Thanks to all the consoling emails I've gotten over the past few days.  We really liked how we attacked the patterns and things just didn't go our way this year - especially coming up 2 sticks short in team A-E.  Here is a posting on another forum from Richgels that sums it all up.  Feel free to fire questions via PM to me and I'll answer as best I can.

P.S. - Used a Battle on the out to start in team and switched to an Oracle Vision for games 2 and 3.  In minors I used the Vision on the out when we went right in doubles and switched to a Retro Resurrection when I moved into 22 on the same pair.  On the Singles pair I used a combo of the Vision and Retro because the lanes were so different between the two of them, but the right lane eventually caught up to the left and used the Vision on both.

P.P.S - The Vision and Retro are the very two balls I used at last year's tournament and had a great look with both.

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From Richgels

The first thing I have to say is that I want to know when they moved the National Bowling Stadium to Corpus Christi. I never thought I could be that frustrated bowling anywhere outside of Cleano and I was not alone. Haven't seen that many 4-9s since Twisters disappeared from the Stadium.

 

Covering all the bases …

 

CONVENTION CENTER – A much more convenient set-up than Baton Rouge – you don't have to walk 74 miles and you actually get to use the most convenient entrance. What a concept! And you can get six 16-ounce beers for just $20, which really came in handy this year.


NIGHTLIFE – The Strike Zone bar at the Omni Marina where we stayed was very handy. Poker tables, pool, chess, video games, etc., and plenty of cold beer and they stayed open until bar time when we told them we'd be back late and thirsty on Friday night.  One of the most fun bars I've ever been in was Porky's Saturday night. Think Coyote Ugly!


SIDE EVENTS – We all only bowled one BJ set and nothing else.  Shot is very playable but the lanes at that place are shot and it changes huge and pairs are very different. A good warm-up for the USBC because shot starts out.

 

Now … keep in mind that everything I say below is coming from a guy who shot 1,782 although I felt like I bowled about 2,100. So caveat emptor.

 

TEAM EVENT 31-32 – We all started out around 5. Mac was straightest going up like 2 for a laydown to 4 at the arrows. Deepest guys were maybe 8 to 5. Believe this was not a very good pair, which USBC guy said scores on it so far appeared to show. 32 was way tighter than 31 and kind of screwed up our transition to moving in and sending it – if both lanes had been the same it would have been a much easier decision on when and how much to move. But eventually we broke them down so they were almost like a hooking league shot – unlimited swing and a touch of push. Our deepest guys were crossing maybe 15-18 at arrows out to 10 or so. We had 3,254 and 3,157. Our 3,254 included just 9 opens!! Carry pretty much stunk on that pair and it was a lot of hard hitting shots – not plaque.

 

I think the 3,400 that is leading will win, only because the transition is so dramatic over three games and the carry is so erratic. Then again, if good teams get a good pair AND they have a big score like the leaders had an 823 I could see it being beat. But we really bowled our nads off and only had 3,254.

 

I went through an Ace with a little surface (75 degrees with pin under ring finger), a Paradigm (same drilling), and a Fired Up (same drilling but pin over ring fingers). Drilling had to be strong because the wet-dry was so extreme once we broke them down a little. Wish I had a similar drilling in a Diablo or smoothed Passion – believe that would have really increased my carry over pearl and shiny particle balls. My only opens were a 4-9 in the 10th of the first game and two buckets when I tried the Fired Up and both came on the tight  lane.

 

MINORS 37-40 – IMHO, if we had bowled on fresh pairs for minors we would have shot more than 10,000 team all-events easily. The team on 39-40 in front of us included two lefties and three buzzsaws playing way deep. The shot out started almost as good as team. My first game included a solid 8, a solid 9, 3 mixer 7s, 2 10s, 2 4s and 2 strikes. Thanks for the 193! Richter and I decided to go inside to see if we could strike and also to leave the outside to Mac and Shades because we were pretty certain they would get 1,400 or more, which they should have. The in was really hooking but we could still get to the pocket going away from it from 22-26 out to perhaps 10-15 over the next two games. Still couldn't strike, though, and trying releases and angles and balls got me a nice 168 the last game. Mac and Shades got screwed so bad it wasn't even funny. The kicker was Shades with a huge blower 7-10 in the 10th of the last game (messenger in front of the 10) when they could have got to 1,397. Next to us Gail was shooting 800 FIRING it up between 15 and 20. G had 606 with 7 holes and they still had a chance for the lead going to Gail's finish … which was a 4-9, which he MADE for 778 and 1,384.

