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| Blockheads: 13 - Team 6: 7 |
We had a few mix-ups on our path to the Viper pattern but in the end, it was a successful one. We were scheduled to bowl Mike Galli and Roxanna Horton, two outstanding bowlers. Mike has the highest average (207) among the men in our league while Roxanna has the highest average (183) among the women.
Mike and Roxanna had scheduling conflicts that required them to postpone our bowling Monday night. They arranged to have it post-bowled on Sunday, June 22nd. Olivia and I agreed to bowl with them on Sunday. Everything was sorted out. Except it didn't quite work out that way. It's actually June 24th that Roxanna will be unavailable and Mike missed the cut in the tournament he entered so both of them were able to bowl Monday night. They tried to reach us through Diablo Valley Bowl to inform us they would be bowling on our regular schedule but the messages never reached us.
I also had a change in plan. I have to leave for the airport earlier on Sunday than I previously planned so I too had to bowl Monday night. I contacted Olivia and she said she would be there to bowl with me Monday night. Then Olivia had a hitch in her plans so she couldn't make it. Thus, it we ended up with Mike, Roxanna, and I bowling Monday night. Olivia's average was used in her absence.
Now for the good news. I bowled extremely well in the first three games and we won 13 of the 20 points against very tough competition. It was my first experience with Viper and it didn't crush me the way Cheetah did. I had a few strikes early in the fourth game and a shot at an 800 series. But later in the game, four bad shots left me with washouts and I failed to convert any of them. Still, three good games out of four isn't bad. We're 33-7 in the last two weeks so we should be moving up in the standings.
WEEK 6 01 02 03 04 SER G PINS AVG HG HSER 200 700 800
Olivia 131 131 131 131 524 12 1582 131.8 189 580 0 0 0
Mark 200 202 218 151 771 24 4123 171.8 218 771 5 3 0
Sharon 4 598 149.5 185 598 0 0 0
Total 331 333 349 282 1295 40 6827 157.6 349 1315 5 3 0
We have one more week on Viper before we switch to another pattern. I think it's going to be Scorpion after Viper. I will be on the road the next three weeks so The Coach will be filling in for me. I highly recommend you read the notes and watch the video on the Viper pattern that I posted recently. They helped me a ton.
I understand Olivia and The Coach are going to practice on the Viper pattern Sunday morning. I think this will be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, this was my experience on Viper -- during the shadow bowling, I tested a couple of things I learned from watching the video. The first thing I found to be true is that I couldn't swing the ball out wide. It didn't come back and sometimes it dropped over the side.
From there, I tested another recommendation from the video. I set up at the 25th board and I rolled straight down the 5th board (over the 1st arrow) to avoid the heavy oil. Sure enough, my ball hooked strongly toward the pocket. In fact, it hooked too much. I was using my Raptor Talon (solid coverstock and drilled for heavy oil) and it was too aggressive for the job. I switched to my Sigma Hybrid (hybrid coverstock and drilled for medium-heavy oil). After the switch, going straight down the 5th board sent my ball right to the 1-3 pocket.
Once I let a shot slip out wide and it dropped in the gutter. After that mistake, I was very careful to shoot it straight down the 5th board. When I say straight, I mean it was on the 5th board when it hit the floor, it rolled over the 1st arrow, and it was still on the 5th board until it started hooking. If the shot is not rolling parallel to the boards (angling toward the gutter), at best you can exect it to come up short of the headpin. At worst, you can expect it to drop over the side.
I had success sticking with my set up at board 25 and shooting down the 5th board until about the 8th frame of the second game. At that point, I started coming up a little high. I switched to my Primal TV4 (pearl coverstock for medium-heavy oil). I stayed on the 5th board and my shots stopped catching too much of the headpin.
During the fourth game, I had more problems hitting high on the headpin. I wasn’t sure if the lanes had broken down enough to allow me to change my angle or if I might have to move my target. I was still fearful of swinging the ball out wide and putting it in the gutter. I tried moving left to board 26 and shooting for the first arrow. My shot stayed on the lane but it didn’t come back far enough to reach the headpin. I left a 1-2-10 washout that I failed to convert. I tried moving my target to the 6th board but that left me with a 1-2-4-10 washout that I failed to convert. I tinkered twice more with my target and left two more 1-2-4-10 washouts before the game was over.
My failure to find an adjustment back to the pocket killed my fourth game. I probably should have made another ball change after the first washout. I had my Sigma Tour for medium oil in the bag. Instead, I stubbornly stuck to my guns and I paid a dear price for it. If I had to do it again, I would switch to a less aggressive ball instead of changing my angle or target.
My recommendation for Viper is that you find a way to play straight down the lane and keep a couple of extra balls on standby for when the lanes start to break down.
I BOWLED 4 PRACTICE GAMES AND OLIVIA BOWLED 3 GAMES. IT WAS GOOD TO BACK OUT THERE BOWLING AGAIN. I BOWLED AT 133,134,151,153. THE KNEES FELT REAL GOOD. I HAVE BEEN WALKING AROUND THE BLOCK IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. MY VICTORY ROAD BALL WORKED REAL GOOD NO PROBLEMS. THE BALL WAS GOING RIGHT INTO THE POCKET. tHE WRECKER WAS WORKING REAL GOOD. IF I ROLLED OVER THE FIRST ARROW, THE WRECKER AND THE BANDIT WENT STRAIGHT IN THE GUTTER. WHEN I ROOLED THE WRECKER OVER THE 2ND ARROW THE BALL SNAPPED LATE IN THE POCKET. I DID REAL GOOD ON MY SPARES IN THE 3RD AND 4TH GAMES. OVERALL GOOD EXPERIENCE. I'M READY FOR TONITE. I WILL PROVIDE DETAILS VIA TEXT TONITE
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