PBA EXPERIENCE - WEEK 11 RESULTS

Blockheads: 20 - Team 5: 0

This was our last night on the Shark pattern. Olivia and Jon were absent so it was just Peter and I bowling. Other than a few splits and missing a couple of easy spares, I had a pretty good night. Peter had some struggles finding a consistent path to the pocket until the final game. As a result, we pulled off a 20-point sweep. It was pretty close to being a scratch series in team handicap as we received four pins.

The league rules dictate that when two absent bowlers oppose each other, the match points go to the absent bowler whose team won the game. Since we won all four games and total pinfall, Olivia earned all of the match points versus Jon. With a 20-point night, our record improved to 104-116 and we likely moved up a place or two in the standings just in time for another position round.

WEEK 11 01  02  03  04 SER   G  PINS   AVG  HG HSER 200 700 800
Olivia 133 133 133 133  532 24  3210 133.8 198  606   0   0   0
Mark   167 200 171 217  755 32  5601 175.0 218  771   8   5   0
Sharon                       4   598 149.5 185  598   0   0   0
Gary                        12  1671 139.3 165  586   0   0   0
Total  300 333 304 350 1287 72 11612 161.3 387 1329   8   5   0

WEEK 11 RESULTS

Blockheads 4 - Don't Matter 0

After our disasterous performance in Week #10 that knocked us from a first place tie to third place, we bounced back in Week #11 to sweep Don't Matter. We were just a spare short of topping our (and the league's) high series of 2170. The sweep moved us into a three-way tie for first place with Team 5 and Rock On. Team 5 is our opponent next week, as Jeff was quick to remind us last night.

All of us bowled well and raised our averages at least a little bit. Did the tough tournament conditions we bowled in Sunday help us?

LEAGUE STAT SHEET

WEEK 11 01  02  03  SER   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS 200 500 600 700
Sharon 162 175 178  515  33  5386 163.2 215  559   3   6   0   0
Olivia 168 161 145  474  30  4672 155.7 224  509   3   4   0   0
Mark   226 254 195  675  33  6450 195.5 254  706  13   6   3   1
Gary   176 125 199  500  32  4954 154.8 211  530   1   3   0   0
Total  732 715 717 2164 128 21462 167.7 794 2170  20  20   3   1

WEEK 12 RESULTS



1 win, 3 losses

We struggled most of the night and managed only one point. If not for The Coach and Olivia picking us up in the second game, we'd have been swept. As it was, we came out of it 1-3. Hard charging Team 5 went 4-0 to gain three points on us and close our lead to five points. (Hey, Peter. If you're reading this, how about picking a team name already? If you don't, I'm going to name your team Ifrancene VanDerHopper.)

WEEK 12 01  02  03  SER   AVG   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 139 124 184  447 149.0  36  5997 166.6 234  551
Olivia 133 171 102  406 135.3  33  4757 144.2 207  492
Mark   192 145 203  540 180.0  36  6943 192.9 248  625
Gary   153 200 146  499 166.3  36  5809 161.4 206  540
TEAM   617 640 635 1892 157.7 141 23506 166.7 805 2138




Mike's 300 game


A tip of the cap goes out to Mike Tomimoto of the inappropriately named One Pin Standing. Mike left no pins standing as he bowled a perfect 300 in the first game on lanes 15-16. Well done, Mike.

Another tip of the cap goes out to The Coach who deserves a heap of credit for his effort this evening. Someone broke into The Coach's car yesterday and stole his bowling bag. Thankfully, he still had a couple of balls he bought from Brandon a few months ago and he was able to get a new pair of shoes from Pinole Bowlers Supply on short notice. (Thanks, Garrett!) The new shoes were stiff and The Coach had to bowl without his polyester spare ball but he was the only one of us to raise his average tonight. Well done, Coach.

The full stat sheet can be viewed by clicking here or on the LEAGUE STAT SHEETS link in the LEAGUE INFORMATION section in the right column.

