BallReviews
General Category => USBC Tournament => Topic started by: n00dlejester on March 08, 2023, 03:33:10 PM
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Hello fellow bowling sadists! This year's tournament is already underway, with a 3200+ out the gate.
I'm going to make two threads (for the 9 of us still on these boards) to keep a sort of timeline for the tournament. This thread will be for all things bowling related – Teams, doubles, singles, practice sessions, the Journal, the BTM, the expo center, etc. If you have anything you'd like to share, let 'er rip.
And a mighty big GOOD LUCK to all of us making the schlep to lovely Reno, NV. I look forward to seeing the Stadium again.
[Note: the other thread will be all things non-bowling related https://www.ballreviews.com/usbc-tournament/2023-nationals-thread-all-other-things/ (https://www.ballreviews.com/usbc-tournament/2023-nationals-thread-all-other-things/). You know, the actually fun stuff :P]
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My group bowls Memorial Day weekend. May 27th and 28th.
Since I live a day trip away from Reno, we will head up to bowl the Bowlers Journal a couple of times before then.
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My group bowls Memorial Day weekend. May 27th and 28th.
Since I live a day trip away from Reno, we will head up to bowl the Bowlers Journal a couple of times before then.
Oh very nice! That's always good experience. The year it was in Syracuse, I was able to bowl the Journal early, and watch a Team squad. It was supremely useful - scored my best that year.
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Unfortunately my 2 teams bowed out this year. Out of our 10 guys, 3 of them decided against Reno because of the travel costs and one guy has a new job and only could bowl on weekends to minimize PTO.
We punted and used our registration money from this year to already book spots for Vegas 24.
I have never bowled at the Stadium and as a lefty I was looking forward to it. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Good luck to everyone else.
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I bowl March 27th and 28th. After watching the USBC provided videos on Facebook and seeing the big early scores, IMO the patterns look soft again so I will be taking the same setup as last year.... Axiom at 3K, Axiom Pearl at 1K polished, and a spare ball.
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I bowl March 27th and 28th. After watching the USBC provided videos on Facebook and seeing the big early scores, IMO the patterns look soft again so I will be taking the same setup as last year.... Axiom at 3K, Axiom Pearl at 1K polished, and a spare ball.
How's it looking so far? I've only seen one video with a dude pitching one way right and it came back AND carried, plus two better shots.
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I bowl March 27th and 28th. After watching the USBC provided videos on Facebook and seeing the big early scores, IMO the patterns look soft again so I will be taking the same setup as last year.... Axiom at 3K, Axiom Pearl at 1K polished, and a spare ball.
How's it looking so far? I've only seen one video with a dude pitching one way right and it came back AND carried, plus two better shots.
A video was posted a day or 2 ago for a Doubles Standard team that shot well.
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My group is bowling May 4th & 5th. This will be my LAST unfortunately after 19 years. The USBC fined me $50 for dropping a team, which wasn't my fault at all, guys just backed out.
The other thing, and I know it's been beaten to death, is the 2024 returns to South Point. So 4 out of 6 years will be in that place...sorry, I'm out.
Thirdly, our group enjoyed the 40 Frame Game and that's not being held in Reno either. Two years running now, something's wrong with their "relationship" with the USBC.
I'll probably miss national, but hey, I can invest that $2K for travel expenses, entry and bowl quite a few local-type events.
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My group is bowling May 4th & 5th. This will be my LAST unfortunately after 19 years. The USBC fined me $50 for dropping a team, which wasn't my fault at all, guys just backed out.
The other thing, and I know it's been beaten to death, is the 2024 returns to South Point. So 4 out of 6 years will be in that place...sorry, I'm out.
Thirdly, our group enjoyed the 40 Frame Game and that's not being held in Reno either. Two years running now, something's wrong with their "relationship" with the USBC.
I'll probably miss national, but hey, I can invest that $2K for travel expenses, entry and bowl quite a few local-type events.
Is the issue with the Forty Frame game with USBC or the management of the Forty Frame game? I suspect the latter. It used to be packed and the wife of the couple who own it was onsite the entire tournament. The last couple of times, they just hired a couple of local kids who didn't give a hoot about it.
I don't think Southpoint would allow it on location so they had to host somewhere else. At the stadium, it used to be on the first floor which was nice.
