

Game 1: 192
Game 2: 159
Game 3: 149
Game 4: 125
Series: 625
Week Avg: 156
Shark Avg: 156
Season Avg: 176

Take a 15lb ball 8.5" in diameter and try to roll it on a 1" wide board for a length of about 45'. Sounds pretty tough, right? Then try to do that anywhere from forty to forty-eight times in a row, all in the span of about one hour. It is pretty close to impossible, but that is the challenge I issued myself on Thursday night and I failed spectacularly.

The pattern performed exactly as advertised. Anything outside the 10 board had no chance of coming back to the pocket and missing a mark by as much as a board could result in disaster. It took some time in practice to find a line and get used to playing so far inside, but by the time practice was over I was standing at the 27 1/2 board and throwing at the 15 board, right over the third arrow from the right (see diagram).

I did pretty well for the first game, hitting the pocket every frame and, with the exception of a 7-pin in the sixth, making all of my spares. I finished that game with a 192 and a bit of confidence that maybe this pattern wouldn't be so bad. Then it began . . .

The second game brought some difficulty in hitting the pocket well. I wasn't striking as much and then I started missing my mark on top of that. I opened on the 1-2-4-5 in the sixth frame, the 2-4-5 from a light hit in the ninth frame, and the 5-7 split in the tenth frame. I finished the second game with a 159.

For the third game I tried making small adjustments, but could not find a better line to the pocket than what I started with. I started the game by chopping the 6-9 in the first and the 2-4-5 in the third. I completely missed another 7-pin in the fourth frame by missing my spare mark to the right. I managed to clean up my game slightly, making easy spares and even throwing a strike or two, but opened in the tenth again by missing the 1-8. I finished with a 149.

The last game was full of frustration, which devolved into more bad bowling. I opened on the 2-4-5-7 in the first, 3-10 split in the fourth, 3-9-10 split in the sixth, 2-4-5-8 in the seventh, 4-6 split in the eighth, and 1-5-9 in the tenth. It was awful. I was rushing my shots. I was at a loss for how to adjust, so I just did nothing. What could I do? If I moved right the ball would find the oil and not come back to the headpin. If I moved left the ball would travel through the dry area and into the oil. So I did nothing and got no results. It was as disappointing as a 125 could be.

I think my biggest error was trying to throw such a narrow line all night. The lane was playing tight and it worked for me for the first game, but after that I should have moved my body and target left. I'm not sure if the ball would have straightened enough to give me a strike, but it would have been worth a shot. Another potential move would be to stand at about the 25 board and throwing around the 12 board,which is the first board to the right that has the longest lighter oil. This would give me a little more angle into the pocket and a little more room for error. If I miss right the ball is still heading toward the headpin rather than the 3-pin and if I miss left the drier oil should bring the ball Brooklyn.

Once again I think that my equipment is not quite right for the pattern. A duller or more reactive ball would allow for some more options. I think I might try dulling my old Boss Titanium to see what type of reaction I get, but I will also be sure to clean the Python before next week.

It's gotta get better, it sure can't get any worse . . . can it?

Shark Oil Pattern

Pattern Description


At 43' in length, the Shark oil pattern is the longest of the PBA animal patterns. It is almost laid out as an inside-out house shot with lighter oil in the middle of the lane and heavier oil toward the gutters. This means that missing to the outside is not an option, as missing too far toward the gutter puts your ball into a point of no return area that leaves no chance of hitting the pocket. The layout of the oil forces bowlers to play deep inside, with the ball hooking sharply into the pocket further down the lane. Playing such a shallow angle often results in leaving the corner pins, which makes scoring on the Shark pattern medium at best.

I watched Chris Barnes throw a 300 on the Shark during the PBA tour this past season and then turn around and lose the final once the lanes began to change. His direct style of bowling was perfect on the fresher conditions, but once the pattern broke down and different lines became available, Jason Belmonte and his high rev rate were able to tear through the remaining oil and best Barnes. The takeaway: I should expect a gradual transition with more lines becoming available for those throwing high revs and more reactive balls.

