So I started my scratch sport league last night. I honestly don't know how people don't enjoy this. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, but so be it.

I figured I'd share my experiences with my BR friends so my insights may be of help to you if you find yourself facing a similar situation.

I haven't bowled league in years. Honestly. But the center in town was offering a sport scratch league, and those are 2 things that make me happy. So let's shoe up and see what's up.

I had just moved, and hadn't gotten myself out of storage yet, so I went to pick out some equipment to bring. Not going to mention balls by name, but by response times. This way you can use your company of choice and draw parallels.

Pattern was the long JR gold pattern from this year. 43 feet, 26 ml, 2:1 ratio. I knew this going in, so I thought to bring a fast response assym, fast response sym, medium response sym, slow response sym. No surface changes at all. (First mistake)

I stretch, get warm, my legs still feel like jelly all thru practice. Start with the fast response assym. That was a bad idea. Not enough surface, too fast downlane, felt like I had no room. Bag it.

Then I grab the high RG high diff fast response sym with 1500 polished on it. Still too fast downlane.

Then I grab the medium response sym. OK, not too jerky off the end of the pattern, but not too smooth. I'm already at 126 for the first game, let's give this a shot for second game.

(BTW, that 126 was 6 opens, 3 spares and 1 X. Make your spares, kids)

I take the medium response ball, struggle bus to a 179 second game. Meanwhile, my whole team is using charcoal.

End of second game, medium response ball starts to get a little too slow downlane, so back to the fast response sym. Now, I actually had some hold and shot 198 with back to back opens.

What did we learn from this, friends?

1. I need surface on the fresh. No ifs ands or buts.

2. I need to play further right to start so I don't shimwreck myself.

3. I need to learn to control change of direction with my hand downlane. (This has always been a big issue for me.)

If anyone would like to know the balls I used, please feel free to ask, but I didn't do this as an advertisement. This is more of a PSA.

Certainly know those feelings,  I don't live near a center that hosts a Sport pattern league anymore, but occasionally make it back up to Mardi Gras in Dekalb to sub on their Thursday night league. It's usually a humbling experience, but I always seem to have more fun and get more excited for the next time I get to bowl after bowling on a sport pattern, whether it goes well or not.

I love it.

Even though I've hit my nationals goal 2x, had a year I didn't but could still live with, and 3 absolute meltdown atrocities of a tournament on the lanes..............I still love reveling in the difficulty.  To me it means it's "real".  I do not shy away from it.

I simply see it as, in a sense.........you earn what you keep relatively speaking.  I'm more proud of shooting 600 on something 1.5:1 AS OPPOSED TO shooting 760 on a carry contest type pattern.  I just see it that way.  That's not to take anything at all away from anyone else's experience or good time........but that's how I view it with regard to myself.  That 600 on a masters pattern is a greater achievement than blowing the back out of the building on an easier THS (noting that all THS' aren't the same.  I get that). 

Agree OP with surface on the fresh.  Approaching something 43 ft and similar to what you were on, I'd go with the following to give you an idea of how I view a sport bag.

Fresh looks:
Phaze II
IQ Tour Solid
Storm Physix

Transition (not like Caitlyn) stuff:
IQ Emerald Shiny

But, that's just me.
Idol Pearl
HCF

You don't have to bait. I'm transparent!

Sport shot really allow you to see the difference in each ball. I think house shot blends out ball difference, so many sort of look the same.

Sport show allows for different angles to be played on same pattern.

Houseshot, the whole outside is basically stripped, you just are just flinging it out to breakpoints, playing about same line. So even if your different balls reacts differently, you are still looking for the one that plays the same house shot track area the best.





They make so many different balls, with high low rg, diff, pear, hybrid, solid, non-reactive so we can have these arsenels and then 99.9% of bowling is on the same house shot. 

Thanks for the update. Glad you’re enjoying it, shows lower scores don’t always equate to disappointment. Challenging yourself is what it’s really about.

Good luck on the new pattern.

damn old man, its "staying woke" not "being woke"

Thanks for the update. Glad you’re enjoying it, shows lower scores don’t always equate to disappointment. Challenging yourself is what it’s really about.

Good luck on the new pattern.

 
There is another aspect of disappointment here. Once you do a sport pattern league, things never seem the same. Any illusions you have about being a skilled bowler based on THS scores get crushed. The experience exposes all your flaws, and can kill any ambitions about achieving great things.
 
Svstar34 can tell you about how sport shots are a reality check -- especially the Sphynx pattern he's currently bowling on. To his credit, he's had his moments. But for others in the league, it's hard to watch 230 avg THS bowlers confront the reality of their performance. It's painful.