speed bowling

[pilvikki]

never even heard of it. how strange...

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fa ... ver-bowled

[Kellemora]

Amazing!
My brother and I used to travel for bowling tournaments. Although I could usually beat him in normal play, he always beat me during tournaments.
I know why too! It's like driving a car with the seat adjusted just right, then switching to a rental car where it just doesn't have the same feel or handling. This is the problem I had when going to different bowling alleys.
Although they are all exactly the same width and length, other factors make them look and feel different. Like the height of the ceilings, where the ball returns and score counters desk is situated, etc.
When it came to bowling, my brother had tunnel vision and the only thing he could see were the pins, while I saw every annoying thing around me, hi hi...
On the bright side, together we always made more money than it cost for the trips, sometimes a lot more which was his of course.

[pilvikki]

i was pretty useless at bowling, but then again, i rarely went. with me it was either "strike!" - or "good shot. too bad it wasn't your own lane." yep either very good, or humiliating.

[yogi]

When I stopped dating I stopped bowling. It was a fun thing to do but not the first thing I would think of when it came to entertainment. The guy in the video has one hella hook to the path of his ball. Mine was straight as an arrow. I ended up with a lot of splits and my highest score ever was somewhere around 180.

[forgetfultel]

I haven't bowled for years, but when I used to practice and bowl regularly I still only managed a 264 in practice and a 243 in a match.

[pilvikki]

ooh, someone just reminded me: the very first time hubby took me bowling with some of his friends, i beat him by a good margin. we never went back.

did pick it up with second husband, but didn't take to it; seemed everyone else was fanatic with tournaments and kiddie clubs and their own ball etc.

and gads! it's NOISY.

[Kellemora]

I was thinking back to the mid to late '60's when I was tournament bowling.
Got hired part time at a local alley, where some gal took a likin' to me.
The best part of working there was I got to bowl for free, and I made good use of my spare time to do so.
Not that I ever got much better than the plateau I hit a couple years prior.

[pilvikki]

those plateaus, why do you think that happens? what's holding us back, except, say physical strength, which does not apply here?

[yogi]

The perfect game involves doing exactly the same thing 12 consecutive times. Admittedly there is more than one way to strike a frame, but the sweet spot is very narrow in each case and bowlers tend not to change their approach during a game. There are many factors that go into hitting that strike zone, some of which are psychological as well as physical. None of them are the same on any given day. The scoring plateau is an average over a long period of time. Anyone can have a good day, but it's not possible to be exactly the same consistently over time. Too many variables.

[Kellemora]

Yogi answered very well. To which I would like to add.
Do each pair of your shoes feel exactly the same? Of course not!
No matter how close they try to make them, there are no two bowling lanes identical. Too many factors to consider for them to be. They can be close, but not perfect.
If you practice all day on two lanes, and then move down and use two different lanes, your game will be off until you get used to those two different lanes. Move again down the row to two more lanes and they are different also. Now this is all in the same bowling alley.
You go to a different bowling alley and your game will really be off until you adjust to the new lanes and the surroundings.
Another big factor are the types of oil used on the lanes.
One bowling alley may seem like your ball is rolling in traction enhancers. Ever see a pro throw a gutter ball? Sometimes that why. Other lanes may use super glide and you just can't get the hook to grab, which can send your ball into the six pin or into the gutter due to no grip on the alley. Like bald tires on ice, hi hi...
Over the years since I have bowled, the standards of what is used has come up considerably. You won't find much of a difference from one bowling alley to another as far as lane speed and friction.
This is one reason why bowlers averages have increased so much. All things have become closer to equal at all lanes.
But they are all still as different as each pair of shoes you own. They all still feel different from lane to lane.

[pilvikki]

like ski wax.

so, that's one reason i was very good/very bad... apart from just not very coordinated some days.

[yogi]

You have other skills aside from bowling ... I presume ...

[Kellemora]

Of late, my best skill is having the ability to stay glued to my desk chair from 8am until 10pm, except for short breaks to eat, exercise, and add to the old watering hole.

[pilvikki]

i was leaning on my work table one fine morning and someone came by and asked if i was ok. "oh sure, sure... this is just so hard..." "what? you've done that job for years!" "i'm not talking about the job, but trying to maintain an upright position..." "ah, yes. gotcha."

[yogi]

Damned be gravity. It's so predictable.

[pilvikki]

it is, indeed. i'd like a wee bit less of it, so we could all just float along.

[yogi]

It's just a matter of increasing your volume to weight ratio.