bowlin' bloggin' : season 2010-2011.

Link to: equipment
Link to: season 2011-2012 blog

2010-2011 Season Round-up:
Inconsistent and a little dissappointing. The leg-injury left it's marks on my bowling, altough physically i recovered better than expected. My ballspeed slowed down a little and i seemed to have lost the ability to increase the speed if desired with a 15 lbs ball. Everything a little slower but struggled all season with my approach being to fast. Focussing also has been an issue the whole season.

Missed the season up to january and, due to the cracking of the Alter Ego, was forced to get new material to throw with. The Hammer Black Widow Sting is difficult and a little picky when it comes to lane conditions, but also unstoppable when the circumstances are right. The Storm Special Agent proved to be a loyal, easy going and versatile weapon, altough also this one has it's limits. The Roto-Grip Cell Pearl is a nice addition for short and dry conditions, only 14 lbs and likes to be played a little agressive. The Ebonite Avenger gets a little older now and i started experimenting using the Storm for leftovers on the left.

Lane conditions at Dok'99 were dry to really dry as asual, but the wood is history now and so is the bowling club. On Krimpen a different story. Lane conditions horrendous up to december, with usually a kind of reversed pattern, more oil on the outer boards and less (little sometimes even) on the inside. After that a few weeks of massive amounts of oil everywhere, followed by the welcomed death of the oil machine due to a broken water pipe.. praise the lord! With the new machine the conditions significantly improved but were a little inconsistent, which got worse up to the end of the season. In general they like it long and wet out there at Krimpen.

The leagues were too small with only five teams, the tuesday league sometimes boring even, only the last couple of weeks the competition got close. The thursdays were more fun in general, a bit more competative and about the sport. Expected is the thursday-league to grow and it maybe even goes to an every week schedule. The future of the tuesday is unsure as one other team decided to pull out and four teams won't make a league. The men of Wasted Time will return to the National Competition next season and i'm looking forward to that. Next season again i will be a backup-player for a team that moves from Dok'99 to Keizershof.. a place formerly known as The Graveyard.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011.
Final tuesday night of the season, playing against our biggest rival. Lanes 1 and 2, patterns similar to last week, only a slight difference in between the lanes. Used the Hammer on 1 and the Storm on 2 as the Hammer reacted a bit unpredictable on that lane. Much better bowling compared to last week altough i still missed a whole bunch of easy spares in the first two games. Scored a 203 with the Hammer in the 3rd. We won the first game with quite some margin, gave away the 2nd by collectively missing a single pin in the last frame, won the 3rd while we were more than 80 pins behind halfway and won the last to finish in style. Had a 725-series, not too bad but there is still room to improve.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
Also the tuesday night league is getting to the end, with only one match to go after today's. Weird night. Lanes 5 and 6, same long pattern as last thursday but less oily, even dry-ish on the Krimpen-scale. Not easy but certainly playable. Lane 5 slightly more snappy than 6. We were in first place, leading on 1 point and playing a match against a team that didn't seem to be very inspired. They were grumpy actually, which didn't improve when we snatched the first game with only a 471 scratch. After taking a distant win in the 2nd, the opponent decided to take their agression out to the pins, so we lost both 3rd and 4th game despite having 541 and 544 scratch team scores. Still no smiles out there and we were baffled. Things got even better when our biggest rival suffered a 10-2 defeat and one of them went ballistic over the lane conditions. My scores were also shitty (709 total) but the only one to blame was myself.

Thursday, April 21, 2011.
Final round of the thursday double league, defending 3rd place and still possible to gain 2nd, if we could get a 10-2 or higher victory in a match against the nr. 2 team. Lanes 5 and 6 far from easy, long pattern with snappy backends and even the Storm took some pretty violent turns left at the end. Inconsistent and restless bowling, inconsistent scores but a close and exiting match. We lost the 2nd game on only one pin and the opponent did that in style.. their anchor-player needed a 9 and threw a perfect strike in the 11th. In our turn we snatched the 3rd on only a couple of pins and on the start of the last game it was 4-4 with only one pin difference in total scores. We got a fatal lead in frame 8, the opponent gave in and closed the season in style.. their first player opted for throwing a speed ball in the last frame, grabbed a 12 lbs house ball and launched it straight into the ceiling!

