Bowled last weekend and, as usual for Reno, the team & I had a very good time. While Reno the city isn't as affluent as Vegas, there is plenty there. We scored slightly above average, although nothing extraordinary, but above the lower-than-normal tournament scoring pace (i.e., our team will cash). Since I really do read these forums pretty regularly and never post, I thought I'd contribute my Reno feedback to the community. Its mostly positive. Here are my specific recommendations first:
1. We stayed at the Peppermill and it was great. The casino is bright and clean, the food is very good (including the sushi and eclairs), the girls are very pretty, and the price is decent (we paid $69+$109x2 for our 3 nights, divided by 3 per room). Compare this to the Sands-Regency, where the bracket money is collected, and you'll see exactly what I mean. I highly recommend the Peppermill and we'll stay there next time.
2. The four most common balls, which are well covered here in the forums, were: Total NV, Special Agent, Shift, & Black Widow - pretty much in that order. While I did not throw Ebonite this year myself, I must say that Jackie, Bill & Christina at the Ebonite booth were far and away the most helpful, knowledgeable, and interesting (contact: bowlingdoctor@aol.com). They were flat out fun to be around, and some of my team members got great deals at the Ebonite booth. The Storm dudes didn't have enough sense of humor. I highly recommend Jackie/Bill at Ebonite if you need equipment, adjustments or just information.
3. I hit age 50 just before this tournament, so it was my first experience with senior brackets. I got in 20 of them for team and won 19. My bad set (I must be required to have one) was doubles, and I got a positive return even in that. Recommendation: max out senior brackets if you're 50+ and can shoot anything around even. This is probably a no-brainer but I was too conservative.
I shipped a 4 ball box with the ball service (highly recommended, $9/ball from California): Special Agent 5x3, pin above bridge, surface~1000; Agent 5x5, pin in and dead center, surface~4000+polish; Radical Inferno 6x5, pin under middle finger, polish+20 games wear; plastic (SpongeBob, to be exact). If I had to change anything it would be fresh high polish on the Radical, and perhaps a more neutral or aggressive pin position. Both the Special & Radical were provided by backswing_aplenty of these forums.
For the 8:30 team I had decided to start out straight up 6 with the Special Agent, using speed and a flat wrist, which is where I played last year. After beginning solid-10 then bucket, I quickly moved to 3rd arrow with one or two boards of belly. I didn't leave another 10-pin until the first frame of the 3rd game, mostly tight 4's or the occasional rail/bucket when I sent the ball out the extra one board that I evidently didn't have. I flagged one bucket and one 4-pin for the set, which was disappointing since I didn't have any splits. By the 3rd game I had moved in to 19 at the arrows and the duller surfaced Special Agent with its control drilling was getting too soft for the carrydown, so I switched to the polished Agent. I started the 3rd game with solid-10 /, 4-pin /, stone 9-pin /, 4-pin flag, and finished with the last 8 using the Agent and a bit more swing from 4th arrow than the Special Agent had allowed. My breakpoint was never outside of 12, and I added a bit of loft to decrease the sideturn and still get enough pop to carry. I shot 201-232-246 and thought I was really lined up for Sunday's doubles shift.
As fate would have it the 5:30 D/S didn't start anything like what I wanted. I had watched a bit of the previous team on my pair using sanded and spraying the middle, but what can you do. My tight swing between 3rd and 4th arrow didn't hold the heads and had no recovery at 12 for the break, even using the Agent. I completely struggled with 177-168-195 (the 3rd game clean, no doubles). I played the gutter on the 168 game on the off-chance it was there - and it wasn't. The only positive was my 540 beat my doubles partner and, on a side note, it turned $100 in senior brackets into $125. I have no idea how bad I'd have to bowl to lose money there, but it doesn't get much uglier that that set. I had 5 opens, all buckets/splits.
Moving to the singles pair I was in for a shock. I started out brooklyn-brooklyn, moved in, then back-to-back 4-9's. I switched to the Radical Inferno in between 4th and 5th arrows, with loft and speed, and I found considerable recovery right. Where was that before? I thought I was going to have a good set, but every time I got the ball out wide I seemed to get a 4-9. I really had to push the heads to get enough length, even using the Radical. I had zero 10-pins for the set. I just couldn't quite get the push I needed, and my 5 opens (four 4-9's and one strange flush semi-pocket 4-6) carried me to 191-224-191. After my doubles set, I didn't know if that was a save or if I had squandered and open-up-and-swing 700. I ended up with 1825 AE and enough bracket money to cover the trip, although in retrospect I should have maxxed out the senior brackets. This was my 6th trip bowling Nationals in Reno (I have 18 consecutive at this point), and I'm liking being a senior so far.
Next year I may take only a spare ball and have Jackie/Bill at Ebonite punch up two balls for me.
