willey said:
Sameal, if you are going to quote me than please get it right, I did'nt say all the oil past 20 feet is to help a wayward shot, I said " All THAT OIL ( 90 units ) is there to hold a wayward shot".
You are right I am envious of the power generated by a lot of Windup's, but when I see them not hit the same place twice and still Strike than I'm annoyed.
You are wrong about bowlers using all 39 boards, I think you better watch next time you see some bowlers, because if they bowl through 90 units from 20 feet to 40 feet than they have missed ( probably a Windup ).
I am not against power players bowling, but I am against pandering to them with massive amounts of oil as this hurts everyone else, this is like in Golf parlance making all the Holes 600 metre's long, so who's going to win in that situation, only the power hitters.
I am not disgruntled and if I'm middle aged than this is good as I will live to be over 100. I'm actually the same age as Wayne Chester, I even look like Wayne except I use my right hand so I don't have his advantages.
I have bowled in league that has cost over $30 a week, my last league average was 215, so I'm no bunny, but of course, they were the easiest lanes I have bowled on in my life.
The thing is all those units of oil is only wasted, as no one actually bowls on that part of the lane anyway, once the ball passes 20 foot down the lane all that oil is only there to help a wayward shot
Could have fooled me chief
. How about we get you out on a pair of lane, strip them bare, put down a house condition on one and put your 20ft theory to the test on the other. Thats probably one of the most nonsensical statements ive ever read on here.
What a load of crap, i can name plenty of bowlers who use just about every board on the lane. We have resorted to playing deep inside lines to combat the dry conditions one of our centers puts out. A 40 - 20 shot is nothing new to be seen in this house, you will probably find a good dozen people throwing a similar shot, of which they are all rather accurate at throwing, no less accurate than you are thats for damn sure. By the end of the night it isnt uncommon to see people going extreme outside, last week a few of us had to throw 45-25 lines with stacks of ball speed just to clear the heads. That is a prime example of lack of oil, lack of prepartion and just pretty much lack of everything.
Heavens forbid you actually learn to throw a shot, you enjoy constanly bagging "windups" as you call them, but what about the no fingers stroker with the latest hook in a box carving up the lanes?. Who needs fingers, who needs to develop a good release, who needs to work on their timing when you can plant the ball at your feet and watch it cover 20 boards retaining more energy than guys 20 years ago dreamt about.
If you want to talk about pampering conditions, these are the people who are being most catered too and this is what hits a little too closer to home for you. You know what, more oil on the lanes is actually going to force you to be more accurate, you talk about the big areas "windups" have, yet strokers with little tallent are guilty of the exact same thing. The difference being is the power player actually works on their shot and puts a substancial amount of effort and technique into imparting that power onto the ball. A bowler of some merit said something recently that is pretty well spot on the money "A power player who can generate that amount of revs is going to have a better chance of striking if they can only get the ball to the headpin". Yes they will carry a lot more strikes because of the pin action they induce, that is why they develop their games, but how many times have you seen a condition out on a lane that allowed the very same bowlers to really swing the shot? It doesnt happen a great deal, most "windups" struggle against conditions that dont suit them, modifying ball surfaces, changing their releases, their timing, and having to use far more ball speed than they like. Quite simply they probably arent spending a whole lot of time in their "A" game.
Now, compare that to the 3 rev stroker with the largest, most aggressive particle ball on the market, instead of the power player being able to maximise carry because of the hitting power their balls carry, now everybody can deliver the same power when hitting the pins. Quite simply, aggressive balls and lane conditions have pampered you, the stroker, that is the core market, that is what drives companies to develop more aggressive equipment year in, year out. Go through the bag of a "windup" see what they carry, appart from finding a vast range of polished equipment (and maybe the odd ball for fresh lanes), you generally wont find a whole lot of super aggressive particle equipment.
I can assure you that there are plenty of centers out there taking good money from bowlers only to lay down the most atrocious conditions. I mean, sure, some centers will be limited by facilities available to them, that is one thing, but there is a level which is even considered substandard for what they are able to achieve. If these bowlers are designated as a centers high rolling league(s), they deserve the best a center has to offer. Quite simply, this isnt happening and it is turning away many bowlers from our sport which is doing nothing for our development (lol, look at the scene on the gold coast in the past 2-3 years for a good example after centers have closed down). Quite frankly i think these centers should be ashamed of themselves, if they are so blind as to not notice the rubbish they are forcing people to bowl on, or if they know about the poor conditions but refuse to do anything about them, you simply dont deserve to be associated with tenpin bowling.
Yes, im a power player, im damn proud of it. I had to work hard to get my game to this level, it doesnt come easy and it is something that has taken me a good 12 years to achieve. In that time i have slowly seen a shift away from the old school cranker, to strokers, and now im damn glad to see that power players are making a comeback. Notice i say power players? they certainly dont all subscribe to the old school method of plant and pull, these days fluid movement and leverage are king. It is a fairly rare sight to see a plant a pull type of stroker out on the lanes these days, today's power player has all the grace and fluid movement of a stroker, they simply far exceed the amount of leverage the stroker generates.
Quite simply, you are the one with the game who is being pampered, you are the one who center operators wall up the shots for, you have all this technology available to you which enables you to throw shots your release/delivery certainly cant match. Take away the supersoakers and your shot would be left wanting, you might even have to work to carry corner pins, wow, what a world that would be.
As for not needing to put more oil down, what planet are you from? have you seen the damage particle coverstocks cause to lane surfaces? the amount of friction they generate, it is like running sandpaper down your lanes 24/7. Without a massive change in surface technology, conditioner is about the only safe haven a technician has to try and prolong the life of their lanes. Yes they will cause damage if you dont continue past 20 ft, even with double oiling the heads. With high RG particle equipment still continuing to rev off axis way past these areas before reaching a break point, how could wear not occur?
Having bowlers average high figures is not an indication of a lanes ability to "handle" newer balls. Heck, ive seen ancient, cracked, splitting, lifting guardian have bowlers come through averaging the same, but tell me what that has to do with the maintenance and lifespan of the surface when the surface is already damaged?
Seriously, you really are quite the hypocrit posting things like this (either that or you are blind), the mere mention of oil frightens you to no end. Quite frankly, its about time we took some of the ball out of bowling and put it back in the hands of the bowler. Thank god there are centers and technicians out there who are willing to provide a consistant, fair shot for all, it's like an oasis in a vast desert (you people are a godsend). We cant get rid of technology, we would be pretty stupid if we did, so you need to give people a method to combat these balls because things just cant continue on as they are. If more oil, more coverage and differing patterns contibute even 1/10th to this, then it is most certainly a step in the right direction. Certainly no governing body, or anybody else for that matter has a valid reason to stop a center from putting out more oil if they deem necessary.
Mr stroker will just have to adjust to the changing conditions, half the people i see with these balls dont even recognise they are burning up so much energy before they even reach the break point. A little oil would probably do them the world of good.