Thursday, April 7, 2011.
Lanes 2 and 1 and not as oily as expected. Also not much difference in between them but for me the difference was too much to deal with. Lane 2 was snappy as hell while lane 1 had a smoother transition from wet to dry. 200 and 242 for the Hammer on lane 1, scores on lane 2 were crap. Not happy despite the high game.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011.
Regular league at Krimpen. Defenitely a shorter and less oily pattern this time, with dry, clean and quite snappy back-ends. Had to go there partly by public transport so brought "only" 3 balls and the Hammer stayed at home. Pattern was still a bit too much for the Cell but the Storm worked really well all night. Difficult first game, felt tired and sleepy and had timing issues. Second game started off better but missed 3 10-pin spares in a row. After that things kept improving and felt in control of all my moves for the first time in quite a few weeks. Happy with a 200 and a 213 in games 3 and 4 and a 188 average. Played several lines througout the night, inner curve over 3rd, stroke just outside 2nd and outer curve also just outside 2nd. Liked the pattern (39 foot) and so did my team-mates, but mechanic revealed they will switch it back to the old (40 foot oil with a hell of a lot in middle) before next thursday's league after some (apparently influential) people complained on the dry back-ends. Hmm.

Thursday, March 24, 2011.
Double-league at Krimpen. Much better lane conditions compared to last tuesday. Fresh lanes with a long and oily pattern that was difficult but fair. Wasn't capable of dealing with it as my bowling was all over the place. Timing and focussing issues were the main cause. Scrambled together a 201 in the 3rd game and even a 239 in the 4th. Started off with 6 strikes on all sorts of hits, again with the Storm. Last game was an absolute nightmare so ended up with only a 179 average.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011.
Terrible league night. Pattern long and undefined, if there was any pattern in the first place. Lanes were very "sticky" and sluggish tonight and so was the pin action. The Hammer responded unpredictable for a few frames and after half a game it was just dead as a rock. The Storm did slightly better on the mid-lane but also couldn't deal with the greasy back ends. On top of it my playing was off for most of the night and at some point it became a stuggle to stay motivated. After 2 games decided to follow my team-mate's emergency plan, grabbed my spare-ball and started shoveling it straight from the outside into the pocket. It helped somewhat but wasn't very inspiring. 660 over 4. Burp.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011.
No signs of an oil crisis in Krimpen. The pattern was longer than usual and carry down made the (already bouncy) pins slide like crazy, sometimes even in the upright position. Of course that led to a lot of weird pin action, but it was give or take and quite funny to watch. We actually won a game on a terrible hit that became a strike that way. Had a decent 748 series with quite consistent scores (190-180-199-180), could have been a bit more as once again missed some easy spares in the first two games. Switched back and forth between the Hammer and the Storm on both lanes, started off with 2nd arrow stroke but switched to inner line long curves during the 2nd game. The Hammer had more hook but swinging it more outwards often led to the 10 pin still standing after impact. The speedbreak kept firmly pulled all night.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011.
Dok '99, lane 10 and 9 this time. Pretty dry lanes from the start and it got worse soon after. Started off with two reasonable games, with the Cell on 10 and the Storm on 9 as that lane had significantly more oil on the inner lines. Ran into trouble in the 3rd as moving inward and increasing speed with the Cell didn't work, the oil simply wasn't there anymore and even on the inner lines the ball took a left about three feet behind the arrows. Terrible game, missed a whole bunch of spares aswell. Recovered somewhat in the last one, playing an unorthodox line, starting pretty far left in an attempt to stay in the oil as much as possible. It kind of worked, scored a 209 with the Cell. Again a 180 average (720 this time) and that's ok-ish given the circumstances. Might be the last time i ever played on wood, it's over for Dok next season since the pins will be connected to ropes and the club will be discontinued at the end of this season.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011.
Krimpen, lane 1 and 2 again. Lane conditions were quite good, not as oily as the last few weeks. The Hammer worked well on lane 1, the Storm did (as usual) better on lane 2, as that lane had a touch more oil and carry-down. Got some pretty strikes in the first two games but was off on a lot of spares, had a decent 210 in the 3rd with the Hammer and a chance to improve on the spares in game 4 as strikes became rare. 721 series, 180 average and mixed feelings.