I have not heard where the BTM will be, but you can bet that Rick and his wife will be somewhere in town. Probably at Coconut bowl in Sparks.
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I have not heard where the BTM will be, but you can bet that Rick and his wife will be somewhere in town. Probably at Coconut bowl in Sparks.
Yep, they are there
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My group is bowling May 4th & 5th. This will be my LAST unfortunately after 19 years. The USBC fined me $50 for dropping a team, which wasn't my fault at all, guys just backed out.
The other thing, and I know it's been beaten to death, is the 2024 returns to South Point. So 4 out of 6 years will be in that place...sorry, I'm out.
Thirdly, our group enjoyed the 40 Frame Game and that's not being held in Reno either. Two years running now, something's wrong with their "relationship" with the USBC.
I'll probably miss national, but hey, I can invest that $2K for travel expenses, entry and bowl quite a few local-type events.
Is the issue with the Forty Frame game with USBC or the management of the Forty Frame game? I suspect the latter. It used to be packed and the wife of the couple who own it was onsite the entire tournament. The last couple of times, they just hired a couple of local kids who didn't give a hoot about it.
I don't think Southpoint would allow it on location so they had to host somewhere else. At the stadium, it used to be on the first floor which was nice.
I have not heard where the BTM will be, but you can bet that Rick and his wife will be somewhere in town. Probably at Coconut bowl in Sparks.
https://40framegame.com/ffg-usa-lasvegas-nevada/
Sounds like a little of both perhaps.
And yes, the last time it was held in Las Vegas (The Orleans, I think) it wasn't very well organized at all.
We liked it because after bowling the USBC Open, it seemed like you had a phone book of margin after needing to hit a 50 cent piece lol.
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It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
Bowlers Journal is still there of course, probably because of Storms involvement.
BTM is a shell if its former self and there was a second tournament called the 123 which I don't think exists anymore.
With at many bowlers in one place, it seems that the local alleys would take advantage of it.
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It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
Bowlers Journal is still there of course, probably because of Storms involvement.
BTM is a shell if its former self and there was a second tournament called the 123 which I don't think exists anymore.
With at many bowlers in one place, it seems that the local alleys would take advantage of it.
Right...I liked it when the 40 FG was at High Sierra Lanes in Reno. Then they moved it to the downstairs at the stadium. I wonder if this "relationship" that went sour has to do with money sharing with the USBC.
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It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
Bowlers Journal is still there of course, probably because of Storms involvement.
BTM is a shell if its former self and there was a second tournament called the 123 which I don't think exists anymore.
With at many bowlers in one place, it seems that the local alleys would take advantage of it.
Right...I liked it when the 40 FG was at High Sierra Lanes in Reno. Then they moved it to the downstairs at the stadium. I wonder if this "relationship" that went sour has to do with money sharing with the USBC.
High Sierra only has 24 lanes and they have leagues, so it may not be feasible for them. There used to be a house on Keystone, but it's closed now. The next closest bowling alley is in Sparks and most bowler probably aren't willing to go that far. Somehow Rick makes it work for the BTM though.
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It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
Bowlers Journal is still there of course, probably because of Storms involvement.
BTM is a shell if its former self and there was a second tournament called the 123 which I don't think exists anymore.
With at many bowlers in one place, it seems that the local alleys would take advantage of it.
Right...I liked it when the 40 FG was at High Sierra Lanes in Reno. Then they moved it to the downstairs at the stadium. I wonder if this "relationship" that went sour has to do with money sharing with the USBC.
High Sierra only has 24 lanes and they have leagues, so it may not be feasible for them. There used to be a house on Keystone, but it's closed now. The next closest bowling alley is in Sparks and most bowler probably aren't willing to go that far. Somehow Rick makes it work for the BTM though.
With Reno being Reno and most people taking taxis or rideshares to the hotel/casinos, it puts a lot of other places that could hold it out of reach, or out of cheap/inexpensive reach.
Good example: Grand Sierra could hold it as it isn't too far from the Stadium, and closer than both High Sierra and Coconut Bowl.. But also, while it is further out, Gold Dust West could hold it, but that's a 20-30something minute drive down to Carson City.
BL.
