Hey guy's

 We just got our La~nina yesterday and i would have to agree with Tex, this shell is weard, as you try to polish it it seems to get a rougher texture to the surface, also comfimed by anouther shop operator here in K.C. I hope Tex is also right about the A.B.C. stepping in to stop this texured shell stuff,I remember the day when i said, who needs more hook than a blue hammer? and look where we are today.The scratch league i bowl in, there isn't enough oil to throw textured stuff, and for as deep as you get there, you won't carry with it.Early league bowlers can have a chance to use balls like this in league, but if you have to get left of 20,grab your favorite reactive and have at it!

 Talking to Mike Edwards, who is on the Storm Staff in Northrock Lanes last weekend, Storm didn't rush to put this shell material out on the market before it was tested and prooven. They feel this ball will lead the market of texured shell balls,look foward to seeing this ball in action! later   Tony

          P.S. Sorry,i didn't have time to run spell check for my old school teacher pat,if anything is too confusing for you, E-mail me!    Later

I just drilled one of these up last week (10/19, full leveraged)  and have been throwing it whenever I can in its out-of-the-box condition.  Yes, you do need oil and a lot of speed if you're not going to "tweak" the surface.

This so called TDR particle technology is definitely unique from other coverstocks I have seen.  The dull, rough, and slimy kind of feel of the surface makes you believe the ball will absolutely hook out of the building!  In reality, its performance is much more tame than the initial impression.  However, it will still hook as much (if not more) as the original Chaos or the TKO Contender.  The sliminess wears off after several games with cleaning (alcohol)  but the particles embedded in the composition still distinguishes itself from others on the market.  I haven't had the ball polished so I don't know how well these shine up but I've read where others have stated that they can get these to go pretty long.

If you want a ball handy for oil, this is the one you want to have in your arsenal.  Storm needed this ball to fully complement their product line and they did a good job with this one for its dull hooking class.  

No, I do not work for Storm.

My first impression of this new coverstock was one of those red rubber balls you used to play dodge ball with as a kid.  So initially I hit the surface with Pro-Grips TEC polish.  It polished surprisingly well.  I drilled it up with the pin 5" from my PAP above my ring finger.  The Mc2 in my track.  This put the CG about 1/2" on the negative side of my grip.  

I used the ball on two differant conditions.  First on wood lanes.  Tough shot league.  Typical wall shot, oil in the middle and dry outside.  They oil over the top of that without stripping.  They add more oil to the middle and outside as well as go longer.  Everyone is using 320 grit sanded balls.  I was able to get this ball to the breakpoint without any problem.  The only problem I had was not alot of turn at the back.  This is because of the Mc2 being in the track.  It kept the ball from over reacting.  Had the backend been a little dryer, strong reaction would've been no problem.  The second shot was synthetic and a house shot. On this I was able to stand around 27-32 and target 13-15 and just float the ball out. The reaction was very very smooth, but strong.  When the ball went into it's transition it was agressive, but controlable, again because of the Mc2 being in the track.  

I'm very pleased with this ball.  It's more versitle than I first thought.  Any comments or welcome at Brianomara@pinbusters.com

Hi, i have own'ed a La Nina, ball for about a month, and i had it drilled for max hook, and well it hooks, i bowl at Century Lanes in Holland, Michigan, and i myself dont think they put alot of oil down on the lanes, so when i was using it is was having a hard time hitting the right hand pocket. i would most deffinetly say this ball is for heavly oiled lanes only. But i finaly used it in a house when they oil the crap outa the lanes and it worked great, i shot a three game series of 210, 205, and 237.  i woudl also say that this ball is good for tournament use, if they house really layes down some oil.

Just drilled one out last week.  I set this one up similar to my Deep Violet and my Navy Quantum.  Pin at about 4.5 inches in my grip and cg kicked out about 1.5 inches.  This ball is definitely a little different.  Compared to my other particle balls it is a little smoother and doesn't stand up as quick on the back end.  As a result it is a little cleaner through the heads than the deep violet and doesn't over react in the dry quite as much as either the deep violet or the Navy.  On the downside that same characteristic makes it a little more sensitive to carry down than either of the others.  ONe other thing I noticed is that the La Nina is a little more sensitive to hand postions than the others. It is best when I am firm on my release and catch it a little on the upswing to project the ball over the line.  Unlike the Deep Violet it the La Nina isn't too responsive when I use a softer release on bad heads.  I goes thru the heads fine but won't recover.  In summary this one fits the overall category of an oil ball, but may need a little more back end than some of my other stuff.

