BOWLING: Local tourneys set

October 12, 2008 08:46 am

— By Gabe D'Angelo
Herald Bowling Writer

LET’S REVIEW some local tournament and other forthcoming events.
Entry forms are available at local bowling establishments for the Mercer County 700 Bowling Club’s Bakers Doubles Tournament.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26 at Sunset Lanes. Squad times are 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Main sponsors for the tournament are Durkos Painting, Fagan Sanitary Supply and Knott’s Interiors.
First place is $600 minimum based on 50 team entries. The entry fee is $80 per team. This is a scratch tournament and is open to all current USBC members (both male and female) who have bowled a sanctioned ABC, WIBC, or USBC 700 series. Total pins after six games will determine the winner. Ties will be broken by a 9th- and 10th-frame roll-off. The winners will be awarded an entry into the year-ending championship tournament.
The tournament format is as follows. Participants will bowl 6 games across 6 lanes. Teams will be randomly assigned to starting lanes. Bowlers 1 will begin all odd games (1, 3, and 5) and bowlers 2 will begin all even games (2, 4, and 6). Team bowlers will alternate frames until the completion of each game. Teams will bowl two games on a pair and then move.
Each squad will be limited to the first 48 entries. Re-entries are permitted if spots are available. Multiple entries (bowling with a different team members) are also permitted. However, you can only cash once with the same partner.
Bowlers who are holding deposits must check in 30 minutes prior to starting time. Walk-ins will be accepted after this time providing spots are available.
Entries close Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. unless filled prior to that time. All mail-in entries must be post-marked by Oct. 17.
Proper attire is required. No blue jeans or shorts are permitted and shirts with collars are required.
ä On Oct. 25, Sunset Lanes is hosting their Halloween Scotch Doubles party. The cost is $30 per couple. The price includes 4 games of bowling (two with the lights and two without lights), munchies, music, lounge specials and free giveaways.
Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. However, you do not have to wear a costume to participate in the event. For additional information or to make reservations, stop by or call Sunset Lanes at 724-981-9363.
ä Let’s spend time discussing proper fit, especially with the thumb.
Weather and physical conditions affect the fit of a bowling ball. Colder weather usually equates to a smaller thumb, while warmer and humid weather makes your thumb swell.
There are some who advocate that you get a ball drilled when your thumb is at its largest. There is an axiom that says your thumb size can change, but your thumbhole can’t.
Most of us who bowl realize that tape is an ideal tool for regulating thumb size. Remember the tighter the thumbhole, the faster you get out of it. If your thumbhole is too large, and you don’t use tape, you have to do something to fill up the space.
Chances are you’re going to bend your knuckle to hold on to the ball. That causes squeezing, and that leads to muscling the ball. Muscling the ball leads to an improper swing and that usually affects pin count.
It’s very important that you insert your thumb completely in the hole. Remember, when you purchased your ball, your hand was measured with your thumb all the way in the ball. If you fail to put your thumb completely in the hole, a variety of problems that might occur.
Poor roll, squeezing the ball, dropping the ball and no backswing are just a few of them.
Here’s another tip that bowlers overlook. When you insert your thumb all the way, make sure you swing the ball back and forth a few times. There is a different feel in a still ball than there is when you swing.
Finally, here is something to keep in mind for future reference.
We have always been taught to put our fingers in the ball first and then the thumb.
If you put your thumb in the ball first, you will get an entirely different feel. This can be an important tool for certain conditions.
Inserting your thumb first will usually give you less rotation and it really works well for straightening the ball out for spare shots. However, don’t attempt this without practicing.

Gabe D’Angelo is a local bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Writers Association who writes this weekly column for The Herald

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