Plan of Action


I think this is going to be one of the more challenging patterns for a few reasons. One is that I almost never play so far inside, so it will take some time getting used to playing in an area on the lane I rarely visit to throw strikes. Also, I tend to have difficulty consistently taking out the corners on a regular house patterns, so it will be hard for me to carry all ten pins on such a shallow angle. Once I find a line to the pocket, I hope that I will be able to make small adjustments to kick out the 7- and 10-pins. Until then spare shooting will need to be a high priority.

When I start practice this week I am going to line up with my left foot at about the 30 board and shoot at about 15 to see what type of reaction I get. I have found that over the last year I have slowed my ball speed slightly, which is going to work to my advantage on this pattern since the ball should begin to hook a little earlier. With the heavy outside oil, I can likely expect my opponents to play pretty close to my line, so I will need to be aware of the transitions and not be afraid to move my body and target left as the night progresses.

Week 9/ Scorpion Recap

Game 1: 149
Game 2: 204
Game 3: 164
Game 4: 172
Series: 689
Week Avg: 172
Scorpion Avg: 170
Season Avg: 179

I came into this week with a few goals. The first was to make sure that I am balanced at the point of release and follow through on my shots. I realized that missing my mark lately has been a symptom of not finishing my shots, which is a much bigger problem.  Another goal was to not let the uptempo pace of doubles bowling rush me once I am on the approach. I think that I was so worried about keeping up with everyone else that I wasn't concentrating enough on my decisions concerning adjustments and I was rushing to the foul line rather than bowling at my pace. Practice went amazingly well, to the point where I stopped throwing strike balls five minutes in. I had a great line set up standing at the 20 1/2 board and throwing at the 8 board (line on diagram) and was pretty confident heading into the first game.


Then the first game actually happened. While I was throwing strikes on the left lane, I left the 5-pin in the first and the 10-pin in the third and fifth frames . . . and missed them all. A high hit in the sixth frame left the 4-7-10 split and I missed yet another 10-pin in the eighth frame. It was brutal. I struck in the tenth frame, but then missed the 3-6 to finish with a 149.


To start the second game I moved back on the approach about three inches to compensate for some light hits late in the first game. I threw three strikes to start the game and then missed another 10-pin in the fourth frame.  I barely missed the 10-pin to the right each time, and moved right a bit each shot to try to correct the issue. It wasn't until after this frame that I decided to move my mark left for shots in the right corner and it worked well the rest of the night. I struck every frame on the left lane this game and covered all of my spares except for the eighth frame, where I missed the 1-2-10. I finished with a 204, which felt like my first 200 in forever.

The third game got off to another awful start, missing the 4-10 split in the first, 6-7 split in the second ans the 1-2-4-5 in the third frames. I shook off the first few frames and managed to throw decently the rest of the game, striking occasionally. In the tenth frame I left a 4-6 split giving me a 164 game.

The last game was punishment for all of the misses this week. After the first game I thought to myself that I needed to practice my spares and that I needed to throw a clean game. I just didn't expect both of these to happen at the same time. I didn't throw a single good first ball during this game; however, I managed to convert every spare, all of which consisted of anywhere from two to four pins. This was my first ever all spare game, but I really couldn't enjoy it at this point in the evening. I finished the game with a 172.

In retrospect, I should have moved my line to standing at the 21 board and throwing at the 9, but it took until the ride home to realize that. Overall I felt like I was throwing really well, but by concentrating so much on my mechanics I didn't do a very good job at reading the lanes. Hopefully I have corrected my issues with my release and finish so that I can correct this downward spiral I've been riding lately.

The bowling center purchased a new oil machine this week and they realized that they didn't have the conversion sheet for our next pattern, NCAA #4. We took a quick poll and decided that we would play the Shark pattern for the next three weeks instead. The Shark isn't the best pattern for a slumping bowler, but we'll see if I can swing a decent series or two.