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It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
It's too bad they won't have the Forty Framer. We keep losing tournaments that used to be available at or near the USBC Open Championships.
Bowlers Journal is still there of course, probably because of Storms involvement.
BTM is a shell if its former self and there was a second tournament called the 123 which I don't think exists anymore.
With at many bowlers in one place, it seems that the local alleys would take advantage of it.
Right...I liked it when the 40 FG was at High Sierra Lanes in Reno. Then they moved it to the downstairs at the stadium. I wonder if this "relationship" that went sour has to do with money sharing with the USBC.
High Sierra only has 24 lanes and they have leagues, so it may not be feasible for them. There used to be a house on Keystone, but it's closed now. The next closest bowling alley is in Sparks and most bowler probably aren't willing to go that far. Somehow Rick makes it work for the BTM though.
With Reno being Reno and most people taking taxis or rideshares to the hotel/casinos, it puts a lot of other places that could hold it out of reach, or out of cheap/inexpensive reach.
Good example: Grand Sierra could hold it as it isn't too far from the Stadium, and closer than both High Sierra and Coconut Bowl.. But also, while it is further out, Gold Dust West could hold it, but that's a 20-30something minute drive down to Carson City.
BL.
You are correct, I forgot about the Bowling lanes at GSR. The is a reasonable distance from downtown.
Gold Dust West is further than that actually. Even with the new freeway (395 is now a freeway all the way from Reno through Carson City), it's at least 45 minutes from downtown. IF you time it right and don't hit traffic in Reno on 80 or 395.
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Chiming in as a 10th person that still pops on this forum ;D
My group bowls the 25-26th of March, so in two weeks. Got a few buddies out there this weekend, curious to hear their feedback as there is a few really good players in their group.
Cost scared a few people away on our group, but we have a gentleman going to his 55th consecutive event so a few decided to go this year that haven't been in a while.
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We'll be there May 29-30. It will be my first time in the stadium, a bucket-list item that became even more crucial to check off this year because I'll (hopefully) be finished with chemo/radiation by then for cancer I didn't know I had when my family decided to attempt this.
By "attempt this," I mean driving cross-country with my wife and 9-year-old for a combo bowling/sightseeing event that's going to take three weeks overall.
I'll probably bowl Baton Rouge in a couple of years but this may be the only time I get to go west like this, and especially bowl in the stadium. Between the logistics of it all, and getting older, I probably don't have a lot of truly competitive years left in me, so there's a lot of emotions/memories riding on the outcome of this one.
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We bowl March 26 27. got 2 teams from fresno ca. It will be nice to go back to Reno.
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JessN16, wishing you all the best on your treatment and that you'll have some great bowling scores at the stadium.
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JessN16, wishing you all the best on your treatment and that you'll have some great bowling scores at the stadium.
Thanks!
Also, a question for anyone who knows: I know they've renovated/changed the bowlers' area of the stadium, so where can my wife and son sit/stand to watch me bowl?
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Plenty of room behind the bowlers area now Jess. They just need to claim their spot early.
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My single team bowls May 23rd with doubles/singles on the 24th. I am in need of a bowler for team/doubles/singles/all-events and another bowler for singles/doubles. So, if your team has dropped out, there are still options open. You will need to pay me the entry fee for these spots, if interested.
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Looks like I will be going this year after all. Another local group had 2 folks drop, and I was asked to join. Can't wait to shoot 450 again!
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I'm looking at the subs board around the 2nd or 3rd week of June, as my kids and I have our end of year sweepers at Coconut Bowl for our Jr/Adult travel league at that time. Looking at some of the clips I've seen, I'm half tempted to see what's open and pick up a spot. Last time I was at the stadium was 10 years ago, so it would be good to have a go at it again.
BL.
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Just got back from bowling out there.
Settee area is brutal for team, the furniture makes it really tight and a real pain for practice time for team event, and with how slow the racks are you are climbing over each over trying to get your practice shots in. That said there's a ton of space behind the seating and it's fine when you aren't pushing to practice.
Team event plays similar to last year, won't be surprised if 3500 hits this year, pattern felt similar to last year, start outside a bit and then move in faster than you think you'll need to, last game is wide open with cleaner shell balls in the middle of the lane. I found myself not moving, or only 2 and 1's when 5 and 2's were needed, definitely feels like fire oil used again.
