267 replies to this topic

[dapokerbum]

HollywoodAFD, on Monday, June 30th, 2008, 4:06 PM, said:

What sport is easier to become a pro at?And here we must define "sport" and DARTS isn't one.Golf? Not a chance. No matter how good a coach and how long you practice...golf is not something that can be mastered by many.Football? Not a chance for most... size and speed and competition without injury... low percentage.Baseball? Too much competition and not easy to master.Basketball? See footballTennis? Not likely. Very physical and most people couldn't even return ONE serve at 100mphHelp me out... what sport is easier to become a pro at?

Actually I think you need to define easier. I know 100% that it was easier for Ladanian Tomlinson to become a professional football player than it would for him to be a professional bowler ... but given the time and dedication and training he could probably become quite a good bowler, but who knows maybe he doesnt' have what it takes to be a professional bowler. There are certain people that things come quite easily to them and it is known as natural talent. They need their coaches to develop this talent into something tangible and therefore they become pros. I think the main thing in each endeavor is that they all give 110% to thier particular sport. They eat, drink, and live whatever sport it is and in that I think it comes down to that dedication for every "pro" in the sports world.You are only thinking in the terms of what is most grueling and in that you are thinking that there is nothing else that defines these other sports except the toughness of mastering it. However, I believe that there is more to it than that. I wish that I had the resources to give you all the training and all the equipment to see if you could back up your statements. It would be a fun prop bet ... if I was a very rich person.

[HollywoodAFD]

dapokerbum, on Monday, June 30th, 2008, 6:37 PM, said:

Actually I think you need to define easier. I know 100% that it was easier for Ladanian Tomlinson to become a professional football player than it would for him to be a professional bowler ... but given the time and dedication and training he could probably become quite a good bowler, but who knows maybe he doesnt' have what it takes to be a professional bowler. There are certain people that things come quite easily to them and it is known as natural talent. They need their coaches to develop this talent into something tangible and therefore they become pros. I think the main thing in each endeavor is that they all give 110% to thier particular sport. They eat, drink, and live whatever sport it is and in that I think it comes down to that dedication for every "pro" in the sports world.You are only thinking in the terms of what is most grueling and in that you are thinking that there is nothing else that defines these other sports except the toughness of mastering it. However, I believe that there is more to it than that. I wish that I had the resources to give you all the training and all the equipment to see if you could back up your statements. It would be a fun prop bet ... if I was a very rich person.

Dangit... good one. Didn't think of it like that.Clarification: Bowling is the easiest sport for me to become a pro at.... or anyone who was not born with some sort of God-given size, strength and/or speed.

[tobytobey]

Do you consider fishing to be a sport? Cause it seems prety easy to ride around in a boat with a case of beer.And why would you exclude darts? If you are including bowling, I think the inclusion of darts is a must.Which would be harder to master.....bowling or darts?I have a man crush on the guy (even though I have no idea what he looks like) who calls out the dart matches they show on ESPN sometimes........I love the way he says...ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY!!!!!!!!!

[HollywoodAFD]

tobytobey, on Monday, June 30th, 2008, 8:06 PM, said:

Do you consider fishing to be a sport? Cause it seems prety easy to ride around in a boat with a case of beer.And why would you exclude darts? If you are including bowling, I think the inclusion of darts is a must.Which would be harder to master.....bowling or darts?I have a man crush on the guy (even though I have no idea what he looks like) who calls out the dart matches they show on ESPN sometimes........I love the way he says...ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY!!!!!!!!!

Awesome! lmaoFishing has too many intangibles ... Darts.... I would listen to an argument about darts.

[CBass1724]

tobytobey, on Monday, June 30th, 2008, 3:19 PM, said:

I tend to agree. Any idea how the name came about? I don't tend to associate pork products with bowling (other than pork rinds (SP?))

For the youth bowlers, they have "hambone" patches they give out when you get 2 strikes in a row. This has been out for a few years now I think.But when they got rid of Dave Ryan on the PBA telecasts they replaced him with Rob Stone. Stone knew nothing about bowling before going into the booth and he was very fascinated about the term "turkey" for 3 strikes in a row. So he wanted a nickname for 4 strikes in a row, which is normally just called a 4-bagger. I guess he pulled the term hambone out of his ass. The pros hate it but the fans started coming in with hambone signs. He really made a mockery out of it, but if it gets fans involved and more people to like bowling, then who cares?Pete Weber got 4 in a row on one show this year and immediately did a crotch chop and yelled "here's your hambone Rob Stone!" It was quite funny. About the pro bowling thing, it really is hard to do. There isn't as much weight lifting and conditioning involved as in other sports like the NBA, NFL, etc, but it has it's own grueling aspects. These pros practice at least 10-15 games a day which I would dare anybody to do on their own for a few weeks in a row. Let me know how your thumb and hand feels when you are done. I say they practice "games" but in reality they just throw shots and don't keep score. When I bowled in college, for the most part I practiced everyday. We had our own lanes on campus (6 lanes) and we could oil them anyway we liked. We also did a lot of accuracy drills where you'd set up 2 cones at the arrows (15 feet) and then another set of cones about 35-40 feet down the lane. The object is to roll the ball between both sets of cones (which are not in a straight line) without touching them. It's a very tough task for an average bowler to do but I would predict that the pros you see on TV could do this easily 8-9 times out of 10, if not a perfect 10. We were all struggling to make it through the cones a few times and we were the #2 team in the nation. My old roommate at college is currently on his way to becoming exempt on the PBA tour. He was on the CBS show a few weeks back where there were 16 bowlers bowling for $50K, or whatever it was. I've never seen someone more dedicated to anything in life as he is to bowling. He literally practices more than anybody (even the exempt pros) and it has started to pay dividends for him. He is currently on Team USA and was the national amateur champion last year. Back in school I'm pretty sure he threw over 40 strikes in a row at one point in practice which is just plain sick.