Week 8/Scorpion Recap

Game 1: 168
Game 2: 180
Game 3: 142
Game 4: 152
Series: 642
Week Avg: 160
Scorpion Avg: 169
Season Avg: 180

This week just wasn't fun at all. My teammate was on vacation so it was just me against the two 18 year olds from Week 1. It was close to 100 degrees outside. I was going to have a minor procedure the next day. Practice didn't go so well and it took me all 15 minutes to find the pocket. I decided to start the first game standing at the 20 1/2 board and throwing at the 8 board (black line in diagram).

I started the first game with a few decent hits and single pin spares. In the fourth frame I chopped the 2-4-8 and then followed that up by missing the 2-pin. I struck once or twice, but then left my old friend the solid 8-10 split in the tenth frame to finish with a 168.

To start the second game I moved to the 21 board and kept throwing at the 8 board (red dotted line on diagram). It worked alright at first, but after missing a 10-pin in the sixth frame and a few light pocket hits I moved back to my initial line. I missed my mark in the eighth and opened on the 1-2-4, but managed to pick up 29 pins in the tenth to pull out a 180 game.

I blew it in the third game again, mainly out of fatigue and a lack of concentration.  I opened on the 4-6-7-10 in the third, 1-2-4-8 in the fourth, the 2-4-5 in the fifth and the 1-2-4-7 in the eighth frames. I had to change something, give myself a reason to concentrate on my release and my target, so I moved outside slightly to the 20 board and threw at about the 7 1/2 board (blue line in diagram) to try to take advantage of the increasing hook as the pattern broke down. For the most part it worked, but I only finished with a 142.

The last game started with a chopped 2-9 in the second frame. I threw a turkey after that, but then had one of the worst stretches of bowling I can remember. I missed a 7-pin in the sixth, a 10-pin in the seventh and eighth and a 6-pin in the ninth. My first balls were all in the pocket, but I was not throwing good spare balls. I finished out the game alright, but it was way too late. I finished with a 152.

I fell victim to the Scorpion this week. I missed my mark to the right a few times, something I don't normally do, and I paid the price with some ugly leaves involving the headpin. Factor in six missed single pin leaves and a few chopped double-woods and it was one awful night. It was the first time in a long long time that I left the alley feeling so miserable I didn't want to go back the following week.

But I'm not going to let the Scorpion beat me. I have one more week to show it what I can do. I've seen two different sides to this pattern: one was slow changing and consistent with my research, but the other was an ever-changing monster. A big part of this week's changing conditions was that one of my opponents was throwing a huge hook through my line, but the majority of the problem was my inconsistency. As advertised, the PBA patterns magnify the parts of your game that need improvement. I'm grateful for the confirmation of my earlier analysis, now I just need to work on correcting the problems.

Week 7/Scorpion Recap

Game 1: 177
Game 2: 201
Game 3: 163
Game 4: 174
Series: 715
Week Avg: 178
Scorpion Avg: 178
Season Avg: 183

I was excited to start a new pattern and even more excited because we were bowling against our friend Josh. His teammate carries a 219 average in his house leagues, so I was looking forward to watching how he handled himself on the lanes. The pattern performed as advertised for the most part. I was actually surprised at how much my ball reacted in the shorter backend. I started my evening with my left foot on the 20 board and throwing at the 8 board near the arrows (blue line in diagram). Although I was standing about where I did for the Cheetah pattern, I found myself throwing straighter through the frontend and relying on the increased hook in the backend to find the pocket.

Right off the bat I started the first game by missing the 1-2-4-5. I was having a little bit of a problem getting a good hit into the pocket, hitting slightly high or light which wasn't carrying like it would on a house pattern. I missed the 4-6 split in the sixth frame and chopped the 6-10 in the eighth. Late in the game I found the ball hitting high more often than not. I finished with a 177, but managed to take a point from my semi-pro competitor.

I was coming in consistently high to start the second game and I took this to mean that the first transition described in my Scorpion post was upon us. I moved my body left to the 20 1/2 board and threw at the 9 board (black line in diagram) starting in the third frame and began striking. My only open was a missed 7-pin in the eighth frame and I finished the second game with a 201.

