Staffer Layouts

I’m frequently asked what layouts my staffers like on their favorite bowling balls.  As a result, I’ve compiled a list of my national tour staffers’ favorite pieces of equipment.  Each of the guys emailed me the specs that are listed along with the layouts they prefer on some favorite rocks.

Dick Allen (3 5/8 x 5/8, Right Handed)

·         Sigma Hybrid

o   35 x 4 ½ x 60 (P4 hole)

o   Box

·         Sigma Tour

o   45 x 5 x 35

·         Raptor

o   30 x 4 x 60 (P2 hole)

·         Raptor Attack

o   30 x 4 x 60 (P2 hole)

o   45 x 5 ½ x 25

·         Backdraft

o   40 x 5 x 35 (P1 hole)

Scott Norton (5 ¾ x ¾, Left Handed, Speed Dominant, lots of axis rotation)

·         Sigma Tour

o   70 x 5 ½ x 35

o   45 x 5 x 65 (P3 hole)

·         Raptor

o   70 x 5 ½ x 35

o   45 x 5 x 65 (P3 hole)

·         Thrash

o   55 x 4 ½ x 70 (P2 hole)

Lee Vanderhoef (5 ½ x ½ , Right Handed)

·         Sigma Tour

o   40 x 5 ½ x 65 (P2 Hole)

o   70 x 5 ½ x 30

·         Raptor

o   55 x 5 x 35

·         Backdraft

o   40 x 5 ½ x 65 (P2 Hole) 

Jake Peters (5 ½ x ½, Right Handed, very little axis rotation)

·         Sigma Tour

o   70 x 5 ½ x 35

o   Box

·         Raptor

o   55 x 5 ½ x 65

o   2000 Grit

·         Backdraft

o   55 x 4 ½ x 45

o   Box

Brett Spangler (5 ½ x ½ , 350 rpm, 20 degrees tilt, 35 degrees rotation, 17 mph, Left Handed)

·         Sigma Tour

o   55 x 5 x 60 (p2 hole)

o   1000 Grit

·         Sigma Hybrid

o   45 x 4 x 40 (P1 hole)

o   2000 Grit

·         Raptor and Raptor Attack

o   70 x 5 ½ x 35

o   4000 Grit

·         Thrash

o   60 x 5 ½ x 65 (P2 hole)

o   1000 Grit

·         Backdraft

o   70 x 4 x 50

o   1000 Grit

It's Never Anything Big

The beauty of a blog is that I can do whatever I want on here and nobody can do anything about it.  I mean, you can choose not to read what I write, but I’ll never know the difference and sometimes it is cathartic to simply write what is on your heart and put it out there for everyone to see.  That’s what I’m going to do today.  Maybe this isn’t a MOTIV-centric post on the MOTIV blog, but you’ll allow me just one.

Today my college alumni magazine for this quarter of the year came to my sister-in-law’s house today (we went to the same college).  There’s an article in there about my bowling and the work I do with Motiv.  This article caused me to take some time to reflect on my last 14 months. 

Just over a year ago I was jobless, frustrated, living far from where I had spent my first 29 years of life and feeling pretty sorry for myself.  I joked with people that the masters degree I had finished before moving with my wife to Northeast Ohio was a masters in unemployment.  There’s a little bit of truth in a joke, though.  Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.  The best job offer I had was not in an area where I had studied in school and not an area where I had any passion.  Still, it was a job, so I felt obligated to seriously consider taking it.

Life was bleak and seemed to just be getting worse.  My dad told me every time I called to him crying that it would “work out.”  I told him every time things this bad don’t just fall into place like that.

Then, just when everything seemed to be terrible, I got a call saying that Motiv was going to register to be on the PBA National tour and that they needed someone to represent them out there along with handling some other tasks throughout the year.  Oh, and by the way, they wanted to know if I’d be interested. 

Since that phone call everything has “worked out.”  Not once has my dad pulled me aside to say, “I told you so,” but I suppose that he didn’t tell me what he told me so that he could one day remind me he was right. 