Thursday, Feb 24, 2011.
Fresh pattern on Krimpen for the double-league, lanes 3 and 4. Much better playable conditions as last tuesday but still a lot of weird pin action going on. After warm-up decided to play the Cell Pearl again and shot an exact 200 in the first game, playing 2nd arrow stroke at moderate speed. That didn't work on the other lane which seemed oilier and, since my moves were not very consistent, opted out for the Storm. The night went on and the later it got the pinfall got worse and worse. Lots of stubborn corner-pins and unexpected leftovers on good hits and most other players were in the same boat. Was off with the spares and felt so uncomfortable that at some point started experimenting with using the Cell for spares instead of the Avenger. Last game was a struggle, 5 solid 10's and one stubborn 7-pin in the first 6 frames was beyond believe as most hits were pretty decent. Still had a 186 average but felt quite dissappointed.

Wednesday, Feb 23, 2011.
Also Dok '99 will be transferred to plastic next season, unfortunately as it is fun to play on wood every now and then. Lanes 9 and 10 with a somewhat undefined oil pattern. Short for shure, initially quite oily but drying out really quick. Tried both the Hammer and the Storm in warming up but tonight's choice was, as expected, the Cell Pearl and it performed above expectations. Played inner line curves for most of the night but had a lot of room for error. Too far in and it ran brooklyn, too far out and it came back with a strong curve, hitting the pocket with a lot of energy. Really like that ball and felt comfortable shooting a 14 lbs instead of a 15, was able to increase the speed a little when the lanes dried out in the last two games. Had a 223 in the 2nd game , a 198 average and a smile on my face.

Tuesday, Feb 22, 2011.
A far from easy league night. Lane 3 and 4 this time. Broken down patterns, a flood in the middle. Weird pin action so the decks were probably oily too. Scores were consistent (169, 173, 168, 168) but my bowling wasn't. Very hard to find a decent line and once found it was even harder to keep it. Again way off with the first ball every now and then and the team missed a win in the 4th game because of that. Bummer. Tomorrow: back to wood at Dok '99.

Friday, Feb 11, 2011.
Went to pick up the Cell Pearl at CeeBee's and on the way out of the shop requested half joking to keep an eye open for a new Alter Ego if he can find one somewhere. And guess what? Ten minutes later he confirmed by phone that the Columbia import company still have a few of them on stock! Amazing since it's a 2003 ball that was in production for only a short while. Can't resist the offer and CB will take a look at them when he visits the company next monday.

Thursday, Feb 10, 2011.
Double league, again on lane 1 and 2, but on a fresh pattern this time. Mechanic revealed that this pattern is a 40-foot layout with quite a heavy oil volume. Lanes were oily indeed, used the Hammer on lane 1 and a mixed use of balls again on lane 2. Shot a 212 in the 3rd with the Storm, playing 2nd arrow stroke with high revs and slow speed. Too tricky style for the last game and switched back to the Hammer. Played the Hammer deep from the inside out for most of the night. Had a 189,6 average and that's ok. Could have been a bit more if i wasn't totally off on the first ball sometimes.

Tuesday, Feb 8, 2011.
Regular competition. Pretty oily lanes with some carry down. Lane nr.1 was playable, lane nr. 2 difficult and unpredictable. Was physically and mentally too tired to play bowling tonight and reaching a 178 average was quite a surprise. Used mostly the Hammer on lane nr. 1 and tried a whole bunch of options on the other lane, just at random without any plan or thought behind it. Second game was a 203.

Sunday, Feb 6, 2011.
Helped out on a youth tournament and was amazed by some of the younger kids that already developed such technical skilled and fluent styles of playing.

Sunday, Jan 30, 2011.
Club championship finals, entering them in 2nd place. Scored 207-210-217-238-211-207 with the Hammer. Was on top of it right from the start and only small adjustments were needed in between games. The difference in conditions between lane 8 and 1 was there, but not as extreme as last tuesday. Played the inner curve again and 2nd arrow stroke for a while on the oilier lanes 1 and 2. Felt totally focussed and in control. It paid off and had enough margin (of which only 5 pins remained) to keep an even better performing Roger M. behind me. First tournament win.