The third game once again saw me battling accuracy issues. For the most part I was able to cover my mistakes by making my spares, but the second transition kicked in halfway through the game and amplified my errors. My high pocket hits turned into dead-on shots leaving the 6-7 split in the seventh, the 6-7-10 split in the eighth, and the 2-4-5 in the tenth frames. I was able to diagnose my problem as not staying parallel to the foul line at my release, facing slightly to the left and thus missing my mark to the left. I finished the third game with a 163.

I started the last game by moving up on the approach about six inches to avoid leaving splits from high hits. I missed an easy 2-pin in the second frame and chopped the 3-9-10 in the sixth frame, but other than that I was hitting the pocket pretty well. My biggest problem was that I wasn't able to carry the corners consistently, leaving a lot of 4- and 10-pins. I finished with a 174 game and 715 series.

Tonight was one of those nights where I bowled a bit worse than I actually felt. For the most part I wasn't throwing a bad ball, but I was a little slow to make adjustments. I have a better idea now of when to expect the lane transitions and I hope to anticipate them in the upcoming weeks. I have been on a steady decline the last few outings, so I need to pick it up and start throwing clean games or stringing some strikes together.

My opponent tried about six or seven different balls during practice and never really settled on one until the end of the first game. He threw more of an arching hook, placing the ball right over the second arrow. The ball itself was, as predicted, a duller more reactive ball. I think that because we were playing lines close to each other, even intersecting at two points, we were pushing oil back onto the other's line which resulted in less of an overall change in the pattern for us. It will be interesting to see how the pattern changes as I play against different bowlers.

Scorpion Oil Pattern

Pattern Description


The Scorpion oil pattern has a length of 41' and resembles a slicked up house pattern with copious amounts of oil in the front end. Early on the pattern is easier to read and straighter lines are preferable, but after a few frames the heavy oil will be redistributed and pushed even further down the lane. This places importance on a good practice session to find your line and also building a good foundation early in the game. Once the pattern changes, it could take some time to locate or break in a new angle, so starting off well is key. Because of the constantly changing conditions, scores on this pattern are typically low to medium.

My research has shown that there are two big transitions on this pattern. The first happens early in the evening as the heavy front end oil is carried down the lane. Lines will tighten and straighten up a bit as the backend shortens even more. After another game and a half to two games the pattern begins to break down and lines can begin to move a little further inside. Missing outside is not an option on the Scorpion as the shorter backend and heavy oil will not allow for the ball to come back to the pocket.

Plan of Action

The common theme throughout the animal patterns is learning how to read the lanes and adjusting appropriately. I cannot wait until my line is completely gone before adjusting, or else I will get left behind. At the hint of my line breaking down I need to be on the lookout for what adjustment or new line will work best. I may have to sacrifice scoring during the first week so that I can gain knowledge to help me anticipate adjustments in the other two. This pattern leaves you at the mercy of the other bowlers as much as it does your own skill because they could be pushing oil into your line, forcing you to adjust even earlier than expected.

I think that this might be the first time where my lack of a complete arsenal may hinder my performance. With such a long and oily pattern, balls that can generate a big hook will fare better in the shorter backend and allow for more possibilities as the lanes break down. I don't throw a big hook, but I might be able to get a few more revs and slow my ball speed enough to make some difference. Hopefully I can work a direct line to the pocket with enough revs on the ball to carry all ten pins.

Week 6/Cheetah Recap

Game 1: 160
Game 2: 190
Game 3: 173
Game 4: 212
Series: 735
Week Avg: 183
Cheetah Avg: 187
Season Avg: 184

I knew this week was going to be rough before throwing a single ball. After taking a look at the score sheet to see who our opponents were going to be for the night I looked up at one of the scoreboards from the next lane. Typically the screen shows advertisements for bowling specials or the alley restaurant, but this time there was a photo of a girl with a caption that said "Congratulations (name) 2012 High School All-American." The name sounded familiar and I looked back down at the score sheet . . . we were bowling against one of the top junior bowlers in the country.