In the last year I have acquired what can only be described as one of my dream jobs, won a PBA Regional title, qualified through every Tournament Qualifying Round that has been held for two seasons, assembled a brilliant staff of outstanding bowlers, and been given creative influence in the product development of a bowling ball company’s product line.  I don’t say this to brag; I promise.  I am simply in awe of what has happened around me over the span of one year. 

 However, I would be remiss if I did not tie this to bowling in some way.  So, this perspective really encapsulates my World Series of Bowling experience for the 2011 season.  Honestly, I can’t express the disappointment that I felt for the first four days of the tournament.  There was something fundamentally wrong with my game and I put forth the worst four days of competitive bowling I have experienced in my entire life.  However, thanks to Virginia Norton, we made one small change to the shape of my pushaway and I managed to make the cut at the Carmen Salvino tournament. 

I don’t know if there is one lesson to be learned here.  Honestly, I don’t know why I felt compelled to share this besides to say this; in life, in bowling, in virtually anything, hope is really never lost.  There’s always tomorrow.  For me it was not really even something big, just one little phone call, a single coaching tip, that turned everything around on a dime.  My coach, Jeff Anderson, always tells me when I'm lost in my game, "It's never anything big, things are never as bad as you think they are."  He's talking about bowling, but he could be talking about life just as easily.

I feel incredibly blessed to be where I am today.  Thank you, Motiv for providing me with an opportunity to do what I love and get paid for it.  Thank you Shannon, you are an incredible support when I was a miserable sack without a job and now, as I am gone for weeks on end.  Thanks to Mom and Dad who always share wisdom and comfort even when I don’t want to hear it. 

Meet The Team

This summer has been an incredible journey for me as the Motiv Staff Manager.  Obviously, I am always working on filling the Motiv staff.  However, the summer of 2011 was particularly eventful, as I started the search for a PBA National Tour Staff Team.

At Motiv, we pride ourselves on having a staff that is well liked, respected, and modern.  Obviously, that was my goal for the national tour team as well.  We set out to build a staff that reflects the priorities of the brand, could compete at the highest level, and would support one another as a team.  Gradually, the team began to take shape.  The problem was, I couldn’t tell people about it.  It was so painful! 

The first player we locked down was Patrick Girard.  Though we already had a relationship with Patrick, we finally signed official paperwork this summer to add him to the staff.  Patrick is a Canadian bowling superstar.  A member of the Canadian national team, Patrick has been exempt on the PBA tour and made multiple television finals Last year Patrick had strong showings at the US Open and the Shark Championship.   

The next cog that fell into place was Lee Vanderhoef.  “Vandy,” as they call him, is an eleven time PBA Regional champion who has decided to make a run at the PBA National tour.  Lee is a huge fan of the Sigma Tour.  In fact, his first night of league as a member of the staff he shot 879 with his ST!  Lee has top ten finishes on the national tour and is now primed for his big run out there.

Shortly after Lee signed documents I got a call from a player already on the staff saying that he had decided to bowl the entire tour season.  Team USA member, three time collegiate national champion, and Insidebowling.com open winner Jake Peters threw his hat into the ring as well.  Fresh out of college, Jake is already my pick for rookie of the year.  His mental game is outstanding and his physical game is just as solid. 

Next came one of, if not the very biggest free agent signing of the PBA off season.  Motiv signed 2010-2011 PBA National Tour Rookie of the Year and Chameleon Champion, Scott Norton to an exclusive staff contract.  Scott, a Team USA member, collegiate superstar, and exempt bowler was a big enough acquisition to put Motiv on the radar for anyone who follows professional bowling. 

At this point, the staff looked pretty solid for the next season.  Motiv had signed some established pros along with some prospects.  However, there was one more opportunity remaining in the form of a major champion.  Just a few weeks ago I called John Nolen, USBC Masters and PBA Regional Players Invitational Champion, to simply chat for a while.  John had mentioned earlier that he did not plan on bowling on tour this season.  However, in our conversation I got the distinct impression that he was getting the itch to compete.  Within a week John was signed up to be one of Motiv’s poster boys. 