[HollywoodAFD]

Does your roommate do any of that outdoor bowling? I've been seeing lot's of that on lately. That looks tricky... it usually looks windy.

[booyaga]

what do you think is harder to do?bowl a 300....hit a hole in one...

[bdc30]

booyaga, on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, 3:03 PM, said:

what do you think is harder to do?bowl a 300....hit a hole in one...

I really hope you're joking.

[bdc30]

I never knew there was such a thing as different "oil patterns". Found this link interesting.Lane Conditions and Oil Patterns

[Jambizzle]

bdc30, on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, 11:40 AM, said:

I never knew there was such a thing as different "oil patterns". Found this link interesting.Lane Conditions and Oil Patterns

Ya. Basic things like short patterns and long patterns allow for style variation. Did you think the bowlers just said "TURN!" it the ball did it?

[AmScray]

booyaga, on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, 12:03 PM, said:

what do you think is harder to do?bowl a 300....hit a hole in one...

Comparing apples to aardvarks, but I'd definitely have to go with bowling a 300.No one is ever going to "accidentally" bowl a 300, whereas everyone knows a terrible golfer who's buried a hole in one before.

[bdc30]

Jambizzle, on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, 7:06 PM, said:

Did you think the bowlers just said "TURN!" it the ball did it?

No I just never knew there was more than one "way" to oil a lane. Always thought it was just a greasy dude with a mop and bucket....lol

[FARGOpokerND]

Bowling is a sport that so many people have serious misconceptions about. This is because so many people have gone out with their friends on a Friday night and shot a 120 with a house ball. They then have the belief of "oh I can shoot 120 with no practice....this game is cake". They don't realize the amount of preparation that goes in to becoming a competitive bowler. Yes, Hollywood, I believe that with 6 months of PURE dedication, you could probably be oh....upper 3%. That is because I'd say 95% of the population of bowlers will never put in 6 months of work in their whole LIFE. Then of course 2% of the population is just naturally good and doesn't need to practice to whoop up on everyone. The other 3% put in many many hours over many years to perfect their game, and you have no realistic shot at catching them in only 6 months.I, for instance, have put in SO many hrs over the last 4-5 years. I have practiced 60 games a week for the last 5 years now. I believe it is EASY to get a bowler up to a 180 average on a house shot....even 190-200. Anything else beyond that takes more time. This is because converting spares and covering splits become more important once you plateau off. For instance, my average was a 109 my 1st year, 2nd year jumped to 145, then 155 170 180 187 194 199 205 210 now 214. But all things aside, any competent bowler on a sport shot would wipe the floor with you, Hollywood. Put you on a house shot and it become a "who can strike and carry better" contest.Moving on though....College bowling is coming up soon. Our school is almost done with it's new bowling alley for our team (they love us). Looks like the trips we will be making this year will be: Wisconsin 2-3 times, St. Louis, Omaha, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, South Bend and possibly St. Louis one more time.And yes....Hambone makes me cringe.Rob Stone makes me cringe even more.

[HollywoodAFD]

Yay! So you think I could be upper 3% ! Woohoo! I think higher.Went out Sunday and bowled 220 245 213 ... that makes 6 games I've bowled in the past ...I really don't know how many years.I should preface this with the fact that I didn't just start bowling... I just thought about bowling again and was making a statement about how good I thought I could be if I really worked at it. Your statement about somebody wiping the floor with me was more of a "talking out yer arse" statement than mine was because you don't know me. I knew some people would get their feelings hurt about the statement but I still believe it's true.When I was 14.. I was touring the State and was more than top 3% for my age group. Then I stopped bowling when i was 16 and started again in college for a semester but it interfered with football and baseball so I quit. Aside from a few 'outing'... I really haven't bowled at all in MANY years.

[CBass1724]

AmScray, on Monday, July 7th, 2008, 2:02 AM, said:

Comparing apples to aardvarks, but I'd definitely have to go with bowling a 300.No one is ever going to "accidentally" bowl a 300, whereas everyone knows a terrible golfer who's buried a hole in one before.

