Masters Recap
Hello Everyone,
This week we were back in Las Vegas for the second time in three weeks for the Masters. This year, we bowled in the convention center that is used for Nationals for the first time in many years. I think the last time I bowled in the convention center had to be back around 1999. We were in Syracuse then.
It was nice to be back in a large venue for the next of four majors. The first thing that stood out to me was that the building was much smaller than some of the places that I remembered bowling in before. There is much less space for spectators, and the area with all the booths is a little tighter to get around in. There is definitely a lot of stuff fit into a small area. It still looked good, and I think everyone should enjoy the trip. The baseball field is connected to the complex, so depending on what time of year you come out, you might be able to catch a game as well.
We had an optional practice session on Sunday morning. When we bowled in Milwaukee, I always made the trip up to get a feel for what we might be up against. There was a feeling that the tournament came up faster than expected, and a lot of work was still being done even while we were bowling. Everything from laying carpet, to painting, and construction was still being done while we bowled.
There was one significant difference in this tournament from the rest of the season. The lanes were done by Kegel, using their machine, and their oil. I’m not going to lie. I’ve been looking forward to this tournament all season for this reason alone. We’ve been seeing a fair amount of inconsistencies every squad this year, and I was curious as to whether the lanes would hold up better with a different machine. As it turns out, I thought we had more consistency this week than we’ve seen all season so far.
The lanes had some friction on them, and I was able to use everything from an Nkryption Code to the Break. I was really just trying to get a feel for the lanes, and see if there was anything unusual to worry about. I was scheduled for B squad for the tournament, which meant I had to bowl on the leftover from A squad first. After last week’s disaster in L.A., I wanted to make sure I was better prepared.
The practice session the next day was similar to Sunday. There was more hook on the lanes since A squad had bowled already. It was looking like we were going to be somewhat deeper on the lane to start. I was able to use a Villain, and a Heist to get the ball down the lane. I looked at a black Break, and a Break S75 as well. I was ready to get in and try to stay ahead of the transition in my first block.
The next morning, I watched a few games of A squad, and it looked like we were going to start fairly deep. There was a mix of good and bad scores all over the place. It looked like everyone started everywhere, and nothing really developed. I chose the black Break to start, and tried to keep a soft hand, and cut the angle through the front quicker. I started well, but got into trouble quick, and ended up changing to the Villain, and moving closer to the track to bail out a 190 start.
The next game, I felt like I was fishing a little, and ended up settling on the Heist. I stayed around the track area, and kept creeping left every few shots to try to stay ahead of the change. The next few games were better, bowling in the 230’s. The scores weren’t great, so I just wanted to keep grinding away. I bowled a small 200 game in the fourth game, and went back down to the low end for the last game. Five game blocks go fast, and it feels more like a sprint. You really can’t afford to bowl a bad game without feeling like you really have to catch up. The last pair hooked a lot more, and I got into trouble early. I doubled in the middle of the game but couldn’t manage another one, and had to settle for a 190 last game, putting me around 60 over.
There were going to be a lot of bowlers that made the first cut, so I felt good about being ahead of the cash number, but I knew that I needed to bowl well the next day to get into good position for the finals. I had drilled up a new Break Point for the fresh, and I was hoping to use it the next day.
The next morning, we bowled at 8am on the fresh. The Break Point matched up great. I started strong with a game in the 230s, and a 279. This ball was doing a great job of getting through the front, but still rolling hard through the pins. I ended up bowling 190 over for the block, and moved into the top 10 after the day was up. I think our squad did a better job playing the lanes as far as where we started. Some of the bowlers in the back that were watching said it looked like more bowlers stayed farther right early in the block, and that helped the lanes transition smoother.
After a good morning squad the previous day, I was looking forward to the cash cut round. I was hoping to have a similar look to start. I used the same Break Point from the day before, and bowled a solid 230 game to start. The next pair however was much different. Of all the bowlers on the next pair, not one of them threw a ball right of third arrow the whole first game. This made the middles hook more, and outside seem a little tighter. I was able to grind out a small 200 game. The next game was more of the same battle to hit the pocket, and I only managed a 180 game. At this point, I was still in good shape to make match play, and just needed to basically stay clean. I switched balls a few times, settling on a Black Break, and bowled 224. My last game however was in the 160s, and even though I easily made the cut, I was a little concerned over the next round in the finals.