Doubles and Singles is much harder this year, it's get able, but it's one of those medium-shorter patterns where there is an illusion of the gutter playing but it doesn't really, so developing a hook spot and moving in to it is how McNeil and Vermilya's groups attacked it and scored well. Balls that lock up and go forward downlane in Doubles and Singles are really needed on the fresh, pattern feels very flat. It'll breakdown pretty quick and develop, and by end of singles it'll be playing from pretty in for most people.
I bowled like a toe, behind the moves, way too many splits and missed a few makables so had a very forgettable 1703 all events. Found my Primal Shock fine on fresh, Black Venom really good in Doubles and Singles when they started to break down a bit, and both in team and doubles singles found myself in a Ripcord Launch because it was hard to get anything with any surface to the breakpoint with how fast the patterns broke down.
Bowlers Journal lanes hook a million, and gutter is in play a bit there, pros with urethane are probably going to crush it.
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Thanks for the update.
Interesting the Journal lanes hooked as much as they did. Does the lower end of the Stadium hook more no matter what?
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Thanks for the update.
Interesting the Journal lanes hooked as much as they did. Does the lower end of the Stadium hook more no matter what?
This brings up another question.. they didn't swap out the lanes during the remodel, did they?
BL.
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When the stadium was new the low end was generally considered to be better scoring than the high end. Not sure whether they are on second or third set of lanes. I had my best all events on the high end but caught one pair that was tough.
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Thanks for the update.
Interesting the Journal lanes hooked as much as they did. Does the lower end of the Stadium hook more no matter what?
This brings up another question.. they didn't swap out the lanes during the remodel, did they?
BL.
Talked to Jeff Richgels about it and best info we have says before the 2016 OC was last time lanes were replaced.
And there is a talk that the low end hooks more as a general characteristic of the stadium.
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Just got back from bowling out there.
Settee area is brutal for team, the furniture makes it really tight and a real pain for practice time for team event, and with how slow the racks are you are climbing over each over trying to get your practice shots in. That said there's a ton of space behind the seating and it's fine when you aren't pushing to practice.
Team event plays similar to last year, won't be surprised if 3500 hits this year, pattern felt similar to last year, start outside a bit and then move in faster than you think you'll need to, last game is wide open with cleaner shell balls in the middle of the lane. I found myself not moving, or only 2 and 1's when 5 and 2's were needed, definitely feels like fire oil used again.
Doubles and Singles is much harder this year, it's get able, but it's one of those medium-shorter patterns where there is an illusion of the gutter playing but it doesn't really, so developing a hook spot and moving in to it is how McNeil and Vermilya's groups attacked it and scored well. Balls that lock up and go forward downlane in Doubles and Singles are really needed on the fresh, pattern feels very flat. It'll breakdown pretty quick and develop, and by end of singles it'll be playing from pretty in for most people.
I bowled like a toe, behind the moves, way too many splits and missed a few makables so had a very forgettable 1703 all events. Found my Primal Shock fine on fresh, Black Venom really good in Doubles and Singles when they started to break down a bit, and both in team and doubles singles found myself in a Ripcord Launch because it was hard to get anything with any surface to the breakpoint with how fast the patterns broke down.
Bowlers Journal lanes hook a million, and gutter is in play a bit there, pros with urethane are probably going to crush it.
Great update, themagician. I've heard similar anecdotes about the patterns - a medium team pattern and one of those false short patterns for S/D. 1700+ ain't bad on the tough stuff!
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Thanks for the update.
Interesting the Journal lanes hooked as much as they did. Does the lower end of the Stadium hook more no matter what?
This brings up another question.. they didn't swap out the lanes during the remodel, did they?
BL.
Talked to Jeff Richgels about it and best info we have says before the 2016 OC was last time lanes were replaced.
And there is a talk that the low end hooks more as a general characteristic of the stadium.
I'm not sure if this is still the case but originally, the center of the stadium was the "high spot" so lanes on the low side tended to hook more for righties and be easier than the high side. Lefties always had the nut at the stadium.