Being the third week on this pattern I felt pretty confident in my line, so practice went by without incident in that regard; however, I had done some heavy lifting at work earlier in the day and after throwing my first ball my right forearm and bicep ached bad. It was difficult to extend my arm like I usually do, but I thought it loosened up quite a bit by the end of practice. I kept my same starting line from the previous two weeks, with my left foot at the 20 1/2 board and throwing at the 8 board (blue line in diagram).

The first game started with a few spares, but I was having a difficult timing getting the pins to carry.  I missed an easy 4-pin in the fourth frame and really didn't do too much better after that. I opened on a 4-7-10 split in the ninth frame and chopped the 1-2-9 in the tenth for a 160 game.

I could not consistently hit my mark, and it showed. I slowed my ball speed at the beginning of the second game in hopes that I could both improve my accuracy and get a little more hook out of the ball. Early in the game it worked well and I did throw a few strikes. I missed the 6-pin in the seventh frame and opened in the ninth frame again by missing the 6-7 split. I managed to barely get over average with a 190.

The third game was frustrating. I was missing my mark left nearly every shot, but leaving single pins for easy spares. That is until the fifth frame when I blew a 5-pin. I tried moving to standing at the 20 board and throwing at the 7 board, but my accuracy was the real issue here. Again. Unfortunately my frustration fogged my ability to think about why I was missing my mark and I convinced myself that I could just concentrate my way through the problem. After leaving the 5-6 split in the ninth frame, opening in that frame for the third straight game, I decided on two things. The first was to move only my mark to the 7 board. The second, and more important decision, was to pay attention to my delivery and release to determine why I was missing my mark. I finished the game with a 173, but finally realized what I was doing wrong.

That sore arm from practice was still lingering, I just didn't realize it. Instead, my body decided to adjust to avoid the pain. At the point of release I was dropping my right shoulder, causing my chest to point toward the 7-pin and making me miss my mark about a board to the left. At the beginning of the last game I made a conscious effort to keep my shoulders parallel to the foul line and follow through on my release. Success! I turkeyed and doubled during the game and finished with a clean 212. I also took my only points of the night from Miss All-American.

I don't mean to sound bitter or mean or anything like that, but I enjoyed beating her. I have bowled with and against some pretty great bowlers and I enjoy the competition. Most are great people who are constantly thinking through their game with an indifferent demeanor. This girl, though, was different. She was quite arrogant. Every time she threw a strike she acted like it was her first ever and that it was the best ever. I bet she's a Peter Weber fan.

As for myself, I need to keep cool and think things through a little better. I am still trying to will myself out of problems rather than diagnosing them. Missing my mark is my #1 issue, so my #1 goal needs to be to learn how to correct it. Its the same problem week in and week out. It makes for frustrated bowling and boring blog reading. Sorry.

I think I fared pretty well on the Cheetah pattern. I reviewed some video online from pro tournaments and my lines were pretty consistent with other strokers. Though it gets a bit harder from here. Next up is the long, oily Scorpion pattern and I am not quite sure that I have the right ball to be successful on those conditions, but we'll find out on Thursday.

Week 5/Cheetah Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 4/Cheetah Recap

Game 1: 187
Game 2: 199
Game 3: 156
Game 4: 224
Series: 766
Week Avg: 191
Cheetah Avg: 191
Season Avg: 184

After doing my research I expected to have to play fairly close to the gutter for most of the evening; however, practice showed that the Cheetah pattern was playing very similar to the NCAA #3 pattern from the last few weeks. By the end of practice I was standing with my left foot at the 20 1/2 board and throwing at the 8 board (solid blue line in diagram).

I was hitting the pocket fairly consistently at the start of the first game, but left single pins for spares. I struck in the fifth frame, but then chopped the 6-10 in the sixth. I stayed clean the rest of the way, even converting the 1-2-10 in the tenth frame to avoid opening in the final frame, a problem that plagued me much of last week. I finished the game with a 187.