In the span of just a few months Motiv had gone from a company with virtually no representation on the PBA national tour to marching into the World Series 2011 with a team. 

Of course, what does every professional sports team do before the start of the season?  In my next blog post I will discuss how Team Motiv prepared together for the PBA National Tour season.

The House of Pain

Welcome to the House of Pain, ladies and gentlemen.  Please secure all loose items and buckle your safety belts as your ride for the next few days will undoubtedly be turbulent.  There will be emergencies; save yourself and just try not to perish.

Nestled behind a strip mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana hides a bowling center named Georgetown Bowl.  However, those in the know refer to it as, “the House of Pain.”  Scores are low…always.  During the tournament bowlers can be heard saying things like, “these pins weigh seven pounds!” and “nice oil pattern!” or “where is the oil?”  Add to all of this that the pairs all play different from one another and you have an incredibly difficult scoring environment.

The oil pattern for this year’s tournament was Chameleon.  The pattern accented the difficulties presented by the high friction wood lanes.  Chameleon is a strip oil pattern, leaving large areas of the lane unplayable.  Players were forced to throw the ball hard and straight with slow response (but clean) equipment or incredibly slowly and hook the lane with moderately fast response balls.

As a lefty, I could not move into the middle of the lane.  I have to find lay down oil and moving in will not allow that on this oil and pattern combination.  Essentially, the only option was to play outside, around the first arrow, throwing the ball firmly.  The ball choice varied depending on the lane.  All equipment was drilled with the pin 6 inches or more from the axis; one was pin up and the other pin down. 

Once again, I started on an end pair.  Once again, this pair was tighter than any other pair in the center.  I was forced to start the tournament further left than I prefer; laying the ball down on the first board.  When there is not free hook on the gutter that is not a wise place to play.  For eight frames I was able to grind a clean game at a 190 pace.  However, in the ninth frame I dumped one in the channel and did not convert the spare.  The result was a 178 game that was a 205 with any kind of mark (I struck out in the tenth).

For the next five games I played them as simply and intelligently as I possibly could.  My only opens were two pocket 7-10 splits.  In games two through six I went 36 over with a low game of 197.  However, the pain was coming!  On the next pair my first shot hooked immediately and went Brooklyn.  The next shot I moved three and went Brooklyn again.  Again, I moved three and went through the face.  Finally, I went another five boards and managed to hit the pocket.  Aside from a split when the ball went through the face, I stayed clean and managed a 187. 

Though that game dropped me from 4^th on the squad to 7^th, I was still in good shape for the finals.  I thought the worst was behind me.  Oh, how wrong I was!  Game seven was truly what the House of Pain is all about.  I threw the ball well, but was absolutely stuck in jail.  The ball hooked at my feet inside and too much down lane if I played out.  In hindsight, I should have thrown a very smooth rolling ball and stayed out of trouble.  Alas, I did not and I shot 157. 

The final game I shot a solid 205.  However, that was not strong enough to make the finals or even get a check.  This happens from time to time.  Unfortunately, the House of Pain got the best of me for one game.  Of course, the house of pain only needs one game.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

There are some great feelings in life that you never want to become passé.  I am talking about those things that you absolutely love doing and maybe never thought you would get to do.  For me some of these things are; hanging out with my wife whom I love very much, traveling to new places, and (though it sounds weird) bowling on Sundays.  Obviously, the first in the list wins by a long shot. However, for those who love bowling, competing in the finals of a PBA regional event is an incredible experience.

As a result of the incredible strength of the field in Coldwater, 32 bowlers qualified to bowl on Sunday.  Of course, when the field has over 40 PBA Regional champions, 21 current or former exempt players, and 13 National tour champions, 32 to the finals seems reasonable. 

