Don't be the guy who wrecks the shim... AT PRACTICE.

/end rant.

TDC57,
    You see it as "forfeiting" a chance at an Eagle. That is your problem. I have seen numerous times where the "B" team will beat the supposed "A" team. Look back through some of the archives webcasts, there are at least 2-3 examples of it right there. The companion team is there to score well and do the best they can. They may not have the same level of experience or skill as the "A" team, but they aren't a classified team either. By breaking the lanes down in a consistent pattern, they are helping their chances of getting the most money back they can.
 
As far as my comment in the past. I did not say they had 10 people doing it, I said the better teams all played in the same area and broke the lanes down together. Some of that is due to the lane surface and balls that were available in those times, some of it was because they were very good bowlers and knew that breaking lanes down in a consistent manner was the right approach for scoring well. If you want to call it BS, that's your opinion, you'd be wrong but you are welcome to it.
 
Isn't the whole idea of bowling to score your best? The way to score your best is when you have the most room to make mistakes. That's why 99.9% of bowlers score higher on a THS than on a Sport Pattern. Are you making the shot easier by working together as a team, hopefully. But if you have an incorrect gameplan, you could make the shot harder. Again, I fail to see why people are complaining/whining about a TEAM working together. If this was football, and you were the QB, would you want every offensive lineman to just do what they wanted? TDC57 isn't very good at pass blocking, so he is going to run block on every play, Nails isn't good at run blocking so he is going to pass block on every play. Twohand isn't very good at blocking at all, so he is going to cut block on every play, etc. Do you think you would win many football games like this? So why is it frowned upon in bowling a TEAM event. And again, anyone who puts their own scores ahead of the TEAM scores is being selfish.

Jorge, I think the problem might be that some seem to think if you don't force/make all 10 bowlers work as 1 team to break down the lanes properly, then they are all a bunch of selfish idiots.  No one should be complaining that two team's work together.  Also no one should complain that 10 people are doing their own thing.  Don't forget that a huge percentage of all bowlers are pretty much once a week house hacks.  They don't know about this tactic and wouldn't have any idea on how to do it properly.  If you have a team or teams that want to do this, fine, but don't look down on those who don't.  Well, except maybe the OP's team mate since they all decided to work together then 1 changed his mind.  A great many bowlers have limitations in their game.  You can't suddenly make them talented disciplined bowlers for 2 days.

Then the point is actually, Nationals is really about everyone working together and this no longer being an individual sport in a team setting. That this is now a different type of competition where only the good bowlers will score because they have made the lanes easier by using the tactic described. This being totally different than making the lanes easier by the lane man using a tactic to allow everyone to score better.

This Jorge guy is an internet bowling hack.  He has been for quite some time now. 

And your right Jorge, I will play where I want to play.  The rest of the knives can play where they want to and play there little pattern manipulation game.

This whole idea of pattern manipulation is a joke and makes a farce of the sport.   It's about supreme shot making on a tough condition.   It's not about getting you and your 9 buddies to dry up a spot on the lane so you can have mistake room. 

It's not the best shot maker wins,  it's the best pattern manipulators who win and that is a lousy way to determine a winner of an event. 

Why come up with an oil pattern that is supposed to test your shot making skill when you can manipulate it to eliminate the need for supreme shot making.

Just put the damn THS out and let people bowl.  If the USBC is going to promote and teach lane carving than why don't they just save everyone the trouble and design the lane pattern to have the carved areas already dry for the bowlers to start out.

Let's stop with the dog and pony show and just either get rid of the balls that change the patterns or just make the patterns already pre carved and ready to go.

Bowling 300 900,

You're pretty much spot on!

I very much like the idea of NOT releasing the pattern.

I very much like the idea of NOT releasing the pattern.

This isnt going to matter.  Let me fill everyone on a little secret for those that seem to think the lanes play so very different.  If you pull the ball, its going to hook and if you push the ball outside, you are lucky to hit the head pin.  USBC will never put out a 35 foot pattern nor will they put out a 45 foot pattern.  Its always going to be in the 38-42 foot range and always going to be flatter than a house shot.  Even the oil volume doesnt change that much from year to year.  When have we ever seen the middle of the lane play extremely tight on the fresh and the gutter hook a bunch???  Its always the opposite. 

In regards to carving lanes........you can only do so much in 10 minutes of practice.  Whether you carve the lanes or not, the only teams that are going to contend for an Eagle are people who bowl for a living, are on ball staffs, or are former PBA guys that can split boards.  In regards to team event, for those not PBA or bowl for a living, you may get a person here and there that will pop off a 700 set; but not all 5 guys to make a run at an Eagle.  Look at the standings every year and you will rarely see some random named team up there.  Usually, it is a team with a ball company or some manufacturer in the name (Linds Lakers, Team USA #(insert any number), Turbo 2n1, etc..). 

Lets just face the reality here.  90% of us have no chance at an Eagle in the Team Event and most likely wont get an Eagle in Minors unless we get fortunate and pop off an 800 in Singles.  My best team was Knoxville where we finished in the top 15 and we played all over the place.  Couple guys played in the track the whole time and the other 3 of us played 3rd arrow and moved deeper from there.  We had 3 strokers, 1 tweener, and myself.  So just go out there and have fun with the Nationals and bring home what you can.