I purchased a new La Nina about 2 months ago, and have thrown it in leagues and tournaments many times since then.  I had mine drilled straight up, off the label, nothing fancy. I also left it dull and gritty, as it comes out of the box.  I threw it for one game of practice that night, right before leagues, on a condition where there is heavy oil from 10 to 10. I am right-handed, and I began by standing left at 30, and throwing the ball over 17, out to 10 and back. The ball was an absolute hooking monster, and my first 3 shots went way brooklyn.  I couldn't believe it.  So I moved further left, and kept it in the oil longer, throwing it over 20 to about 12 and back.  Still went thru the nose.  After about 4 more shots I was able to hit the pocket by moving further left and playing around the 22 board. After getting lined up, I shot a practice game of 258. Then I decided to use it in the league that night.  I shot 256 with it the first game, and my teammates and all the members of the other team were having a difficult time getting anything to hook. It was funny.  A couple of members of the other team said I must be using an illegal ball!  I simply told them they needed a particle ball like the LA NINA I was using. I went on to shoot 691 with it that night, and there was only 1 other 600 plus series on the pair.  Two of my teammates have since purchased LA NINA's, and they are bowling well with them.  The thing I like most about the ball is the way it keeps the pins low for carry. I love the way this ball hits, and I think I will use it at the ABC this year.  Generally, in my other two leagues, there is not enough oil to use the ball dull, so I had it polished out of curiosity.  Now I notice that I can use it and still score well with it at the oily house by playing straighter up the boards, but it is also good on medium to dry lanes, sythetic or wood. On the drier conditions, I just move left and play inside.  But I notice that I must stay agressive and keep up the speed, or there will be trouble.  This is absolutely the smoothest rolling ball I have ever seen, and I almost never want to put it away, though I have made that mistake a couple of times, and it cost me.  Another thing I particularly like about the ball is that it hits the pocket with awesome power, no matter what angle I come in from.  Hahahaha....people that have watched me bowl for many years know that I'm more of a stroker with not much hand.  But this ball makes me look like a cranker on oily conditions, when I use it dull.  My overall opinion of this ball...IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR ANY BOWLER WHO DOESN'T HAVE MUCH HAND, AND WANTS TO CARRY MORE STRIKES!! I recommend this ball for anyone who wants to get better carry, and create more area on the lane.  My final comment:  I have read all of the reviews of this ball over the last few months, and I think the ball is much more versatile than most of them give it credit for.  I have lot's of Brunswick stuff, and some Storm balls also, but I'm probably going to buy more Storm in the immediate future...in particular the EL NINO 2000.  Good bowling to everyone!!!

We now have had a couple months of test time with this ball now and have a better idea as to what it's all about.  





In our initial tests with the Nina, we had mentioned that the length was close to what we had with an Imperial Quantum and a couple of feet shorter than the Denim 2.0.  We now feel that the Nina starts it's move noticeably earlier than either of those two balls, more like seven to eight feet.  Now, that may sound like bad news but it really isn't.  The Nina will move earlier on medium oil but on heavier oil this ball is outstanding.  We aren't sure how long we would be able to stay with the Nina once the condition starts to break down but as long as there is some solid oil coverage in the heads this ball is going to keep you in any scoring contest.  As you might expect as with any ball that needs oil to stay on line, as soon as it starts to burn up too soon, it stops 'wowing' you with the carry.





We tried to take advantage of the advertised 'versatile' coverstock with less than great results.  We worked hard to add a bit of length for those medium-dry conditions we had all summer and just could not.  We never saw any appreciable difference in the balls length, regardless of what types of polish or sanding procedures we used.





Our suggestions for this ball would be, use it on conditions where there is alot of oil, especially up front.  Players with faster speeds may find more use for it that those with slower to medium speeds.  Lower flare layouts seem to compliment the ball better that stronger pins.



If you have any questions about this or any other of our reviews, e-mail us at proshop@bowlero.com