Thursday, Jan 27, 2011.
Competition (double league) on a fresh house pattern. Restless first two games but scores still ok, after that things got better with a 202, 201 and 220 in the last 3 games. Series total was 979. Used the Hammer all night and felt at totally at ease, playing inner line curves again and keeping it in the oil. Funny night as one of the teams suffered a defeat on 1 pin twice and one of their players also lost the season's high series on 1 pin.. to the same opponent.

Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011.
Club championships, 1st round. Third series of the evening so the oil patterns were quite worn on most of the lanes. First night out for the Storm and it saved my ass right away. Six games of very restless bowling, couldn't get my physical moves under control and was simply too eager to make a steady performance. First half of the first game with the Hammer, then switched to the Storm that felt a little more forgiving on being off. Found a sweet spot right from the start of the second game.. spare, bunch of strikes, miss in the middle, another bunch of strikes. 255 for the Storm in it's first full game. And an awkward smile as the strikes came from all sorts of hits, randomly spread across the headpin-area. Spent the third game searching for another sweet spot but found nothing at all. Missed a bunch of easy spares along the way. It seemed that the higher the lane number, the drier the lane. Played game 4 on lane nr. 8, searching again for quite a while. Found some good hits with the Storm after moving inwards, rolling a long smooth curve ball along the inner boards, not too far outwards to avoid the patchy dry parts. Switching to lane nr. 1 for the 5th game. Completely different conditions, pretty oily with moderate carry-down. Switched back to the Hammer right away and had a decent game, playing straight over the second arrow. Lane nr. 2 for the last game was similar, but there was a dry patch right on my line that made the Hammer very snappy. Figured out a way to avoid the patch by going around on the outside, playing deep into the lane from the inside out. Ended up with 1119 total, 186 average, enough for the finals. Learned a lot.

Tuesday, Jan 18, 2011.
Good lane conditions, same pattern as last thursday, a little more oil volume this time. Another 4 games for the Hammer and got to know this ball better again. Not a lot of transition time tonight, it started reacting quite consistent after 6 frames or so. Shitty match against a team that doesn't know when it's time to shut up. First game mediocre due to finding out which line to play. Second game was terrible.. being off on the inside is not recommended with the Hammer and will result in a massive split right away. After that i started playing more stroker-style shots at medium speed on a straight line just outside 2nd arrow and it worked quite well. The ball reaction was a strong short arc towards the pocket and the good thing was it didn't over-react or flip/snap. Also it reacted pretty consistent on the back end so, for the first time with this ball, i was able to make small adjustments on speed and revs. The Hammer strikes on a good pocket hit are cold, harsh and strictly business. Not killing the pins in a flamboyant show-off style as the Alter Ego did. Last game was a 201.

Thursday, Jan 13, 2011.
Conditions similar as last tuesday, fresh pattern. 5 more games on the clock for the Hammer but the Avenger saw plenty of action too. Same events with the Hammer as last tuesday, but this time the transition took place within the first game. Dead as a rock for a couple of frames, then snappy as hell for a couple, then it starts to develop a strong arc motion, starting pretty early. Weird. It seems this ball needs some time to warm up. Smooth arm indeed required and some presicion aswell as it (so far) is way less forgiving as the Alter Ego, especially when you're off on the inside. Precision was an issue all night unfortunately, only the last game was decent. Slowly getting used to the Hammer and got some pretty strikes every now and then, playing long and wide curves from the inside out. Still far from recovered from the leg injury and struggling with the approach, i don't feel free and at ease in my steps yet and i'm not sure if i ever will again.

Tuesday, Jan 11, 2011.
The first 4 games for the new Hammer were quite an adventure: in the first game it did nothing at all, after cleaning it became scary snappy (and dead on impact) in the 2nd, in the 3rd it started to mellow out and i was able to play big curves on the outer boards, in the 4th it became more snappy again and i had to move inward, increase the speed and play it deep into the lane. First impression: Defenitely need a smooth release arm on this one and hope it will become a bit more predictable in the next few weeks.