I was still having some problems taking out all ten pins on pocket hits, so I decided to try a new line. In the third frame I moved to the 19 board and threw at the 5 board (red line in diagram), but it proved to be a bit too inconsistent and I moved back to my original line by the sixth frame. I opened once during the game and finished with a 199.

The third game was quite difficult in that just about every ball hit high or light in the pocket. I tried increasing ball speed and moving up after hitting high and moving back and moving my mark closer toward the foul line when coming in light, but nothing was able to help me achieve a good pocket hit. I opened a couple of times after missing a 10-pin and missing a split. I finished the game with a 156.

After the third game I remembered what I had said in my Cheetah pattern post earlier in the week, that the line I would play would depend on how much hook my ball can generate on its own. So to start the last game I moved my left foot to the 20 board and threw at the 8 board (teal dotted line in diagram). I also changed my thumb position from the usual 3:30 position to about 2 o'clock at the beginning of my approach, thus taking some revs off of the ball and letting it do most of the work. This seemed to give me a bit more control in the backend and the ball was finding the pocket with ease. I doubled and turkeyed during the game and finished with a clean 224.

I shot the highest game and series of the four teams that were present, so I was pretty happy with my performance. That being said, there seems to always be one game that gets away from me. I have a better idea of what type of lines and adjustments work best on this pattern, so I am looking forward to staying in control for all four games next week. We bowled a team with a vacancy, which I matched up with every game, so I am not sure how many points I took this week.

Speaking with a few guys after we finished, there was some speculation as to whether or not this pattern was  the same Cheetah from the PBA. Some of us agreed that it played differently than expected and others who had taken advantage of the pattern practice session on Monday said that the center claimed the pattern was 37' rather than 35', which does make a difference. The league isn't sanctioned, which means their lanes and oil machines are not inspected and approved by the USBC for sport league patterns. I suspect that the center uses the same PDF documents to calibrate and program their machines that you can find online by Googling the pattern names.  While these may not be the exact patterns, I think they are close enough to serve the purposes I was aiming for when joining the league. But it would be nice to know for sure that I am bowling on the same patterns as the pros for comparison's sake.

Cheetah Oil Pattern

Pattern Description

The Cheetah oil pattern has a length of 35', making it the shortest of the PBA animal named patterns. With heavy oil in the front 10' quickly changing to nothing, the ball will skid slightly before breaking early and hard. While similar in layout and only three feet shorter than the NCAA #3 pattern, the heavy front end oil of the Cheetah extends half as far down the lane, providing more room for the ball to grab. Often shots on this pattern need to flirt with the gutter before hooking toward the pocket in order to get the best entry angle to carry all ten pins. If you can play close to the gutter to avoid hooking past the pocket, scores on this pattern are typically high.

Plan of action

I don't often throw close to the gutter, but it seems that the first few patterns of this league are going to force me to become comfortable with that sort of line. One advantage I do have is that I do not typically throw a big hook, so I should be able to play a little further left of the channel than some of the other bowlers and eliminate the threat of dumping the ball in the gutter. At the same time, I cannot be afraid to put the ball out there if needed, placing a premium on my accuracy.  In the end, the line I play is going to be contingent on how much hook the ball generates on its own.

Since there isn't much oil on the lane to begin with there should be little need for adjustments to counter changing lane conditions. Once I find a line that is working well, I may have to play with hand and wrist adjustments to get the right amount of revs on the ball. The lack of oil also means that I will be looking to my plastic ball for spares including the 4-6-7-8-9-10 pins. This pattern seems to put an emphasis on repetition, which has been a weak point for me, so I think it will be great practice.

Week 3/NCAA #3 Recap

Game 1: 199
Game 2: 169
Game 3: 193
Game 4: 210
Series: 771
Week Avg: 192
NCAA #3 Avg: 181
Season Avg: 181

Coming into this week, I decided to move my mark right to about the 5 board and then adjust my body right until I found the pocket. My hope was that I could avoid most of the heavy oil and get the ball to hook earlier in the backend. This worked wonderfully and I started the first game by throwing at the 5 board and beginning my approach with my left foot on the 20 board (red line in diagram).

