Winning Them Over

Just like in the bowling industry nationwide, my job is to win bowlers over to the Motiv Nation.  The difference is, I’m dealing with an audience of less than 100. 

Each week is a new challenge.  This week is a major.  Major patterns are easily the most difficult of the lot.  Imagine the over/under you see in league exaggerated and flipped so that the hook is inside and the hang is outside.  That is the Tournament of Champions pattern.  Of course, it should be that way if the top prize is to be one quarter of a million dollars. 

Furthermore, the bowlers are spending half of their qualifying on fresh oil and the other half on leftovers from the previous squad.  As a result, there are two difficult patterns we that must be tamed.  On the fresh oil there is a huge hang spot with a playable area just inside of it.  This is not really a hook spot is the issue; it’s just an area with less hang.  Higher rev players can play further into the spot than lower rev.  Therefore, there is an interesting situation occurring.  Higher rev players can be further from the pocket while lower rev players must be closer.   

The dry is easier for many of the bowlers as long as the heads don’t get too burnt and they keep up with the transition.  Higher rev players are dominating this week because they can throw their ball over or through the dry in the front of the lane and get the ball to recover from places further down lane than other players.  This is, in many ways, like the World Series of Bowling on the burn squads. 

Given this pattern, I have been dealing a lot with the Thrust core the last few days.  The TR2 appears to be the ball of choice for Motiv players on the fresh while the Primal is a great option for the burn.  The next ball in line is the SR2.  Because this is such a versatile ball, we see it used on both squads.  In fact, there is a very well known player using two different SR2’s; one on the fresh and the other on the burn.  However, there is one PBA hall of famer who chose to use the Cruel on the fresh to play in the out of bounds. 

The PBA National tour is being won over one big M at a time and it is a lot of fun to watch.  Hopefully we can get one of these beasts on soon!

My Gig on the Big Rig

Truly, one of the coolest parts of the tour is the PBA truck.  For those of you who have never heard of this, the PBA truck is an asset for a bowler that is unique to the tour.  Just outside of the bowling center sit two semi truck trailers.  They are parked six inches from one another and join together in the middle.  These trucks are incredible.  They have a tile ceiling, carpet, and central air conditioning!

The first truck houses an incredible mobile pro shop with two mill machines ready to drill hundreds of balls in a week.  Also in that trailer is a player locker room that transports equipment between tour stops.  Trailer number two houses more bowling balls than you have ever seen in your life!  This is a full sized trailer and it is floor to ceiling with bowling balls!

One of my first tasks when I get to a tour stop is stock the truck with the new equipment and to replenish depleted supplies.  Motiv has 60-70 spots on the truck and 10 balls in our product line.  It’s my job to decide what needs to get on the truck and what doesn’t.  Honestly, it’s very difficult to decide.  I have to predict the future and try to know what balls will be good each week and which ones will not.  Otherwise, there are wasted spaces on the shelves.

Once the truck is stocked and the pro shop is ready to go, we start laying out balls.  During the World Series of Bowling there were over 500 bowling balls drilled during the first five days of competition!  Already this week I have laid out 4 balls for exempt players and they haven’t even had a practice session yet. 

This week the lanes are going to be moderately difficult with some hold in the middle of the lane, but not much hook on the gutter or if you miss right.  As a result, I expect to lay out a lot of high performance equipment.  There will be a lot of SR2’s, Primals, and Cruels going off the truck this week.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you have and I will do my best to answer.

P.S.  I will try to remember to snap some photos of the truck tomorrow to post!

Meet the Motiv Maniac

Greetings Motiv Nation!  My name is Brett Spangler.  For two years I have been on staff with Motiv.  I am also the Staff Manager and PBA National Tour Rep for this great brand.  My goal for this blog is to keep MotivNation up to date on what is happening for Motiv on the PBA National and Regional tours.  However, we will also discuss a number of topics that deal with the game and Motiv bowling equipment. 

Truly, I am blessed to have the greatest job in the world.  It is my duty to bowl, lay out balls for the best bowlers in the world, assemble a dynamite staff, and talk bowling all day long.  We are making strides at Motiv, and I love my role in that task. 

Currently, my wife and I live in the Midwest.  Prior to our move to the current location I ran a pro shop for Mike Riggins in Anderson and Muncie, Indiana.  Mr. Riggins was the author of the Ball Review column for the Bowler's Journal.  He is a brilliant pro shop operator and a fantastic friend.

This blog will be an opportunity for us to discuss the tour, bowling equipment, staffing, and truly anything you would like.  If you have suggestions or questions, please let me know!

Of course, I can't introduce myself without some mention of my bowling game.  After all, bowling is one of my greatest passions.  I am a left handed bowler with moderate speed, rpm’s, virtually no axis rotation or tilt, very little talent, but a great deal of dedication to the game.  Recently I won my first PBA regional title.  I am also on staff with Turbo 2-N-1 grips.