For me, there wasn't much of a drop off. A pin or two, but my two different averages were closer than my two in youth were. I was used to bowling on tougher conditions at tournaments, and the carrydown at one of our houses happened pretty quickly, so it prepared me for the changes. That's one of the biggest differences, going from a 3 or 4 man youth team (don't think I've ever heard of a 5 man youth league) to 5 man leagues. Track burn and carrydown become a bigger issue, especially on a league with better bowlers who hit what they're aiming at a higher percentage of the time. Picking up spares is very important. Also, if you can move up and be humble, that will go pretty far. Got a buddy that just moved up, and he's good, but really cocky. He doesn't quite get the concept of drastic lane changes and playing angles to carry. He's used to a fresh shot that doesn't change all day and spraying pins around. He's been leaving a lot of flat 10's so far and can't figure out why. Be humble and pay a LOT of attention to the better bowlers. You'd be amazed how easy it is to score on a lane that's been torn up if you're playing the right angles.
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Overdose, lethal metal level in my blood, it freely flows, embrace the pain, crush the suffering and cleanse it with the river surging through your veins.