OVER THE WALL STATS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE THROUGH LEAGUESECRETARY.COM

It will no longer be necessary for me to scan our stat sheets each week because all of our stat sheets (with greater detail) are now available through LeagueSecretary.com. I will soon put a link in the right column to access our league stats. For now, you can click here.

Upon reaching our league's page, scroll down to the bottom and you'll find a place where you can register your name and email address. Once that's done, they will send you an email to alert you whenever our league's stats are updated.

You'll notice there are more stats online than you'll find on our printed stat sheets. It shows you what you have to bowl next week to increase or decrease your average by one pin and your individual handicap.

WEEK 7 STATS POSTED



 I was wrong about the scoring of Monday night's games. We were credited with three wins and one loss so our record is now 21.5-6.5. We're in first place, 4.5 games ahead of One Pin Standing. You needn't wait until next Monday night to see the stat sheet. It's on our STAT SHEETS page now.

WEEK 6 STATS POSTED

I picked up an advance copy of the league stat sheet for next week. You can view it on the STAT SHEETS page. This is a good one with Blockheads all over the listings of league leaders for the week and the season. It's also nice to see us maintaining our position in first place.

WEEK 5 STAT SHEET POSTED

While I was at Diablo Valley Bowl last night for the Showcase league, I picked up a copy of our current stat sheet. You can click on the STAT SHEETS tab above to see the stat sheets for each week of the season. You will find Sharon's name all over the new one.

WEEK 5 RESULTS

It's a sweep for The Blockheads!

Olivia was absent but it was still a solid night for The Blockheads. Sharon, The Coach, and the team registered their high series for the season to pull off a four-point sweep over Team 5 and maintain first place. Team Five started the night in second place, only half a game behind us. The sweep put them 4.5 games back in third place. One Pin Standing entered the night in third place but they took 3 of 4 from Jeff & Co. to move into second place, two games off our pace.


WEEK 5  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 184 189 167  540 180.0 15 2469 164.6 198  540
Olivia 147 147 147  441       12 1774 147.8 170  492
Mark   196 216 191  603 201.0 15 2865 191.0 233  609
Gary   199 141 147  487 162.3 15 9836 152.5 199  487
TEAM   726 693 652 2071 172.6 57 9395 164.8 742 2071

WEEK 4 RESULTS

It was confirmed Monday that we did indeed win 3 out of 4 points in week #2. We thought we were 1-3 but there was an error in the handicapping. Once the handicap was corrected, the game we thought we lost by five pins was a win and we earned the point for total pinfall.

We were off our game this week.

As for this week's bowling, we did indeed lose three out of four this time. We won the second game but that was it. That's How We Roll won the first and third games plus the point for total pinfall. We didn't bowl poorly but we weren't sharp except for Sharon who scored her high game and tied her high series for the season. Our record is now 11-5. We held onto first place by a half point over Team 5 and one point over Team 3 (One Pin Standing). Team 5 is our opponent next week (on Coach's favorite pair of lanes) so we'll soon have a chance to put some distance between us.

I picked up an advance copy of next week's stat sheet which you can view by clicking on the OVER THE WALL tab just below the page header.  Here are our scores from Monday night:

WEEK 4  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 127 178 198  503 167.7 12 1929 160.8 198  503
Olivia 166 126 136  428 142.7 12 1774 147.8 170  492
Mark   165 182 189  536 178.7 12 2262 188.5 233  609
Gary   146 145 168  459 153.0 12 1800 150.0 197  460
TEAM   604 631 691 1926 160.5 48 7765 161.8 742 2002

WEEK 3 RESULTS

Can't complain about winning 3 of 4.

After last week's struggles we needed to bounce back strong this week and we did. We bowled very well in the first two games and it was good enough to earn two wins and the point for total pinfal. Coach and I fell off a cliff in the third game so we lost that one even though Sharon and Olivia had good scores. 3 out of 4 isn't bad and we'll take it.

Sharon and Olivia set new High Game and High Series marks this week. As a team, we topped our previous High Series by 45 pins.

