I've bowled this tourney at different times of the year, and with different groups.  Had bad crosses in s/d, and some good crosses.  Never followed behind a really solid group that broke them down well for us.  This year we get the worst draw possible...we bowl with no companion team, so noone was right of 10 to start...so team was pretty much a washout.  However in s/d we drew 47/48 for doubles, and the 2:30 squad only had 45 teams on it.  That meant we were on fresh....good thing the fresh is so soft this year (sarcasm).

Too make matters worse we had one team breaking down 45/46, and in doubles it was a pair of spouse teams that were throwing it everywhere.  So we had no help in having any idea of where to start.  I played very straight in team and doubles, just didn't get any breaks to speak of or anything going to shoot 576/630.  Ending doubles I was playing 11 to 8 with my Frantic, coming up the back of it to soften up the motion downlane.  I figured I could move 4 boards and keep my hand nice and perhaps make it work....no....not at all.  6 frames later I had moved 25 with my feet and now couldn't get the 10 out.  In the 10th I pull out my Infinite Theory, move another 10 left, and double to shoot 174.  Now I'm looking about 24 at the arrows and have a decent look.  Go 230/224 to finish with 628.

I'm really pleased with how I threw the ball...just really disappointed in how poor our cross was this year.  Just can't wait for this not to be an issue.

Let's make it really fair and adopt the idea of another poster who suggested that each team bowl on a single lane all 3 games.

Let's make it really fair and adopt the idea of another poster who suggested that each team bowl on a single lane all 3 games.

Concur.  It's common sense.  You're not bowling against the team across from you so there isn't a point to crossing.  It gives your team total control of the lane.  No excuses.  No random companion teams.  No benefit to having 10 players playing the same way.  Unless you're going to put one team per pair of lanes, (which isn't logical spacing wise) it makes total sense to go to one lane. 

I'll say it again, but by going to fresh for all squads, singles and doubles, who you follow to some extent matters more than how you throw the ball and this change by USBC essentially admits that it matters too much.  Obviously, you can't suck, but give a good player 2-3 boards of miss room and he'll eat it up.  Make him split boards and it's a pretty significant dropoff.  Two years ago, we had a mess on our doubles pair and I thought, this is it, this is going to cost us bigtime.  We struggled to get anything going, but our spare games were on point and we fought for a 1206.  When we moved to our singles pair (same equipment, roughly the same line) my partner and I shot 1477 as a duo, which was worth jack dittely doubles wise.  752, 725 with a 300 game in there for our singles sets.  It was cake compared to the other pair.  And if you saw the teams we followed, it made total sense that one pair was bad and one was nearly perfect. 

This year, we got a pretty good pair for both doubles and singles.  We had classified players who despite ball reaction, never moved their feet or changed balls.  two players chucking plastic up the middle, and 6 playing right up 2nd arrow.  It was hook right, hold in the middle.  Plenty of striking power / entry angle from the deep inside line.  put sets of 740/715 together in doubles/singles. 

So, it should be interesting next year when we don't have the fortune or misfortune of catching a bad singles/doubles pair.   

I enjoy bowling the Open and I understand why they are changing so that everyone bowls on the fresh.  But regardless, that will still favor some over others.  That will always be the case for any tournament.  You have to remember between 60,000 and 90,000 people bowl this tournament.  You have to catch lightening in a bottle NO MATTER who you are to win.  You have to throw the ball great, have the right ball, the right pair and carry everything.  It's still fun though!!!

Looking forward to the all fresh also. Tend to do a bit better on the fresh at the open. Not a lot better mainly because I suck. Splits will continue to kill me at the open but that's my fault. It will not happen in 2013.

I am intertested to see how next year pans out with all fresh plus the 6 people on a pair for s/d and not moving pairs. I think the doubles scores will drop slightly but the singles scores may go a little higher. you give 6 smart good bowlers together and make them to their liking by singles time scores will be high. Just my thoughts but still looking forward to how it turns out.