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If anyone is interested, you can see the tendencies of your assigned lanes using the topography reports.
https://bowl.com/getmedia/654b6821-8f62-4755-b713-05abd0f76e95/nbs_topography17-78.pdf (https://bowl.com/getmedia/654b6821-8f62-4755-b713-05abd0f76e95/nbs_topography17-78.pdf)
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If anyone is interested, you can see the tendencies of your assigned lanes using the topography reports.
https://bowl.com/getmedia/654b6821-8f62-4755-b713-05abd0f76e95/nbs_topography17-78.pdf (https://bowl.com/getmedia/654b6821-8f62-4755-b713-05abd0f76e95/nbs_topography17-78.pdf)
Good stuff! TY for this, the topography looks much better than South Point
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Anybody have any insights into balls that perform well out there?
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Anybody have any insights into balls that perform well out there?
I'm going to bowl the BJI this weekend, so I should have an idea of Doubles and Singles. People I have talked to that already went have all said Team is pretty much the same as last year.
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Anybody have any insights into balls that perform well out there?
I'm going to bowl the BJI this weekend, so I should have an idea of Doubles and Singles. People I have talked to that already went have all said Team is pretty much the same as last year.
Sounds good, milo -- bowl well!!
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Milo when are your squad times? I’m getting in Sunday hoping to bowl the bj that day. We bowl events Monday and Tuesday.
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Milo when are your squad times? I’m getting in Sunday hoping to bowl the bj that day. We bowl events Monday and Tuesday.
We are bowling the BJ only this weekend. 12:30 and 2:30 squads. I live a "day trip" away from Reno, so we be heading back home after bowling. We don't bowl the Open until May 27th and 28th.
If you want to bowl the BJ, especially on a weekend, you might want to register on bowl.com as the premium times can fill up with walk-ins.
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Know a big group that went this past weekend with some good bowlers.
They had a high 600/low 700 look for the BJ and in team on the low end.(17-30) D/S was a whole different story for them, significantly tougher. They were in the 50s for D/S.
There were a couple that got to 1900+ for AE, one is a senior who plays pretty straight as well. The other is pretty good at trapping the ball in, which did the best in singles
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I enjoy reading the posts. However, what does “trapping the ball in“ mean?
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Milo when are your squad times? I’m getting in Sunday hoping to bowl the bj that day. We bowl events Monday and Tuesday.
We are bowling the BJ only this weekend. 12:30 and 2:30 squads. I live a "day trip" away from Reno, so we be heading back home after bowling. We don't bowl the Open until May 27th and 28th.
If you want to bowl the BJ, especially on a weekend, you might want to register on bowl.com as the premium times can fill up with walk-ins.
Hey Milo, how'd the BJI go?
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I'm there now, bowling Monday and Tuesday.
Punched a fresh IQ tour solid, and a fresh renevant.
I'll have some insight if anyone wants it.
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Bowled last week, twas a grind for sure. Blue Tank and Paragon were a good 1-2 punch for me. Had a good look G1 with the Blue Tank playing direct up 8, then could not carry in game 2. G3 went to Paragon, moved 4&2 right (as a lefty) and that was the right move. As a team we shot 2880, hoping to cash (in regular division) but I'm not sure that will be good enough.
D/S was a grind. Relied mostly on spare shooting and we posted an 1163. Felt like I had no strike pocket at all and just tried to keep it in play, basically between 8&10. Paragon was too responsive off the spot so had to mostly use the Tank. Hoping our score is good enough to cash with how brutal that pattern was. My doubles partner especially had a brutal teams & singles but squeaked out 600s in the doubles and in the BJ.
Singles was kind of the same story. Interestingly enough my roommate for the week and I were both 358 after 2 in singles. He bowled 208, I squeaked out a 236. Those 28 pins are the difference in being 846th right now in singles as opposed to 1584th. What I did the last game of singles is got a little bit inside of 2nd arrow and used the Paragon. Had to really be soft with the speed but not too soft. I found a 5 bagger and a clean game to finish off the tournament. I'm going to be pissed if it's 600+ to cash in singles again.
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I'm there now, bowling Monday and Tuesday.
Punched a fresh IQ tour solid, and a fresh renevant.
I'll have some insight if anyone wants it.
