I may be overly optimistic, possibly to the point of dreaming, but in light of developments to the west and east of us, I believe the time is right for a PBA Experience league in the Genesee Region USBC Association.
“Sport Condition” and PBA Experience leagues have sprung up in Buffalo and Rochester and, while they’ll never replace leagues bowled on “house” oil patterns, they are a viable option for many reasons.
First, due to the fact that the oil patterns are flat (at most a 3:1 ratio of oil from the middle of the lane to the outside boards), these leagues present a challenge not found on house conditions (which have about 10 times as much oil in the middle compared to the outside). Accuracy, speed control, angle of entry into the pocket and hand release all come into play on a Sport or PBA Experience lane condition.
Secondly, PBA Experience leagues provide a setting for bowlers who would like to improve their game – and improve their chances when going to tournaments featuring tougher oil patterns.
And thirdly, these types of leagues restore the “200 game” to its rightful place. It used to be an accomplishment to average 200; on today’s house shot leagues, a 220 score (or higher) is considered “par for the course.”
Last week, I took a ride to Clover Lanes in Rochester, which hosts two PBA Experience leagues and one Sport Condition league. One of those PBA Experience leagues, the Thursday Scratch B, switched from a house shot a few years ago. It continues to flourish with a current roster of 11 four-bowler teams.
Many of those bowlers who averaged 215 or better on a house shot are now averaging in the 170’s and 180’s while bowling on two PBA patterns – the Viper, which has 37 feet of oil, in the first half and the Scorpion (42 feet of oil) in the second half.
Those who I spoke with were pretty upbeat despite their inability to string strikes.
“You miss your mark by a little and it’s a dramatic at the other end (of the lane),” said Joe Colombo of Penfield, a 200 average house league bowler who’s at 179 now. “On this shot, it’s tough to pick spares.”
Scott Lucas of Rochester is third in the league with a 186 average; he averaged 227 when it was a house shot league.
“It’s nice, but I wouldn’t want to bowl on it all the time,” said Lucas, who said he averages 225 in a house league at Bowl-A-Roll in Rochester. “It’s a challenge. It just goes to show how good those guys on tour really are. You really have to be able to pick your spares.”
Asked if he thought bowling on a PBA Experience league has helped his game, Lucas said, “I think so. You have to hit what you’re looking at; you just can’t go up and throw the ball. The 10-board area is not there anymore. And ball speed is a big thing, too.”
Locally, a handful of bowlers (including me) have been talking about forming a PBA Experience league. The primary question that needs to be answered: “Is there enough interest from bowlers in the Genesee Region USBC to pursue this?”
If you’d like to learn more about the PBA Experience, log on to www.pba.com, go to the Resources tab and click on PBA Experience Leagues. If you’re interested in being part of a PBA Experience league in our area, contact me (see information at the bottom of this column).
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TOM ALLIS ROLLS 6TH 800 SERIES
Tom Allis’ philosophy that bowling is a one-frame game has served him well. The 50-year-old Medina right-hander posted his sixth certified 800 series last Sunday in the Lambert’s Jewelers/Bob Harris Realty/Scooter’s of Le Roy scratch league at Scopano’s Lanes in Oakfield with a 267-278-255—800 effort for his Tom’s Pro Shop team.
“I really don’t pay much attention to the score; I just try to take it a shot at a time,” said Allis, who had nine strikes in the opening game, 10 in the second game and 10 in the third game to move into the top spot for the league’s high series award.
He also helped his team, which includes sons Mike and Scott, record the league’s high team game of 803. Mike shot 279 and Scott 257 to go with Tom’s 267.
Tom, who also has 23 certified 300 games, said he has improved his average from 192 to about 212 since Christmas, thanks to some physical therapy and a new bowling ball.
“I drilled an Ebonite Bash and it has worked really well, plus I had problems with my hip earlier in the season. I got some physical therapy in Buffalo and it loosened me up, and helped me to get more speed (on the ball).”
Allis admitted he was “thinking about it (an 800 series)” as he approached the final frames of the third game, and was “pretty sure” he needed the first two strikes in the 10th frame. As it turned out, he needed all three strikes and was equal to the task.