I started with three spares in the first game and then hit light to leave the 1-2-10, which I opened. I moved back a few inches as it seemed like the oil I was running through in the front end was beginning to carry further down the lane.  I started striking, including a turkey late in the game. In the tenth frame I left the 6-pin and missed about a finger's width to the right, blowing a 200 game. I finished the game with a 199 and took my first point on the night.

Early in the second game I missed the 10-pin just barely to the left. The rest of the game was spent picking up spares, mainly corner pins, until the tenth frame.  I hit a bit high and left the 5-10 split and could only pick off the 5-pin.  I finished the game with a 169 and gave up a point to my opponent.

The third game started with the ball continuing to run a bit high. I tried moving up on the approach, and then left a board, but to no avail. Luckily I kept picking up my spares, so I wasn't punished too much. In the fifth frame I decided to abandon the outside line and moved left to the 21 1/2 board and threw at the 9 board (green line in diagram). This new line worked great and I was getting good carry. In the tenth frame I missed my mark and hit Brooklyn and then missed the spare, opening in my third straight tenth frame and blowing my second 200 of the night.  I finished with a 193, tying my opponent for a half point.

For the first half of the fourth game I kept missing my mark, mostly to the left. I got lucky once when I completely missed the headpin, but the pin action was enough to take out the 1-2-4 from behind for a strike.  I remembered reading recently Susie Minshew's blog post on the International Art of Bowling that missing your mark is a symptom, not a problem, so I needed to find what problem was causing me to miss my mark. I noticed that I was not following through on my release earlier in the evening, and so I decided to really concentrate on following through and posting my shots.  Immediately the problem disappeared and I began to hit my mark and strike. I finished with a clean 210 game and another point for defeating my opponent. Matt also beat his opponent and we took the team game for another two.

This week I was eventually able to play further inside after the lanes began to change. By the time I wore through the light oil on my initial outside line, both bowlers on the other team had begun to play around the second arrow. They did all the work of moving the oil out of the way so that I was able to play just right of the second arrow and still get the ball to hook into the pocket.

In the end, I didn't feel that this pattern was overly challenging. While it did force me to play closer to the gutter, which is outside of my usual comfort zone, many of the problems I faced were of my own doing. Next week we begin on the PBA Cheetah pattern and I hope I don't add to the challenge by goofing up.

The Week That Wasn't

I was looking forward to trying some new things this week at league, but unfortunately I spent much of the week in the hospital with gallstones. I guess you know you are a bowler when you are sitting in a hospital bed Tuesday night trying to figure out how to convince your wife to let you go to bowling on Thursday, but I wasn't discharged until Thursday afternoon. As a result, I had to miss bowling and Matt was not able to find a sub so he was left with my 170 average for each game.

Matt bowled Josh's team and kept me informed on how the night was progressing. My average was enough to defeat Josh each game and although Matt only beat his opponent once he kept us close enough to win two team games. I'm not sure where we fell in the overall league team total points awarded in the first two weeks, but so far I think we have held our own. Matt in particular is doing really well.

So now I am even more looking forward to next Thursday and getting back out on the lanes.

Week 1/NCAA #3 Recap

Game 1: 155
Game 2: 170
Game 3: 200
Game 4: 157
Series: 682
Week Avg: 170
NCAA #3 Avg: 170
Season Avg: 170

 We get 15 minutes of practice in this league and I spent every bit of it trying to get my ball into the pocket. By the start of the first game I was standing with my left foot on the 22nd board and throwing over the 8 board at the arrows (see diagram). Even though this is a short pattern, the ball really didn't hook much until the last second.

I finally did find the pocket during the first game and was then able to adjust back a few inches on the approach to get the right pocket hit.  Unfortunately my spare shooting was not very good to start the evening and I had a few opens. I finished the game with a 155 and no points, but gained some good knowledge for the rest of the evening.