The stat sheet shows we won 3 of 4 points last week but I'm almost certain it's an error. I believe there will be a correction to follow that will show we won only 1 of 4 in week #2. Assuming a correction is in order, our overall record is 8-4. If we did somehow go 3-1 instead of 1-3 last week, our record is 10-2.

WEEK 3  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 165 175 163  503 167.7  9 1426 158.4 175  503
Olivia 167 170 155  492 164.0  9 1346 149.6 170  492
Mark   214 214 137  565 188.3  9 1726 191.8 233  609
Gary   142 175 125  442 147.3  9 1341 149.0 197  460
TEAM   688 734 580 2002 166.8 36 5839 162.2 742 2002

WEEK 2 RESULTS

We went cold at times tonight.

We were off our game a bit last night and the One Timers took advantage to claim two of the three games plus the point for total pinfall. We should have won the second game but Coach and I missed one-pin spares in the tenth frame and we lost that game by five pins. Most of the time, we could hit those shots with our eyes closed but this time we didn't come through. All we can do is learn from it and keep working to get better. There's no point in kicking ourselves over it. If we keep practicing the way we did last weekend, I have no doubt our scores will improve. The 1-3 week puts us at 5-3 for the season.



WEEK 2  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 138 169 137  444 148.0  6  923 153.8 169  479
Olivia 167 154 124  445 148.3  6  854 142.3 167  445
Mark   203 168 181  552 184.0  6 1161 193.5 233  609
Gary   135 126 178  439 146.3  6  899 149.8 197  460
TEAM   643 617 620 1880 156.7 24 3837 159.9 742 1957

WEEK 1 RESULTS

The season is underway and we had a pretty good start. Unfortunately, we don't know how we fared in the standings because our opponents didn't show up. I'm not sure how the league is going to handle this. Since they didn't attend the league meeting, they're not aware we voted out post-bowling this season. The league may let them slide and do it just this once. If it's ruled a forfeit, we're 4-0 because we bowled over our team average in the first and third games and only nine pins below it in the second. (We have to bowl within 40 pins of our team average to earn a win when the other team forfeits.)

It looks like we might be down to six teams this season. Four of the teams that had signed up to bowl didn't turn up. I hope their absences were because of circumstances beyond their control. We should know next week if they're in or out.

Here are our scores from tonight:

WEEK 1  01  02  03  SER  G   AVG
Sharon 154 158 167  479  3 159.7
Olivia 139 125 145  409  3 136.3
Mark   191 185 233  609  3 203.0
Gary   135 128 197  460  3 153.3
Total  619 596 742 1957 12 163.1

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 14 RESULTS

This was the final week of the season before our sweeper next week. It was a double position round so we bowled both sets against the same team. We were in 15th place so that matched us with the 16th place team of Kadi Whiteside and Curtis Elmore.

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 13 RESULTS

Our first set tonight was with Kevin and Lisa Burney. There wasn't a lot of handicapping involved as Lisa had to spot Olivia only 8 pins while Kevin and I were even. We lost the first game but rebounded to win the second with Team Burney edging us in total pinfall. On the head-to-head side, Olivia and Lisa split while I outscored Kevin in both games. Overall, the score was 5-5.

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 12 RESULTS

Our first set was against The Bowler's Advantage which on this night was Ray minus Gaylah Spackman. All three of us started off cold then picked it up in the second game. Ray gave me a pretty good drubbing in both games to claim two head-to-head points. Coach's two games were far enough over his average (with a boost from the handicap) to claim the two head-to-head points against Gaylah's average. Those were the only two points we earned as Ray's scores put the two points for total pinfall out of our reach. We were 2-8 for the set.

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - RESULTS FOR WEEKS 7 - 11

I'm nearly caught up after my being away for a month. Thank you, Sharon & Gary for saving the scoresheets in my absence. I now have the stats for weeks #7 through #11.

I wasn't confident about my bowling after playing nothing but "small ball" bowling back east. Thankfully, my feel for the game started coming back to me quickly. Olivia and I both bowled over our averages and scored 15-5 for the night. The past two weeks, Sharon bowled solo and went 22-18 so we've been a very respectable 37-23 the past three weeks.

