Pattern - Modified House Condition

 

Flyer linked, any questions can be posted here or emailed to bowltournaments (at) yahoo (dot) com

 

J.O. Spice Open Tournament Flyer 

This sounds like a good tournament.  I like the marathon format, but here's my gripe, why put out house?  If you are worried about scaring people away, you won't.  There will be plenty of entries for $1000 guaranteed with only a $60 entry fee.  The lefties will run away with it, and everyone knows it.  Look at the tournament just run this past weekend at Colony Park in PA.  Rick advertised a tougher pattern (kegel pattern), and still that place was teeming with people (believe they got over 70 entries).  I did not bowl that well, but whatever, it was a good experience and it was fair.  The only good thing about you advertising a "modified house shot" is that you can modify it as much as you want to make it as tough as you want.  Unfotunately, people are going to come in there expecting a wall, and if they don't get it, they will complain.  I will probably be attending, but I will not be a happy camper if the left only has to move 3 boards the entire day, which will give them the carry they need to post the high scores needed to win on a house shot.  Run a kegel challenge series pattern, they are very hittable (probably take 210 average to cash) but you do have to make the right decisions and stay in the ballpark to score well.  Plus, you could get away with calling a kegel challenge pattern a "modified house shot" anyways.  Just my $0.02. 

I also agree with 9 back. I did not make it to the tournament on Sunday, but I heard at Colony Park it took about +150 for 8 games to cash, which sounds like they were still very playable. I believe he used the Kegel Sunset Strip pattern, which is one of the Kegel Challenge patterns, as 9 back suggested. I don't think you are going to stop bowlers from returning the following year with $1000 guaranteed for a $60 entry fee.  

Straight Ball, I didn't mean to upset you. I, along with everyone else, appreciates Chuck's effort in running this tournament. He may run whatever shot he wants to (as it is his tournament to run), and if he feels he needs to advertise a modified house shot to gain entries, good. I would rather that then him advertise something tough and get 20 entries. It's just sad that people will not show up purely for the fact that they have to be accurate to score well. With the flurry of 900 series this year, when are bowlers (and USBC) going to wake up and realize this sport has become more about the corner pins than shotmaking and versatility?  

 

Really! We are talking about a lane pattern? Come on Damn it, just shoe up and bowl. The pattern was fair at Colony Park North and yes the Lefties ran over everyone. I guess I have no idea who won, it was not me! The last time I checked some of those Left handers are pretty good... I did not bowl well on the back 4 games and I am not complaining. The middles opened up for the Right and the "Outside" was open on the Left. The problem is that they are 60 some Righthanders and only about, maybe 10 lefties... Sooner or later either side is going to get good...

 

Now back to this discussion about patterns and how un-fair they are for the Righthanders. The scoring pace is going to be high at Fort Meade, surface is good and for the most part there is friction... The pattern will have little effect on who wins or loses especially when it is 2 months away and a modified House Pattern could be anything. So pull out or straighten out your undies and shoe up and support the local tournaments. Chuck runs a great tournament and the major sponsor for this event is a good guy... SO SHOE UP AND BOWL, STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS!!!!! please!

WELL SAID CHUCK!

 

Those purist you speak about don't even bowl competitively anymore. There is no such thing as a great tournament without participation. Support your local tournaments before they are gone, AGAIN!

Yes Mich.. I think we can all look at what we'd like to believe our sport could be or rather should be.  Alas I would have to think those are days in the past.  I, like you and others really wish we could have tournaments like the old days of the Midmight Marathons at Country Club and the Saturday tournaments at Price Lanes in DE where there would be 60 to 90 people each time. I think the only thing close is Ed Fisher's Super Bowl tournament at Leisure.  But even then we didn't care about what "pattern" was there. It was about winning and king of the hill for the day.

 

Anyway, I just would like for bowlers to shed their armour about only participating on the Viper or Cheetah, or whatever and just bowl.  With the conscience of today's bowler one would think they would prefer to win against 60 people than 15 or 20 but I could be wrong. 

 

Regardless, I just hope that all the good people reading this post as well as others on this forum take the time to pass the word about ALL the tournaments people like myself and Bakes, Tony. Rick and others put on so that we continue to have something bowl.