Bowl well, Billdozer! Give 'em hell
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Bowled last week, twas a grind for sure. Blue Tank and Paragon were a good 1-2 punch for me. Had a good look G1 with the Blue Tank playing direct up 8, then could not carry in game 2. G3 went to Paragon, moved 4&2 right (as a lefty) and that was the right move. As a team we shot 2880, hoping to cash (in regular division) but I'm not sure that will be good enough.
D/S was a grind. Relied mostly on spare shooting and we posted an 1163. Felt like I had no strike pocket at all and just tried to keep it in play, basically between 8&10. Paragon was too responsive off the spot so had to mostly use the Tank. Hoping our score is good enough to cash with how brutal that pattern was. My doubles partner especially had a brutal teams & singles but squeaked out 600s in the doubles and in the BJ.
Singles was kind of the same story. Interestingly enough my roommate for the week and I were both 358 after 2 in singles. He bowled 208, I squeaked out a 236. Those 28 pins are the difference in being 846th right now in singles as opposed to 1584th. What I did the last game of singles is got a little bit inside of 2nd arrow and used the Paragon. Had to really be soft with the speed but not too soft. I found a 5 bagger and a clean game to finish off the tournament. I'm going to be pissed if it's 600+ to cash in singles again.
Great shooting! And thanks for the insights, svengali. I hear S/D is tricky as could be. I fly out on Tuesday, should be a good time.
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I just returned from Reno, didn't bowl great, didn't totally stink except for 2 games.
Team event 158-205-172. Used a TNT initially. My group isn't all star caliber (neither am I lol) but we did attempt to "break 'em down" in warmups. I ended up switching out of the TNT to the IQ Tour at the end of G1 which was a good move. I was erratic at the start of G1. Bowled a clean 205, then 2 tugs cost me in G3 and split both times for 172.
D & S- well again my G1 was horrible...picked the wrong ball (3D Offset Blazing Violet). I was too far left and washed out 4 times, and a 2-8-10. 127 UGH. Moved back right with my feet, used the IQ Tour again, squared up to 10 and looked downlane at the range finder...much much better with a 219-187. Split the 1st 3 frames of Singles, ended up 162, then continued to migrate left, went back to the 3D BV and finished 214-210.
So poor ball choices and honestly a bit of nerves got me the 1st 2 games each day. Overall, I thought I hung in there and bowled way way better than the recent trips to South Point. Missed 3 makeable spares in 9 games,of course that's dumb, but not awful. D & S isn't nearly as bad as advertised IMHO...just try to stay relaxed and focus.
I missed the National Bowling Stadium- I really like it. I'm not going back to South Point next year, but will return to Baton Rouge in 2025 for my 20th National. Good luck folks!!
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Well I am back from Reno, and it was as Nationals-y as one could imagine.
To start, I had to cut my trip short due to a family medical situation, but thankfully it stabilized and I was able to go. I flew in on Thursday night, bowled Teams on Friday at 14:00 and minors on Saturday at 10:30.
Teams
Teams felt really familiar, just with less crisp backends than in the last few years. I started game 1 with a Hustle PBR at 1k with a touch of lane shine, laying it down around 10/11, looking at 7/8, and probably hitting 6/7 down near the tracer. That lasted an entire game, actually. For game 2, I moved in and the PBR didn't have enough giddy up, so I switched to a Zen Soul at 3k, and was laying it down around 15, targeting 9 at at the arrows, looking to hit 8/9 down lane. I had to move a few boards during game 2, but it held up for the most part. Then during game 3, I found myself behind the changes. I'd go double split, double split - it was clockwork in game 3. We broke them down really well, I just couldn't quite get the ball to consistently relax in the back part of the lane. I saw smooth reads then violent reads, and I'm not quite sure what else I would have done.
I shot 212, 190, 162 in teams, and our team shot 2995. Between some missed makeables and a few 8 and 9 pins, I'd say we collectively left at least 100 pins out there. Teams is extremely gettable this season.
Minors
Minors felt different this season, quite a bit so. I heard from my teammates that bowled the Journal that there was a speed bump and that they were touchy as could be downlane. So when I got to S/D, I was surprised to see lazy backends. I tried a few balls during practice, and wound up starting game 1 with the Hustle PBR standing on 8, looking at 6/7, and just keeping it straight on line. The ball had enough surface to read and sit, which seemed to be a safe play given what else was happening out there. This line stayed there for a game and change, actually.