I don't know. It's easier to become good in bowling than good at golf. If I go to a local scratch tournament that has 45 entries, I'd say at least 3/4's of them have 300's easily, if not more. But if I played in a golf tournament, I am going to guess that maybe only a few people at most would have a hole in one in their career. I see your point that an ace is only 1 shot, whether it was all luck or skill. But in bowling a 300, you have to toss 12 consecutive strikes. I personally think getting a hole in one is tougher than shooting a 300 but only because I am a much better bowler than golfer. I've had 5 (i think) sanctioned 300's and have never come close to a hole in one.On to the bowling discussion and the oil patterns. If you really want to be a good bowler, practice your spares! If you can shoot straight at every spare and never miss a single pin spare, you will be ahead of the game in no time. The strikes will come, but you need to fill all the frames. I've had countless games where I miss 2 easy spares but have 8 strikes for a 230+. Yeah 230 is good and all, but not when you are throwing 25-30 pins away by being retarded. Let's say you bowl a league and have trouble making the 10 pin (far right corner pin). If you miss on average three 10 pins a night, that is 11 total pins each time you miss, for a total of 33 pins a night. If you are averaging 180, just making your 10 pins will raise your average to 190+. The pros are so good because they rarely miss spares and they almost never miss single pins.

[FARGOpokerND]

Me and the 3 other founding members of the North Dakota State college team got together with one of our coaches to set up this year's schedule:-Oct 4-5 Wauwatosa, WI-Oct 11-12 Wichita, KS-Oct 18-19 Minneapolis, MN-Nov 8-9 Madison, WI-Nov 28-29 St Louis, MO-Dec 20-21 Las Vegas, NV-Dec 22-23 Las Vegas, NV-Jan 24-25 South Bend, IN-Feb 7-8 Fairview Heights, IL-Feb 20-21 Indianapolis, IN-Mar 12-13 Sectionals (Most likely either St Louis or Las Vegas, we are pushing for Vegas because 1. The sectional is much easier than St Louis and 2. It is the beginning of spring break for us, so we can turn the trip into Spring Break following sectionals)This year is such a positive already:-17 registered bowlers on this years roster (up from 11 registered and 8 active from last year) including our 1st two out of state recruits.-Two new coaches plus a financial manager (Up from my dad who was a "coach" aka financial manager/boss)-Brand new bowling alley built for us-Sponsorship from Hammer

[CBass1724]

FARGOpokerND, on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008, 4:15 AM, said:

Me and the 3 other founding members of the North Dakota State college team got together with one of our coaches to set up this year's schedule:-Oct 4-5 Wauwatosa, WI-Oct 11-12 Wichita, KS-Oct 18-19 Minneapolis, MN-Nov 8-9 Madison, WI-Nov 28-29 St Louis, MO-Dec 20-21 Las Vegas, NV-Dec 22-23 Las Vegas, NV-Jan 24-25 South Bend, IN-Feb 7-8 Fairview Heights, IL-Feb 20-21 Indianapolis, IN-Mar 12-13 Sectionals (Most likely either St Louis or Las Vegas, we are pushing for Vegas because 1. The sectional is much easier than St Louis and 2. It is the beginning of spring break for us, so we can turn the trip into Spring Break following sectionals)This year is such a positive already:-17 registered bowlers on this years roster (up from 11 registered and 8 active from last year) including our 1st two out of state recruits.-Two new coaches plus a financial manager (Up from my dad who was a "coach" aka financial manager/boss)-Brand new bowling alley built for us-Sponsorship from Hammer

BOOYAAAA, that is awesome! Being at Morehead, we were so close to Ebonite so we got all their balls at cost. The girls team got freebies but they were always good. The guys team wasn't good til I got there -- and it wasn't because of me!Have fun in South Bend. It was a tough shot there from what I remember.

[FARGOpokerND]

CBass1724, on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008, 9:18 AM, said:

BOOYAAAA, that is awesome! Being at Morehead, we were so close to Ebonite so we got all their balls at cost. The girls team got freebies but they were always good. The guys team wasn't good til I got there -- and it wasn't because of me!Have fun in South Bend. It was a tough shot there from what I remember.

My fav is Indy, where you have 3 different patterns (long medium and short) and you bowl 3 team games on each.

[FARGOpokerND]

Bowling season back in action!!!Our city has 2 cakewalk houses (230-240 high averages in house) and one hard house (no one has ever averaged 210)I bowl at one easy and the hard house...Through 4 weeks I am averaging 211 at easy house and 221 at hard house?? WTF hahaShot 734 Tuesday night at the hard house which helps.Our 1st college bowling tourney is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin in 2 weeks, which we are pumped about and looking good.

[FARGOpokerND]

Guy in league tonight at the bowling alley I bowl Wednesdays at shot a state record tonight. 300-300-279=879 He slammed a 10-pin in 7th frame.Over at my Tuesday bowling alley, we shot 2nd best team game in history of state tonight, 1282. I went front 10, then high for a 3-6 and covered for a 288. Other scores were 289 257 204 244. I shot 746 to bump the average up a bit to 225.96 (record at our bowling alley is 214)College update: Our team made up of 3/4 rookies had a tough 1st tourney, but responded nicely for the 2nd. This upcoming weekend we drive to IL/IA boarder.