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My Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
A time for Change
Change….I think we have all heard this word from both sides more than in any other election year. For those who have ever had children, there’s an item called a diaper which occasionally needs to be changed. As long as your nose isn’t stuffed by a winter cold, there is no question about when the change needs to happen. When you walk out to your car in the morning, and one of its rims is resting on the driveway, a change of a tire is in order. Your odometer and your car dealer will tell you when it’s time to change oil and antifreeze. We were taught since childhood to change socks and underwear at least once a day.
But what are the clues available to make a ball change during bowling? Bowling balls don’t go flat, (although mine hit flat now and then). The Storm website will indicate a scent in some of their products, but I can never tell. Anyway, a scent is not the same as a bad smell. So if you own more than one ball, which most of us do, how do you decide which one to use, and when to go to the bag for something else?
I try never to give advice unless asked, and even then I don’t have the answers. The people I bowl with have their own game, and usually they are the best ones to fix it themselves. I can offer my opinion, which can be just another gust of wind or bad smell to further complicate the problem.
Bowling at a higher level is usually about pin carry. It’s up to the bowler to get the ball to the pocket with reasonable speed and entry angle. It’s up to the ball to knock down ten pins. But my advice is no advice. There are many different oil patterns, and tons of different bowling balls that work differently on those patterns. But you are the “ballmeister”. Select the ball that you are confident will perform and expect a strike every time. If you don’t strike, then you have to decide whether to blame the ball or blame yourself. Of course you can also blame the lane conditioner, or the guy 3 lanes over who kicked the ball return just as you were taking your fourth step.
But if you’re standing on the approach, and you feel confident that you can strike if you hit your target, there’s no reason to change. If not, go to the bag and try something else. It may not work, but at least you will look like you know what you’re doing; and you may be able to throw some of your pocket change into your team‘s kitty.
Just my nickel’s worth. But if all else fails, you might try changing your socks.
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