The format favored those who qualified well, as pins carried over.  We bowled 4 games, cutting the bottom eight followed by three cutting the bottom eight, two cutting the bottom eight, and two cutting the bottom four.  Going into Sunday I was in 10^th despite leading my squad because the bowlers on C squad broke the pattern down wisely and capitalized on the mistakes of previous squads.  This meant I just needed to bowl smart to make the first two cuts.

During the first squad I used a pin up sigma with more surface than Saturday.  As the pattern was run more, the areas that hooked began to hook more while the areas where there was hang hooked less.  This created a pronounced cliff between the hang and the hook.  I typically combat this with smooth rolling balls and surface.  Such a ball blends the severe wet dry far better than anything else.  However, I used a pin up ball to give a fast response as the backends were very tight.  I shot a four game total of 798 and maintained the same position through the first four game squad.

The biggest curveball of the day was that the lanes were not being re-oiled until the top four stepladder.  As a result, I chose to reset the surface on my equipment between rounds.  Everything was taken one step shinier than it had been.  For example, the ball that was 500 went to 1000, the ball at 1000 went to 1500, and the ball at 1500 went to 2000 between rounds.

The next round was three games.  During the practice session I tried a pin down Sigma Tour.  While it did not recover as well as its pin up counterpart, the pin down allowed me to play straighter and keep the ball in play.  On low scoring patterns, the most important task is simply keeping the ball in play.  This three game block went incredibly well with a 202, 227, and 267.  I moved up from tenth place to third. 

Bowling is a fickle game, though, and a good look can go away in the blink of an eye.  This is exactly what happened to me.  The first game of the third round I bowled on a pair that (somehow) Rhino and I had not touched yet.  It was completely fresh and I had no read on it.  Unfortunately, I never figured out this pair.  If I tried to square up on the lane, the ball read early and split.  If I tried to go around it, the ball never got started.  In hind sight, I should have switched from the Sigma to the Raptor.  While it would have been hard to keep on line, at least it would have hooked every time I threw it.  This game was my only really terrible game of the weekend and was in the 150’s. 

Going into the final game of the round of 16, I knew that I had to shoot around 200 to make the next cut.  Unfortunately, I was back on the dreaded end pair (where I started the tournament).  I was clean for the first nine frames, and was pacing a decent 200 game.  Then, I missed a 2-4 in the tenth.  It was incredibly embarrassing and frustrating.   My spares had been so good all weekend and I had been clutch every time I needed a strike all to get to this point and miss an incredibly easy spare.

Ultimately, however, I was pleased with the weekend.  Even easy spares were made difficult on this pattern.  A ninth place finish had to suffice.  This weekend was a barometer of how my off-season work has gone.  It seems, based on this performance on a pattern that has consistently befuddled me that things are progressing nicely.

It's Good to be Shallow?

Lanes 15 and 16?  REALLY?  The end pair?  Are you kidding me?  Of all the starting pairs, I drew the end pair! 

Pla Mor lanes in Coldwater, Ohio is a 16 wood lane center.  While the lanes are immaculate, after years of use, lane topography issues are bound to occur.  In this particular center the last pair plays nothing like the rest of the center.  While that is frustrating and a unique hurdle in a tournament, it is particularly difficult when it is your starting pair.  Essentially, you get 15 minutes of practice prior to the tournament beginning and, for me; it was going to be on a pair that would tell me nothing about the tournament pattern.

On the starting pair I had an excellent look with my strongest Raptor.  The ball was set to 1000 grit by hand with a 55 x 4 x 45 and a P2 hole.  This ball has been too early and strong for any pattern it has encountered.  However, for the ultra tight end pair, it was ideal.  My first game score as a solid 215 playing 8 to 5.

However, even with a substantial move on my first shot in the second game, I went Broooklyn on lane one.  UNBELIEVEABLE!!!  Thank goodness I got some pins on the last pair, because it looks like I am going to need them.  The danger on these patterns comes with changing zones.  When you move your feet and ball path more than one or two boards you encounter an entirely new aspect of the pattern.  This pair forced me to jump two zones and ten boards to the middle of the lane.  The result was the best 211 game I have EVER thrown. 