Once they changed, that first transition confused me to no end. It was a slow and gross transition. The backends felt a little tighter, so I balled up and tried a Track Stealth at 1500, and it was surprisingly over/under. I just could not get that ball to do the right thing. I tried this ball everywhere between 5 and 13 - nothing good. Game 2 stunk.
For game 3, I switched to my Zen Soul and had to keep my hand soft to get it to read well, and I had a good look for a while. I started game 3 with the Zen Soul laying it down around 13, looking at 8/9, and trying to hit 6/7 downlane. I finished the game 17-11-8/9. This was a solid game.
For game 4, I got lost again. I found myself fishing, move left two, then back right 2, then left 2, then back right 2. Nothing wanted to stay consistent, and the other 3 bowlers on my pair saw something similar. Game 4 was a stinker too.
For game 5, I balled up to a Reality Check at 3k - I was hoping the stronger cover and core would at least give me consistency, and it sure did. It also put me on a small island, since I was able to start getting in. I started game 5 laying it down around 20, looking at 12, trying to hit 10 downlane. What was cool is that I had probably 1 or 2 boards miss room to the right, and maybe a little bit of miss room to the left.
This line stayed pretty consistent during game 6, as I only had to move 4 boards over the last 2 games, and kept targeting the range finder down lane. The Reality Check was a great ball for me, and I'm a bit bummed I didn't try it earlier in the block.
Overall, Minors felt like bowling schizophrenia. Lots of small moves back and forth, and the lanes took ages to develop.
Doubles: 198, 141, 199
Singles: 138, 219, 239
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was definitely another Nationals lol. Teams felt very familiar, and S/D felt like pure chaos. One thing I found odd is that my Reality at 2k was out of play all 9 games - it was just too much ball with that much surface. The rest were in play (Zen Soul, Reality Check, Stealth, Hustle PBR), it was just a matter of when to use them. I did find myself having to ball up the further in I got in, but that may be a result of me being able to trick the lanes for a game with a low flare ball. If I had to do it again, I'd find a ball between the PBR and Zen Soul in terms of strength - something like Hyped Solid, IQ Tour Solid, Rattler, etc. Then my first move would be a little less drastic, and then I could just hop in with the rest of the gang later in the block.
My teammates saw a lot of success with a Nova, a TNT with shine, a DNA with shine, an Exotic Gem, IQ Tour Solid, and the IQ Tour Ruby was the absolute nut in game 3 of team.
Oh, also - the settee area in the stadium is absolutely ridiculous. There's this horseshoe of seats and maybe 4-5 people can fit around it without falling into each other. And for whatever effing reason, other teams put their gear on our storage shelves? So we wound up crowding our area really badly with our bags. For a place that's dedicated to tournament bowling, and having literally years to renovate, this new design hurts the bowlers the most. I was extremely unimpressed.
Hopefully this helps those going out! Bowl well and have fun.
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Thanks for the update.
I bowl next week. Cant wait to see what the left side plays like.
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Thanks for the update.
I bowl next week. Cant wait to see what the left side plays like.
One of my team mates is a lefty, has a ton of revs. He had a great look on the outside line with an IQ Tour. Shot 1795, honestly should have been in the 1900s. A few splits, and missed spares hurt him. He said the patterns basically played the same on the left side.
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When you have negative revs I am usually in trouble on any sport pattern.
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Team event last night. Had 3 lefties (including me) on the pair. All 3 of us threw urethane. 5 total urethanes out of the 10 bowlers.
The 3 lefties were the 3 high sets on the pair. High man had 609, second was 586, and I was third with 534.
Had 3 opens in game 1 and game 2. All 6 were makeables and should have been covered. Clean final game for 213.
Doubles and singles and the BJ later today. We shall see what happens.
One more thing....only brought 4 balls (2 double totes). Southwest "lost" one of my totes. So only have 2 balls, one of which is my urethane.
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Team event last night. Had 3 lefties (including me) on the pair. All 3 of us threw urethane. 5 total urethanes out of the 10 bowlers.
The 3 lefties were the 3 high sets on the pair. High man had 609, second was 586, and I was third with 534.
