Dion the bowler

[Gabjon]

Dion Interview

 

[SUintheVille]

Says his average is 175-180 with a top score of 195-200. That bowls me over... How can he spare the time... He is just ready to strike no matter what he does... No gutter talk...

Sorry.

 

[Gabjon]

He has been bowling his whole life. He stated in another interview the bowling ally was the hang out spot growing up and with his strength i'm sure he is able to get a lot of strikes

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[Libero2]

Bowling (on non-professional oil patterns) is actually not that hard. I bowled in a Saturday morning bowling league throughout high school. By the time my senior year rolled around, I was a 203 average and generally had a 230 every week. My all-time high is a 278.

I went to tournaments on jr. Pro oil patterns and could barely crack a 160.

 

[reedny]

Bowling (on non-professional oil patterns) is actually not that hard. I bowled in a Saturday morning bowling league throughout high school. By the time my senior year rolled around, I was a 203 average and generally had a 230 every week. My all-time high is a 278.

I went to tournaments on jr. Pro oil patterns and could barely crack a 160.

What's an oil pattern?

 

[tee1222]

What's an oil pattern?

Clearly, my friend, you and I throw the occasional gutter ball.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Bowling (on non-professional oil patterns) is actually not that hard. I bowled in a Saturday morning bowling league throughout high school. By the time my senior year rolled around, I was a 203 average and generally had a 230 every week. My all-time high is a 278.

I went to tournaments on jr. Pro oil patterns and could barely crack a 160.

I used to bowl in high school 35 years ago but haven't picked up a ball in at least 20 years. About a month ago I went with some people from work. I found my 14 lb. Columbia Yellow Dot packed away on a dusty shelf in my garage. That night I threw a couple 170's and ended my third game with a 238 game. Granted a lot were Jersey strikes but it was much too easy. For a split second I actually thought that maybe I should join the senior tour.

 

[reedny]

Clearly, my friend, you and I throw the occasional gutter ball.

For a second, I thought an 'oil pattern' might be the puddle you leave in the parking lot after a night of bowling.

 

[Libero2]

I used to bowl in high school 35 years ago but haven't picked up a ball in at least 20 years. About a month ago I went with some people from work. I found my 14 lb. Columbia Yellow Dot packed away on a dusty shelf in my garage. That night I threw a couple 170's and ended my third game with a 238 game. Granted a lot were Jersey strikes but it was much too easy. For a split second I actually thought that maybe I should join the senior tour.

I firmly believe that anybody can become a good bowler on basic oil patterns with practice. If you join a bowling league that gets you to bowl a few (3-5 is plenty) games a week, for a season or two, anybody will get good, if they take it seriously and are not athletic phobic. When you toss in changing oil patterns, that's what separates the regular guy and the professional.

As to the question about oil patterns, here is this from the PBA http://www.pba.com/OilPatterns/


Essentially, there is oil applied to every lane in a bowling alley to protect the wood from damage as the bowling balls constantly go up and down the lanes. In a "normal" pattern, like those used in almost every basic league around the country. there is more oil in the middle and less on the outside. In professional oil patterns (often named after animals like scorpion and chameleon) things vary drastically and there is very limited consistency to how the oil is placed on the lane. Don't get me wrong patterns are symmetric left to right, but can vary drastically as the vertical distance changes.

Essentially in a professional pattern, this changes the amount of oil placed along different areas of the lane, including how far down the lane oil is applied. it forces bowlers to change the way they attack the pins, and it forces them to be able to throw a different style of curve ball utilizing different angles to attack the headpin. Not very many people can get very good at any of these patterns, let alone the majority of them, just by participating in a league. It requires an insane amount of practice, good coaching, strong strategy and exceptional consistency.

 

[realorange]

I'll add a couple of things to libero's answer.
Lanes today are usually synthetic material. They are more uniform and less likely to be damaged than wood. The oil patterns he mentioned are used to create the precision/difficulty to score. House patterns in the average bowling center are not to be confused with those on the PBA tour.
The biggest change in bowling over the last 20 years is the advances made in bowling balls. Different surface material and styles of weights inside the ball, along with the way a ball is drilled, can create almost any type of action the bowler might choose.
These ball changes have made many bowlers capable of averaging 200+. Having said that, those bowlers would not be able to average those scores on PBA oil patterns. Pro bowlers are incredibly talented athletes.

 

[Libero2]

I'll add a couple of things to libero's answer.
Lanes today are usually synthetic material. They are more uniform and less likely to be damaged than wood. The oil patterns he mentioned are used to create the precision/difficulty to score. House patterns in the average bowling center are not to be confused with those on the PBA tour.
The biggest change in bowling over the last 20 years is the advances made in bowling balls. Different surface material and styles of weights inside the ball, along with the way a ball is drilled, can create almost any type of action the bowler might choose.
These ball changes have made many bowlers capable of averaging 200+. Having said that, those bowlers would not be able to average those scores on PBA oil patterns. Pro bowlers are incredibly talented athletes.

Speaking of pro bowlers, I would also think an argument could be made it is the most mentally taxing sport out there. Everything needs to be consistent and that requires incredible focus and practice.

I actually bowled in a few pro-ams, with Parker Bohn Jr. Walter ray Williams, and some other all time greats. I was simply lucky enough to have my local lanes purchased by pro bowler Doug Kent (who went on to win 2 majors in the same year, and a bowler of the year award) and he set up annual pro tournaments at the lanes. Hell of an experience

 

[JarHeadJim]

Lets hope he doesn't take teammate Andrew Bynum with him Bowling