Game three was more of the same.  My ball wanted to read early and lay off down lane.  Instead of thinking critically and changing balls I just told myself that the pattern was hard and made spares for a 180 game.  This was, ultimately, a terrible decision.   

No matter what you are bowling on, if you throw a shot 70% or better, it should get 9 or at least leave a makeable 8 count.  The point on a sport shot is not to throw a ton of strikes.  LEAVE MAKEABLE SPARES!!! The difference between a good bowler and a great bowler is the ability to leave makeable spares on difficult patterns.

I was not following this rule during games two and three and my coach, Jeff Anderson, called me on it.   As always, he told me to shell down, simplify, and figure out how to play shallow angles.  Look at the best players on tour; the guys who knock them down year after year.  What do they have in common?  They play shallow angles almost all of the time. 

As a result, I took out a pin up Sigma Tour with a 1000 grit surface and went back to the exact zone that I played on the first pair.  At least I knew that this was a playable zone of the lane.  It turned out that this was the right move.  While I did not knock them down at a scorching pace, every game was over 190 for the final 5 games.  I averaged 210 for the final five and led the squad. 

Though it was a grind, I was happy to know that I would be bowling on Sunday.  Bowling on Sundays is an absolute blast. 

The Best Laid Plans… – Coldwater, OH Part 3

Following a deliberate practice session the brain must stay active, creating a game plan.  I had 21 hours to come up with my plan for attacking the pattern.  This had to include the knowledge from other players, characteristics of the center, how I expected the pattern to play, who I was following, and what A squad did.

Based on the observations of other lefties (we DO work together…we have to) and my own perception, it seemed that the pattern would likely play somewhere between 3 and 8 down lane with the lay down being somewhere around 3 to 10.

 I would not encounter another lefty until game 4, and then another starting with game 6.  The first lefty was going to throw surface to my left (as always) and the other was going to throw shiny stuff to my right (as always).  The key to knowing this is always to enable those bowlers to make the pattern easier, not harder.  For the pair that the straight lefty broke down, I would throw a faster response ball and move in just a bit, banking it off of his burn.  Once I encountered both the most important factor was never crossing their paths twice.  My hope was to be able to use the path of shiny equipment to create a “shim” and the dull to create a tiny bump spot.  Again, I would likely use a ball with a faster response time than I did on the fresh.

On Saturday morning the first squad was interesting, to say the least.  Unlike the righties, who have to watch everyone, I only watch a handful of players.  This particular morning, Ryan Ciminelli and Rhino Page were the only left handed players I needed to watch. 

Rhino had a phenomenal morning, leading qualifying.  However, Rhino has a bag of tricks that no other lefties possess.  On Saturday, Rhino played between the 4 board and 9 board all day.  He used a pearl resin ball with an incredibly weak layout, spinning the ball and often lofting it when encountering the lay down of the right handed players.  Essentially, Rhino created a shim with his release and the layout of the ball.  While he could not really miss toward the gutter, he could miss right a great deal. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Ciminelli had a very difficult day.  While Ryan is undoubtedly one of the best left handed bowlers in the world, we all struggle from time to time.  Essentially, Ryan had a great deal of difficulty getting the ball to read the pattern.  The stronger equipment would read the pattern way too early and weaker equipment would not move until it fell off of the back of the deck. 

Given these observations, I decided to take only Raptors and Sigma Tours to the lanes for my squad.  On the fresh the plan was to use strong, slow response equipment and transition to faster response balls.  Furthermore, while I had thought that outside the first arrow would be ideal, based on Rhino’s performance I decided to first look between the first and second arrows.  Basically, I knew that I could not create his hold with spin, so I needed to create it with speed and angle through the front of the lane. 

Of course, all of these observations relied upon the pattern being consistent and the bowler executing good shots.