His recent surge has lifted his team into fourth place in the league. He also bowls on Thursday nights at Medina Bowling Center.
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LEFTY MUSCATO PREVAILS
Canandaigua’s Ken Muscato got “zoned in” at the right time Sunday to capture the $1,000 first prize in the Bowlers World Open on the original PBA Chameleon pattern at Bowl-A-Roll in Rochester.
Muscato defeated Mike Zircone of Buffalo , 247-185, in the finals, after rolling 228, 265 and 228 in step-ladder matches leading up to the title game. Zircone earned $500.
About 70 bowlers competed in the event, coordinated by Scott Prince of Henrietta. Shot-making was at a premium as it took a four-game score of 816 to advance to the 16-bowler semifinals and a 389 two-game score to reach the eight-bowler step-ladder round.
Mark McClain of Rochester was the high qualifier with 925, while Muscato qualified eighth with 850. Perry’s Matt Slocum advanced to the finals round but fell victim to Muscato’s 228. Slocum made $170.
Former Batavian Pat Donaghue placed fourth and made $270.
“This is what I’ve always wanted – a tournament where the scores weren’t out of sight,” said Prince, a league bowler at Mount Morris Lanes. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it going.”
In the Valentine’s Mixed Doubles handicap no-tap tourney at Cal Bowl over the weekend, Donna Bane and Bruce Seefeldt of Albion combined for 1,663 to take home the $370 first prize. The tourney drew 32 teams.
Bane, a 146-average bowler, posted 679 while Seefeldt, a 197-average bowler, shot 737.
Albion ’s Chad Rignau and Jen Masse placed second with 1,587 ($190), followed by Michelle Skobel and Guy McCracken of Caledonia , 1,518 ($120) and Dawn Shepland and David Myers of Rochester , 1,496 ($80).
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THIS WEEKEND’S TOURNEYS
Legion Lanes in Le Roy, Letchworth Pines in Portageville and Doug Kent’s Rose Bowl Lanes in Newark are hosting four-person handicap, three-person no-tap and singles scratch tournaments, respectively, this weekend.
-- At Legion Lanes, the seventh annual Ron Riggi Memorial four-person handicap event begins with a 5:30 p.m. squad Friday. There are two squads on Saturday ( noon and 3 p.m. ) and two more on Sunday (1 and 4 p.m.). The tourney concludes the following weekend with the same schedule.
First place, based on a full field of 80 teams, is $2,000. One in seven teams will cash, and teams can be comprised of all men, all women or any mixed combination.
Proceeds will go toward two scholarships in Ron Riggi’s name to a junior bowler in Le Roy and at Clover Lanes in Rochester . To enter, call Mark Brown at 716-474-7960.
-- At Letchworth Pines, the Warsaw Fire Department three-person handicap no-tap tourney wraps up with four squads Saturday. Only one of those squads, at noon, has openings. The other squads are at 1:45, 3:30 and 5:15 p.m.
The 3G’s team led by Eric Galton is in first place with a lofty 2,516 score. Thirty-three teams competed last weekend and 38 more are signed up for this Saturday.
First place is a guaranteed $1,000; one in 10 teams will cash. To enter, call Primo Biscaro at 786-2608.
-- At Doug Kent’s Rose Bowl, some of the best bowlers in Western New York and beyond will be shooting for guaranteed top prizes of $5,000 and $2,500 in the annual Brockmyre Classic on Saturday and Sunday.
Bowlers will roll four qualifying games with 36 bowlers, including at least one senior (50-and-over) and the winner of a three-game sweeper on Friday, advancing to the finals. One in six bowlers will cash.
Entry fee is $95. Squad times are 9 and 11 a.m. and 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, with the finals to follow. To enter, call 1-315-331-2007.
(Mike Pettinella’s Pin Points bowling column appears every Thursday during the bowling season. If you have an item of interest for his column, please contact him at mikepett2002@yahoo.com or at 343-3736 or by mail at 55 Edgewood Drive , Batavia ).