My first match was against Robert Gotchall. We both started close to the same zone, around 15 trying to keep it around 7-8 at the break point. I started with a Black Break, and was able to build a small lead through the 8th frame. Robert was struggling with carry. I had a chance to end the first game with a good lead but threw it terrible, and split the tenth. I think I could have had a 20 or 30 pin lead, but erased it to just a handful with one shot. The next game was more of the same. Neither one of us was able to strike much, and once again, with a chance to build up a lead, I went through the middle for a split. Now, going into the last game, instead of a little cushion, I was needing to bowl well to stay in the winner’s bracket. Robert started striking, and a 7-10 at the worst time put me right into the loser’s bracket. This was going to make it a long tournament for me. Now, I’m going to be involved in every round if I’m going to make the show.
My next match was against Patrick Allen, on the pair next to the one I just bowled on. I was watching the Jeff Carter/Nathan Bohr match while I was bowling the first match, and it didn’t look pretty. McCune, and Rash bowled on in right before me, and it didn’t look any better. My best chance was to use as weak of a ball as I could, and not give the pocket away at all. P.A. had a little better look than I did, but I managed to stay within 30 pins after one game. The whole match up to now, I was going back and forth between a Heist, a Villain, and an Orbit Xtreme. I was using the Heist toward the last part of game two. What happened in the ninth probably changed the whole outcome of the match. I was on a double, still trailing the current game by around 10 or 20. My next shot hooked at the foul line, and went through the nose leaving a 3-6-10. I turned around frustrated at what to do next, and looked up and saw a full rack. The 10 fell forward into the 6, and 3 for a strike. I struck out in the tenth, and basically had one shot turn a double into a 6 bagger. P.A. split the tenth, and I went from trailing by 20 to leading the match by 20. I went to the Orbit Xtreme, and bowled a solid game to win the match. It’s amazing how just one thing can turn the whole match around. I felt lucky to skate by, but I knew there was a lot of work left.
My next match was against Chad Kloss immediately. This pair hooked even more than the last one, and even the Orbit didn’t look good from out. I was pretty much going through the catalog one by one trying to find something that would give ma a decent look. I was able to stay close in this match, too. I think I was trailing by less than 20 going into the last game. I ended up going to a Break S75, and moving way in to around the fifth arrow, and trying to let it just fall off my hand with as little hit as I could get. It worked, and I started with a spare and a five bagger to erase the deficit. I ended up just needing a mark in the tenth, and after a solid eight, and a little guess as to where to throw it, I made it to the next round.
The next match was early the next morning. I had to bowl Tom Hess. He’s been bowling really well this half, and is in contention for the high non exempt point race. This match was as much strategy as it was execution. This one seemed to be more of a contest as to which one of us could play where we wanted to. I had a pretty good look between 8 and 12, and I think that was where the pattern seemed to be set up for. Tommy was going to play around 15 to 20 with a fairly dull ball. The start of the match was close to what I had all week. I was able to use the Break Point, and let it roll up to the pocket. After about 4 frames or so, I saw a really quick transition in the way the lanes broke down. I think this was from both of our shots criss crossing through the front. In the end, Tommy carved out enough of the lane to force me to jump in to where he was. I trailed the first game by 30 pins or so, and I lost a few shots in the middle of the game by not making large enough moves to get left of the friction. The next game, I stayed with the Break Point, and started to chip into the lead until a 7-10 in the tenth kept me 30 pins back. For the last game, I knew I needed a big game, and some help from Hess to win the match. I went to a Mega Friction with box finish, and stayed aggressive. It was paying off for me, and started with a ring 10, and the next 8 in a row. Tom was bowling at a 250 pace until the ninth and tenth. A couple of spares from him, and now I needed to finish the game off to advance. Needing the first hit to win, I threw a really good shot, and rung a 10. I now needed to strike on the last shot to tie the match, and bowl a one game roll off. I wanted to make sure the shot got around the corner, but missed it at the bottom, and lost the match by 3 pins.
The week was pretty good. I thought the lanes were demanding, but score- able. The next tournament is the plastic ball tournament, and the start of a string of tournaments that will feature a different format each week until the end of the season. It should be interesting.
Thanks,
Steve
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900 Global/AMF Sales Manager
