This is what I have tried to bet it heads of friends and students for the last ten years.That playing
these patterns are not always what you think they will be.Sometimes you have to go away from your
normal thinking in order to attack the pattern.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Chris Schlemer: From My Perspective
by Special Guest
‘From My Perspective’ is an editorial column brought to you each week by a guest writer who is given the opportunity to speak their mind about products, the game or the industry. GLC Bowling does not necessarily agree with or endorse all guest writers’ opinions. We simply print them! Do you have something you’d like to share? Submit your article to kristy.king@glcbowling.com and we might just share your perspective with the world!
PBA Experience means just that…
Chris Schlemer Week in and week out bowling enthusiasts tune in on Sunday afternoon in hopes of witnessing bowling history or in hopes of getting to watch their favorite PBA professional. Week in and week out ESPN color analyst and Storm staffer Randy Pedersen describes the lane pattern and the angles of play best suited for that particular pattern. That is the very point in time when the Lumber Liquidators PBA tour and the PBA Experience league are separated into two opposite ends of the bowling world. It’s safe to say that none of you out there in your PBA leagues are bowling on LIVE television and dealing with the fatigue, adrenaline and anxiety that go along with it. Not to mention everything that happens to that particular pair of lanes long before the cameras start recording.
Example, the Etonic Marathon held at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis, IN. The show pair, 71-72 had not had one drop of oil placed on it until 1 hour before the PBA telecast was to air LIVE. Then there were twelve 1000 watt lights over the lanes in order to make it all look good for TV. Then each of the 5 finalists get 20 minutes of practice prior to the show starting in order to get acclimated to the approaches and the lane condition. The fact that the pattern has never been applied to that pair of lanes is added variable enough. Not to mention all 5 guys wanting to play the lanes in a way that benefits their plan of attack. Oh and I didn’t mention during that particular week of each and every round being a different pattern, the PBA decided to use a different oil than they had been using each and every week.
So to say that what the pros bowl on is exactly what you are bowling on is quite the understatement. Besides all the prior mentioned variables, you also have to add this list of variable on your end. Even though it may look like the same lane surface, it is totally different. This is the reason why on some of the patterns you see the PBA guys playing the gutter on a pattern that’s designed to play in or playing in on a pattern designed to play the gutter. The lane surface itself is the largest variable between how you are supposed to play the lanes and how you actually end up playing the lanes.
The second biggest variable in all of bowling is the lane machine. The PBA uses the Brunswick Authority 22 machine which has its own unique application process. This machine is unlike any other lane machine old or new. So yet another variable that causes a great difference between what you bowl on in your PBA Experience League and what you see the pros bowl on every Sunday. The next variable that separates the PBA tour from a PBA league is the type of oil used. There are more types of oil on the market than there are lane machines. So depending on what combination of oil and lane machine your center uses as well as the type of lane surface you bowl on. You most definitely will not see the same type of reaction the pros do on TV.
Every week I get stopped and asked about the condition the PBA is using for that particular week. Every time that person explains to me that they bowl in an experience league either in that very same center or in a different center. And every time I hear the exact same thing, “that’s nothing like what we bowl on in our PBA league.†Point in case, the only similarities between the PBA tour and the PBA experience is name and lengths of the patterns. These 2 variables are identical yes, other than that the other variables add up to a different plan of attack. From playing the gutter on the Shark pattern to using a plastic ball on Scorpion - I have almost heard them all. Yes there is a proposed plan of attack written and shared by the USBC for all the PBA patterns. In fact the USBC helped develop the patterns for the PBA. Bottom line is figuring out your best way to achieve success on these patterns. It’s too easy to do what the pros do or do as directed and not achieve success. It’s ok to think outside the box and if you have to play the gutter on Shark which is a 44’ pattern. Well go on ahead and do so. There is no right or wrong way to play PBA patterns.
Chris Schlemer is the PBA tour ball representative for Storm & Roto