HOW DID IT GO WITH CARMEN SALVINO?

My internet connections have been spotty in Canada and I have zero connectivity with Sprint. How did we do Monday night? I'm curious about the new oil pattern. How did it play? I hope I won't be totally lost with a 15-pound ball after 26 days of bowling with 3-1/2 pound bowling balls. (I tried Canadian five-pin bowling yesterday -- it was great!) I plan to start practicing as soon as I get home.

I will be back in the USA tomorrow night so my cell phone should be functional again.

ODDS & ENDS

A few bits of news to share....

I found a handy smart phone application for the Android market. It's called Bowling Scorekeeper and it's free. Enter your league or tournament name, the dates and the scores, then Bowling ScoreKeeper does the rest.  It figures your averages for multiple leagues and tournaments. I tried a few others but they had some unacceptable limitations -- mainly working only for three-game series. So far, this one has worked fine without any bugs.

Sasha Gray bowled his first 300 game at Diablo Valley Bowl on Wednesday. He had another game with a split in the first frame followed by eleven strikes. It was a great day for the young lefty.

Kris Kiiskinen bowled her first 200+ game on Thursday with a score of 204. Unfortunately, it didn't occur during league play. She bowled it during a practice session after her league games had ended. Still, she was pleased to finally clear the 200 hurdle.

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 6 RESULTS



Kevin Burney or Rob Halford?

The Coach stood in for Olivia for our last night on Cheetah and we did okay with a record of 10-10 for the night.

In our first set we battled Lisa and Kevin Burney. Kevin is the lefty who stands about 6'6" and looks quite a bit like Rob Halford of Judas Priest. Kevin and Lisa beat us individually and as a team in the first game but we turned the tables on them in the second. They edged us in total pins with a score of 611-603 so they beat us 6-4.

Team Burney

In the second set we drew Ray and Gaylah Spackman. In a near repeat of the first set, we were beaten in the first game and rebounded to win the second. But this time, we caught fire in the final game just as Ray and Gaylah hit an uncharacteristic rough patch. The combination was enough to earn us the two points for total pinfall in the set and a 6-4 victory.

Week 6   01  02 SET1  03  04 SET2  SER G  AVG  TG TPINS  SAVG
Sharon                                          4   506 126.5
Olivia                                         16  2251 140.7
Mark    185 168  353 125 203  328  681 4 170.3 24  3897 162.4
Gary    121 113  234 141 165  306  540 4 135.0  4   540 135.0
TOTAL   306 281  587 266 368  634 1221 8 152.6 48  7194 149.9 

Next week we switch to the Earl Anthony pattern. Diablo Valley Bowl will have it on the lanes for practice at 6:00 PM this Sunday.

SPORT CHALLENGE 23 - WEEK 5 RESULTS

Olivia wasn't able to bowl this week so Sharon stepped in to take her place. It wasn't an easy task to bowl four games on Cheetah without an opportunity to practice on it first. As one might expect, Sharon had a tough time with the new conditions. Welcome to the humbling game of sport bowling, Sharon!

I didn't have the excuse of inexperience for my floundering scores. I bowled seven games on Cheetah the night before and still couldn't do much with it.

It didn't help us that the opposition bowled really well and seemed to strike at will. Sharon picked up our only two points of the night as we went 2-18. After a decent start, we've been sinking toward the bottom of the standings the past few weeks. It won't get any easier next week as we'll be facing tough competition including Ray and Gaylah Spackman in the second set.

WEEK 5  01 02 SET1  03 04 SET2  SER G AVG   TG TPINS  SAVG
Sharon 106 156 262 105 139 244  506 4 126.5  4   506 126.5
Mark   180 134 314 158 159 317  631 4 157.8 20  3216 160.8
Olivia                                      16  2251 140.7
TOTAL  286 290 576 263 298 561 1137 8 142.1 40  5973 149.3