And I thought Chameleon and Shark was hard...I bowled 9 games on it and a few 180's was the best I could do. I think if I was on just one pair, which in this case the right lane was nice I could have got some strings going. My alley lays out a practice PBA shot on Sunday mornings on the last 10 of the 40 pairs. I think someone practiced in the early morning on the left lane cause it was seriously messed up. I never know what the PBA US Open shot was like but really reminded me of the Chameleon but then again not really. Outside of 10 was not only a dead zone but threw quite a few in the channel if I tried to open it up too much. I got to see every split possible too. Just when I thought I got it to the right spot and didn't hang it darted hard right through the nose or went high and left a bunch of 4's and a few 9's. When everything went right with the speed, release and angle it carried terrific. Unlike a house shot when it seems like on many nights I keep getting screwed on shots if I didn't hit the pocket flush it usually didn't carry but on this pattern if it did it carried most of the time....which hitting the pocket was seldom.

I got a good reaction inside and couldn't believe how much two of my balls were hooking (two aggressive Storm balls) but one of the balls which was a Mars just slid down the lane which I have never seen before on the heaviest of house shots. After struggling to try to hit 180 I found a direct shot standing on 10 playing the first arrow with the weak ball and noticed there was some possible use of a direct outside line. I stood on 20 and angled it straight over the 2nd arrow and then started striking again but was difficult on the left lane because if I missed it too far in it would go brooklyn or worse hit the 4 pin. Then had to be careful a board right of 2nd arrow or would washout, light pocket split or channel ball!

I thought the 40' flat pattern played a lot like the scorpion. Very snappy by nature, a good rolly particle ball to start and the a weaker pearl to finish. It ended up paying off the left gutter to 5th or deeper. Really hard, but really fun.

I bowled probably 50+ games on the US Open and BTM patterns(BTM is also 40' 1:1 ratio which is why I'll include it). Patience, accuracy and making spares is definitely a must on this condition. Anything with backend will get you in trouble, especially on the fresh. Regardless of cover strength, I try to play more direct lines and get a mid-lane reaction and then watch it roll. Close to a hook-sit reaction but not quite. As the shot breaks down I still want balls that are rolly but can start using stuff that has a little more length and backend so I can get the angle to carry from deep.

On fresh I usually play straight up the boards in the 8-10 range and choose a ball that lets me do that. At best I may get a two board area to work with. Usually if I miss a board out it's a 2-pin, bucket, 2-5. Miss a board in an it's on the headpin or crossing over. Miss more than a board and it's ugly. After the lanes break down I'm making a big move left and playing around 20 and then moving in from there usually throwing a weaker pearl. Guys with more hand usually seem to start playing 15 out to 10 and then move in from there - so they're playing straighter angles too.

I've never seen outside of 7-8 in play except for an Iowa Open that riggs won a couple of years ago. If I remember, he was playing up 5 with the newly released Virtual Gravity. It was amazing to see anyone playing out there. I'm guessing he sold a few VG's for Storm that day from people watching him play that line.

I really think the key to patterns like the US Open is to be content with shooting 180-190-20?.  Most people lose their cool on b/c they arent blowing the back of the house out.  9/ IS A GOOD FRAME.  Take it, move on, and execution/sparemaking is at a PREMIUM!
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