Well I have been bowling on average 7 games a day for the past month. Sometimes less, sometimes more but they make up for it. For example I bowled 14 games today and 14 yesterday. I’ve been using the same two very aggressive balls (Polished PBA Shark and Hawg Zilla) for both heavy and light oil. I use both balls about the same amount of time with all of these days. Starting out with the hawg for heavy and moving to the skark when my line dries up.

Now here in lies my problem. I’ve had these balls for exactly a month today bowling on average 7 games a week. The longer I have them the more my scores drop. I started out averaging around 205. I have now dropped down to somewhere around 165. Now if you haven’t notice by my horrid typing skills I’m only 14. I’ve been trying to convince my parents that I need a new ball. We have talked to my local pro shop numerous times about getting a new ball and he has squashed me every time by saying that I just need to improve my skills. Now my response to this is that I’ve been bowling the exact same way I have been when I first got the ball but my ball just won’t react like it used to. I’ve already tried different coverstock alterations including sanding and rejuvenation.  My local house also really barely has heavy oil and both balls are really meant for heavy oil even though I normally bowl on med-light. I would want to buy a radical inferno. My birthday is on the 13th and it would be a perfect gift to get a new ball.

Can anyone give a nice (long if possible) explanation on why I would need a new ball?  

The thing is....ive put well over 200 games on the ball and i think it died. I tried out one of my friends ball (new ball) and even though it didnt fit I threw a 10x better game than i did with my own ball.

I just think the ball has lost its hook and its greatly screwing my average over and my parents think that since its only a month old its imposible even though ive bowled more games than most people do in 6 months!

Clean it, resurface it, bake it. If the reaction doesn't come back, your parents should realize by that time that you're not just suffering from a bad case of "newballitis"...

But try to bring your existing equipment back first. A 40 pin drop says that there's something wrong besides "worn out" equipment. If you're averaging 205, then drop - you shouldn't drop to less than around 185 - because a 185 average bowler is still picking up MOST spares.
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Our house has a summer special: from May 15th to August 15th for $179 you can bowl anytime all you want. I typically put on 14-20 games per session but have gone as high as 24. I figured I easily bowled 400 games this summer and although I did rotate equipment there were a couple balls I routinely took to almost each session ( Vapor Zone and Atomic Charge). Both of these balls are entering their second full season of use (and I bowl in 3 leagues). So, you can add on a full season of league and the additional practicing I do during the season. I can't even fathom how many games these balls have on them but I'll tell you this: they still react just as they did, or very, very close, to when I bought them.

I clean my equipment AFTER EVERY USE and have NEVER experienced dead ball syndrome. I have a Super Charge that I bought used on Ebay and it's going on it's third season. I've shot many, many leagues and tournaments with this ball (not to mention practicing) and it's still got the same punch it's always had.

So, my advice is: if you can finagle your parents into buying you a new ball then get in the habit of religiously cleaning it/ them everytime you use 'em. Don't let them sit for days after having absorbed oil. I use Isopropyl Alcohol for routine maintenance and Ultimate's Black Magic Rejuvenator or Storms Reacta Clean for more thorough cleanings.

Here, look at my "arsenal"...there's not one ball there that's "dead" and it's because I treat each one with great care because a bowling ball is an investment, not something that should be considered disposable simply because it has x amount of games on it.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9214/img4902bj8.jpg








Edited on 9/2/2006 9:46 PM

Read the reviews for any random ball.  You'll see that everyone averages higher with a brand new ball ("I shot 735 the first night in league."  "I threw another 300 after two practice sessions with this new ball.").  The 205 is not indicative of how well you really bowl.

You are bowling a lot.  A lot.  If indeed the balls are dead, you're only reinforcing bad habits by trying to make them work.  Likewise having condition-inappropriate balls.  Nevertheless, with a 165 average, you should be picking up more spares.  A lot of people don't try as hard to pick up spares in practice, or they'll only practice picking up spares, so your average during practice sessions may not be indicative of your ability.  Learn to throw what you have straighter or get a plastic ball.  There are lots of really cool looking ones out there.

SH