BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: tank38 on May 10, 2016, 08:51:42 AM
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I'm thinking about trying the Hoinke tournament this year, it will be my first time going and I'm not sure what to expect or how the tournament works.
Can anybody share some information about the tournament and the local area?
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I missed this year but had gone the previous 4 years. Things to know. singles is 4 games, doubles and team are 3. Center is a bit on the old side but, the food is fair. I am not sure about the area around the center since my group always stays downtown near the casino. It is a lot of fun but, a very challenging shot. It seemed to me to play a bit differently each year I went.
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Is the shot being different from year to year what they try to do or is it something just happens? What is the shot like?
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It is a reverse block. Wet outside drier inside. It does vary a little each year not huge but enough to make you have to try and figure it out each year.
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That condition always seems to give me trouble.
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I actually love that kind of challenging condition. We used to take teams up there every year, since we had a league that bowled on a similar condition. About 7 years ago we took 5 teams up there. One of our teams broke the house record, however, the powers that be, running the tourney, did everything they could to find a way to disqualify us, so we never went back again.
Ideally, it's a great tournament. You should give it a whirl!
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I think I'm going to give it a try, I'm going to try and get a group of guys in my area to go.
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Best part of the trip is throwing at the "logs". I saw grown men almost cry over them. Leave there and go on to the Peterson if it still operates. After that you'll come home and swear never to gripe about lane conditions again.
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Boy, that doesn't make the trip sound all that pleasant. lol
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If you are looking for a "gimme" shot at either place, stay home. Hoinke not brutal, just a bit challenging. "Logs" I'm referring to is a side event, you don't have to take part. Peterson is a "mental" thing. Lane condition is "ugly". Nothing like the old Peterson in Chicago though. In the old Peterson, if you could average 160, you were tough. Probably win some money also.
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Not looking for a gimmie shot, was just curious on what I might see if I go. Thanks for the info.
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Lane condition seems to mysteriously get better when the locals bowl. They take out a TON in "expenses". Total rip-off tournament.
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Backupball,
Please name an amateur tournament that has paid out more in prize money. If you can do that, please continue to call it a rip off.
I used to be a "local" and I've had many bad sets there. They weren't better for me. The advantage the "locals" have is being able to max out entries/cashes and when lane conditions are favorable you will see an increase in local entries. It also turns out that there are a lot of great players in Cincinnati.
When I was a kid, I used to be a score marker. I used to see a lot of bad bowling. The best I saw was a doubles team from Chicago. One guy shot 730 with an Edge 2 and they both managed to finish at 1400 scratch. They weren't local. They were just good players.
Backupball,
I suspect you are just one of the many house heroes who travel to Western Bowl with a 6 ball bag and a skewed reality of your actual ability.
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Urethane Game,
I don't know all of the tournaments around the country, but I do know it would be difficult to make that calculation. What I do know is that the amount the Hoinke takes from each entry for "expenses" is beyond absurd, see here: http://www.hoinke.com/Hoinke_Classic/Hoinke_Home_files/2014%20Hoinke%20Entry%20Form%281%29.pdf
Singles is 4 games. Let's say they take $4/game for lineage (high). That leaves $16.30 for expenses for one entry??? That is a rip off.
Urethane Game,
Your statement "when lane conditions are favorable you will see an increase in local entries" supports my observation that the conditions are variable. How do they know when the "conditions are favorable"? Cincinnati does have (and has had) many great bowlers. If they have that knowledge, how can out-of-town bowlers expect to compete?
Urethane Game,
I have a very good handle on my ability - there isn't much! I also know what good bowling is and how easily lane conditions can be manipulated. When a good bowler on one weekend has OB right of 10, and a bowler with similar speed/revs/equipment can easily get it back from right of 10 on another weekend, the tournament is not legitimate.
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I never felt it played like a reverse block. Felt more like one of the variations of the Kegel Challenge shots. Typically I had a 2 or maybe 3 boards to work with. Back ends are usually pretty strong.
Locals can come in and practice on the shot. That is pretty big advantage, but it is first and foremost a handicap tournament, so you know scores can be pretty silly.
The last time I went, I bowled on a pair from the previous session that wasn't bowled on. I got myself lined up with different equipment. The next day when I bowled the tournament it was very different. I was trying to gain an advantage, and by nobody's fault but my own, I turned it into a mistake.
If you are a solid bowler who has experience on flatter shots, you should do just fine if you stay around the pocket and make your spares. Remember that you will be moving lanes and following others. So pay attention to the area of the lane where your predecessors are playing. If you don't bowl on tougher conditions, you will probably ride the struggle bus.
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We are not locals, we go there every year, Placed 1st on team event, placed 1st on doubles event, Placed 3rd on ladies singles event, Placed 2nd on mixed, then next few years later our group placed 1st team event, 2nd place for doubles, year after first placed Ladies doubles, Our last year was 2008, placed 2nd on mens doubles. A very good tournament for us. You have to adjust to whatever lane condition given to you, Morning is fresh oil, in the afternoon, if your playing team events, it will be dry. So Good Luck to you.