This weekend is one of my favorite weekend's of the year for two reasons. One, of course, is the celebration of our nation's Independence Day. I can already smell those hot dogs and hamburgers sizzling on the grill. The next reason is that there is a PBA tournament right in my very backyard.
That's right, the PBA Gastonia Open is this weekend at Liberty Lanes, and I am looking forward to it. This will be the 10th tournament I have bowled in, and hopefully will be the first one I manage to cash in. To prepare for this event, I have drilled up all new equipment (I also broke my thumb and my layout changed anyway), and I got myself a lesson from a local PBA bowler who is much better than me and has much more knowledge.
The first thing I learned is that there are a few myths out there about the Chettah pattern I need to forget. The first is that you do not necessarily need a polished surface bowling ball. Despite the Chettah pattern being the shortest pattern, it still has a high volume of oil in the front, and with a polished surface, it will go too far down the lane in most cases. WHen thiss occurs, the ball retains too much energy and the result is a skid flip reaction that often times overhooks. In order to tone out that reaction and get more of smooth, arcing reaction, you must sand the surface of your bowling ball, for me a 1000 grit abralon pad seemed to work the best.
The second thing I learned is that the myth about having to play outside of the 5 board is true. I am not saying you cannot strike if your ball is inside that, but the most consistent way to find the pocket is to be as outside as possible, and yes, that could mean the dreaded 1 board. The board that scares most amateur bowlers to death. If you can stay behind the bowling ball with a rough surface and stay outside of 5, you have a very good chance of cashing.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
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