I was more consistent during the second game, but missing your mark by as much as a board meant either missing the headpin to the right or hitting the 1-2 pocket light on the left. I started to become more comfortable in shooting my spares and I realized that I could use my strike ball for corner pin pick ups. I finished the second game with a better 170. In addition, Matt and I each beat our opponents and we took points for winning the team game to even things out on the night so far.

Early in the third game I decided to lay the ball a little flatter in my hand at the beginning of my approach to get some more revs through the oil. The result was more strikes and single pin leaves. I was able to keep the third game clean and shot my first 200 in the league. I beat my opponent to pick up another point and we took the team game for an additional two, putting us in the lead going into the final game.

The fourth game was uncharted territory for me as I typically only bowl three. Factor in the extra practice time and the quick pace and I was exhausted. I started to miss my mark a bit more often and missed a few spares during the last game. I finished the game with a 157. Our opponents took advantage of their turn to change bowling order, and thus opponents, and defeated us this game and by total pinfall, leaving the final points on the night 10-7 them.  By the way, our opponents were a couple of 17 year olds.

The ball didn't react quite like I was expecting, but I adjusted to the conditions. The heavy front end oil displaced further down the lane, so the ball never broke early even on such a short pattern. Also, the pattern never really broke down, but each bowler was playing a different part of the lane so we were really only playing against ourselves in that aspect and little adjustment was needed once I found a line that worked.

One good thing is that I was immediately taken out of my comfort zone, playing further right than usual. Next week I want to try to move my mark out closer to the 5 board to see if I can get a little more movement from the ball in the back end.

NCAA #3 Oil Pattern

There is little information regarding the NCAA #3 oil pattern that I could find on the internet.  Really all that I could find was the lane conditioning PDF that bowling centers use to lay the pattern, so my observations will be based off of my week 1 experience.

NCAA #3 is a short pattern, 38' in length, but the oil that is there is extremely heavy in the front end. While you would expect the ball to move early once clearing the pattern, the oil actually lays on the ball and prevents hook until much further down the lane.

The goal here is to avoid as much of that early heavy oil as possible and getting your ball into the hook and roll at a reasonable area of the lane. Strokers and tweeners throw pretty close to the gutter on this pattern, but crankers can get away with playing further inside. As play goes on, the oil is carried further down the lane and the ball mimics the late breaking reaction caused by the heavy front end oil early on.

As I said, this description is based on my observations during one outing so if any readers have corrections or additions regarding this pattern please let me know in the comments.

The Real PBA Experience League Information

So the majority of what I thought I knew about the PBA Experience League has turned out to be incorrect. As I understand it, the league lost four teams from last year and so some changes needed to be made. Consider this a correction to and extension of my post of May 3rd.

The league is 14 weeks in duration comprised of 10 weeks of round robin play and 4 weeks of position rounds. It is a scratch doubles league consisting of six teams with four games per week against the same team on the same set of lanes. During the four games each team has two opportunities to select the head-to-head match-up of their choice. This is important because one point is awarded to the winner of each head-to-head match-up in addition to two points per team win and two points for winning team total pinfall. Each team is also awarded 1-6 points based on how their team's total pinfall ranks amongst the entire league that week.

Matt is still my doubles partner, but Bruce from the fall league was nowhere to be found. Josh, who was to be Bruce's partner, was matched up with someone else who is pretty dang good.

We will be bowling on five different oil patterns; however, not all of these are PBA patterns as predicted. The league manager said that you can go anywhere to bowl on the animal patterns and so he likes to throw in a few different looks. The pattern schedule is as follows:

Weeks 1-3: NCAA #3
Weeks 4-6: Cheetah
Weeks 7-9: Scorpion
Weeks 10-12: NCAA #4
Weeks 13-14: Viper

I still plan to post a description of each oil pattern and my plan of attack, though my predictions for the NCAA patterns, much like my initial league post, may be completely off the mark. I have already written descriptions for the two animal patterns we won't be seeing (Shark and Chameleon), so consider those bonus posts.

I think I covered all of my errors, but if you have any questions about the league just leave me a comment. It should be a good time, nonetheless.