I think Slowinsky''''s article is interesting and I don''t doubt what was said in it. But like some experiments, it doesn''t mean it always applies in the real world. I do think it applies if one or more of the following is true:
1. The center has one of the newer lane machines that doesn''''t use a wick.
2. The lanes are stripped everyday or stripped/oiled at the same time.
3. Most bowlers are using balls with the strongest covers.
If you read the article he says "...there is
little to no carrydown in today’s game. In fact, there was
less than 2 units of oil past the end of the pattern after
15 games and practice. This is not enough oil to alter ball
motion with today’s covers."
So he does say there''s carrydown, just that it''s insignificant. Take my Thursday night scratch league for example. No plastic or urethane, all resin balls. I know for a fact that the lanes do carrydown sometimes - not all the time, sometimes. If multiple people are moving right with the same or stronger ball to find the line again something happened and it wasn''t oil depletion. On nights we do experience carrydown it''s not uncommon to move a couple of boards right, then move back to your original line and then start moving left from there when the heads/midlane starts to burn up.
Here''s why I think this happens in my Thursday night league:
1. They do not have a brand new lane machine that strips and oils. They use an old 15-20 year old Century machine with a wick. I''ve been told that the oil used by these machines has solvent in them to help spread the oil evenly across the lane. The solvent then evaporates after 30 minutes or so. If they oil right before league and let us bowl before 30 minutes are up are we actually moving more oil down lane(or pushing it left and right as well) due to the solvent still being in the oil?
2. They strip only on Mondays. So if 2 insignificant units of oil are carried down in Slowinsky''s experiment how many more are carried down if you don''t strip and oil fresh 3-5 more times? That could be a significant amount of oil carried down that does effect ball reaction.
I do find the article useful and keep it tucked away for reference, but I know there''s too many variables in the real world for it to apply in all cases. I don''t think that carrydown is a myth, but from my observations I would say it happens less now than say 10 years ago. I''ll just continue to try and read what the lanes are doing and make my adjustments from there and know that sometimes I do have to move right because of carrydown.
Edited on 4/15/2010 1:26 PM