Had 3 opens in game 1 and game 2. All 6 were makeables and should have been covered. Clean final game for 213.
Doubles and singles and the BJ later today. We shall see what happens.
One more thing....only brought 4 balls (2 double totes). Southwest "lost" one of my totes. So only have 2 balls, one of which is my urethane.
Sorry to hear about the lost bowling balls. SW Airlines has really bottomed out lately, and the USBC's Bowling Ball Express is extortion. Getting your stuff to the tournament has become a true pain-in-the-bleep for us bowlers.
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How are the subs boards looking? Are teams seeing plenty use of them?
I ask, because my travel league is having their sweepers at Coconut Bowl in Sparks the last weekend of July, and I'm looking at making a weekend out of it and hitting up the subs board to see if a team is missing a spot, and possibly bowling singles.
Any insights?
BL.
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How are the subs boards looking? Are teams seeing plenty use of them?
I ask, because my travel league is having their sweepers at Coconut Bowl in Sparks the last weekend of July, and I'm looking at making a weekend out of it and hitting up the subs board to see if a team is missing a spot, and possibly bowling singles.
Any insights?
BL.
Hey BL, for what it's worth, our group needed to find a few subs the weekend we went (early May). It might be worth putting your name out there now and seeing if you get any bites. Good luck if ya get picked up!
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Welp that didnt go well. 490 in doubles and 520 something in singles. Had 400 for games 1 and 3 in singles. You can do the math for what I had game 2.
Also left the ever popular 3-8-9. Never tried shooting that before.
1537 for the tourney or a 171 average. My USBC Open championship average is 166 for 36 games before this year so it was another average year.
Only used the same Purple Solid Urethane Hammer all 6 games. Could have taken 1 ball this year and been fine.
Southwest did find my bag and delivered it yesterday.
The BJ was quite interesting. I was on 3-4 and they flat out hooked out of the house. Unreal how different it was between there and Doubles and Singles later on.
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How are the subs boards looking? Are teams seeing plenty use of them?
I ask, because my travel league is having their sweepers at Coconut Bowl in Sparks the last weekend of July, and I'm looking at making a weekend out of it and hitting up the subs board to see if a team is missing a spot, and possibly bowling singles.
Any insights?
BL.
The online sub board was worthless for me. Sent out about 20 requests and only 3 people got back to me. That's the kind of stuff that annoys me to no end.
I ended up getting two subs from the board at the stadium- pretty lucky. So hopefully you have the same luck.
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Our 6th man got on the sub board for a team about 2 weeks prior to our scheduled time there. Within a week he had a team to bowl with in the same squad we were bowling in.
So it worked for him to find a team.
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Milo when are your squad times? I’m getting in Sunday hoping to bowl the bj that day. We bowl events Monday and Tuesday.
We are bowling the BJ only this weekend. 12:30 and 2:30 squads. I live a "day trip" away from Reno, so we be heading back home after bowling. We don't bowl the Open until May 27th and 28th.
If you want to bowl the BJ, especially on a weekend, you might want to register on bowl.com as the premium times can fill up with walk-ins.
Hey Milo, how'd the BJI go?
Sorry for the delay on this. In a few words, it sucked. ;D
But it did show me what I needed to do instead of my original plans. Watching others bowl D/S after we bowled the BJ, it seems to play a little softer in the actual event.
Why? I have a theory that some people will disagree with, but here it is: The BJ lanes are only oiled with the D/S pattern. The rest of the stadium get both patterns daily, so I feel there has to be some kind of memory/carry-over or whatever you want to call it that keeps the backends in the event from being so touchy. The pattern is scoreable, but you really have to pay attention every shot.
One thing I would like to see with the BJ is make it six games instead of three. Let us see what the transition to single is going to be like. With only three, you don't get the idea of what games 5 and 6 will do.
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But it did show me what I needed to do instead of my original plans. Watching others bowl D/S after we bowled the BJ, it seems to play a little softer in the actual event.
Why? I have a theory that some people will disagree with, but here it is: The BJ lanes are only oiled with the D/S pattern. The rest of the stadium get both patterns daily, so I feel there has to be some kind of memory/carry-over or whatever you want to call it that keeps the backends in the event from being so touchy. The pattern is scoreable, but you really have to pay attention every shot.
You're not wrong