 

When we flipped for singles the out was hooking more on 37-38 and the in was more wet-dry with some skid – too much on 38 in the mid-lane for me. Mac and Shades stayed out and Steve and I stayed in. My only open in singles was an 8-10 on that right lane when I tried the Ace and it dead rolled out when I got it right. With shiny I 2-pin combo'd a bunch on that lane – but square up was a 4-pin. FRY!? I went almost to 30 and circled with a Super Sport Pearl (75 degrees pin over ring) and had 227 that could have been a lot more the third game. Richter shot 672 with one hole and his finish was three straight light 7-pins and a solid 8. THANKS JOHN! Gail had a little struggle with 39-40 and shot 662 on 247-178-237 – his killer was 10th of second game when he went in on a double and moved too deep and flagged the headpin and chopped it when a sheet was 213. He left a ring 10 on a 5-bagger in the 9th of the last game. THANKS JOHN. Mac had 254 the first game, then split twice and couldn't carry the second game but got the last 4 for 196. Then switched from a shiny Ace to a Paradigm and had the front 5 the last game. Thought for sure he was going to shoot 270 to 300 but got a little high and split the 6th, then 4-9'd (THANKS JOHN!), then 3-10'd and missed it. His finish was ring 10, X, 4-pin for 201. FRY! Shades had 216, 240, 212 for 668 with 2 opens that were splits and he also made a 2-10. Finish came down to me and then Shades for team a-e. I was adding the scores in my head and rushed my first shot in the 10th before I had it exactly figured it out and cut it short and went Brooklyn for a 6-pin. Bad mental mistake not to figure it out exactly first even if we were running a little behind. Did strike the fill ball, which still put us in good position. Shades just needed a mark with good counts and we had the lead but he was on 38, which was almost gone from out. He made a huge move in the 8th and flushed it, then tripped the 2 on 37 in the 9th for a turkey. His first shot in the 10th was a good one, he said, but it checked immediately and left a 3-6-9-10. How he made that I'll never know. So he needed strike to tie and shot was a carbon copy that left a 6-10. Also said he threw that one good. (I threw one ball out on that lane early in singles and almost missed the head-pin left.)

 

But you can't win them all. None of us felt awful afterward – more just disappointed. Because we bowled so much more than our score. I think I got another USBC Tournament record with 45!!!!!!!!!! 9 counts in 9 games and only two or three were out of the pocket. And I also had 2 8-10s and a 5-7 so that meant half of my shots hit the pocket and didn't strike. And I went through eight balls, and multiple angles and releases. Just had a couple balls sitting at home (Passion and Diablo) instead of with me that would have been much better, I think.

 

Overall, balls that roll and arc I think are way better for carry because any sharp angle decreases carry.  Think exactly the opposite of last year – which is how our team was since last year Mac and Myers were our low guys who couldn't strike and Steve and I struck like crazy in minors and didn't this year. Anyone who has questions, I will try to answer them. But I don't pay much attention to balls others used unless they ask questions.

 

I do believe Tommyfry's 792 has a great chance of winning. The 1,399 I can't see winning but you never know. The 2,130 is shaky – somebody who is great playing out is who gets two minors pairs where they can do it may shoot 2,200.

 

I can see a team like the Minnesota guys of Lantto, Savoy, etc. shooting 10,000 team all-events. Actually, I hope someone does to take some of the sting away from us.  

 

No. 1
Marc McDowell 672-725-651-2048
Steve Richter 697-619-672-1988

Jeff Richgels 600-566-616-1782
Gail Myers Jr. 642-778-662-2082
Mike Shady 643-638-668-1949
Totals 3254-3326-3269-9849

No. 2
John Wittkowske 673-521-702-1896
Bret Faulkner 589-582-661-1832
Tom Howery 580-554-576-1710
Dan Goepfert 683-606-598-1887
Brian Thyes 632-622-731-1985
Totals 3157-2885-3268-9310

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Steve Richter
Roto Grip Amateur Staff Member