Bowling Bytes--4/14/10

~ Andrew's Angle: Road Trip, Part 2 -- "The following blog is about the second part of my road trip across most of the western United States. If you were anxiously awaiting the follow-up to Road Trip, please accept my apologies. If you have no idea what I’m referring to (it’s ok, I won’t be offended if you don’t - well, maybe just a little), my name is Andrew, this is my Angle, and here’s a link to Part One!

~ 4th Qubica/AMF Open 2010 gets underway in Ljubljana, Slovenia -- "30 players from Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Serbia and Slovenia took to the lanes at Bowling Center Gladiator Arena on Tuesday to kick off the 4th Qubica/AMF Open 2010 in Ljubljana, Slovenia..."

~ Are Pro Athletes Perfect? -- "...Does it shock me when a pro bowler misses a single-pin spare? Yes. But it also reminds me these guys actually are humans and can make the same mistakes I make much more frequently. Strangely, when someone misses an easy spare, it actually raises my respect level for the sport. What about you? How do you react when the best athletes in the world make mistakes?"

~ All-Star Tournament, 1941-42 -- "The first BPAA All-Star Tournament was staged at the Chicago Coliseum, December 7-14, 1941, with a field of 71 men. The original purpose of the All-Star was to provide a challenger for the match-game champion. By winning this tournament, John Crimmins earned the right to bowl Ned Day for the match-game title in 1942. Day defeated Crimmins in that match..."

~ The Dreamer: near-fatal disabilities prove no match for Reuer's dreams -- "This is a tale of two brothers. One who was born with enough talent to be drafted by the Chicago White Sox out of high school; the other who was born with a 50 percent chance of living through the night. One who would go on to represent his country in the sport he loved, the other who would go on to endure nine surgeries and a body so racked with pain that it felt more like an adversary. It is also a tale of how the sport of bowling brought that less-fortunate brother more fortune than most people find in a lifetime, of dreams so tireless that even the bleakest circumstance is powerless to deny them..."

~ Bowler strikes record from state books -- "Anthony O'Neal moved from Southern California to Kentucky a little over three years ago. His cargo included nearly 500 pounds of bowling balls. He's a bowler. And lately, he's the bowler in Louisville.On a Saturday last month, O'Neal came closer to perfection than any other bowler in Kentucky history: He rolled an 887 series at Shively Strike & Spare Family Fun Center..."

~ Game Plan for Improvement -- "Here is a simple game plan to follow for your improvement: 1. Develop a plan of what you need to be able to do to adjust more effectively, not just a better delivery! 2. Set up a specific time and program to be able to practice what you have learned in this book. 3. Test your new skills during competition. Review after competition and re-write your plan for improvement. 4. Be specific and honest with yourself. Get feedback from people you trust. 5. Videotape yourself for observation, not only your delivery, but also your adjustments. 6. Hire a coach or trainer to help develop your plan and evaluate what you need to work on and exactly how you can improve. Let’s talk about each one of these individually..."

~ First Instrumental Bowling Ball to Measure Finger Pressure -- "A BOWLING ball that can help bowlers achieve more strikes by measuring the forces exerted by their thumb and fingers has been invented in NTU..."

~ Do Bowlers Get Hot Hands? -- "The phenomenon of a "hot hand" suggests a player has streaks of brilliant performances that seem to increase the likelihood of success on the next shot. During such a period, it is suggested that the player gets better and better with each successful shot. In other words, it appears that the player has periods in which they can't miss. But, is this actually true in bowling? Bowlers Hot Hand is a statistical analysis of PBA players and offers an analysis to answer whether professional bowlers experience such a phenomenon. The results might surprise you..."

~ Nutrition and Hydration for Competitive Elite Tenpin Bowling -- "Bowling has been reported as burning as many as 300 to 450 calories an hour. When bowlers are participating in competition play or training, coaches should help to ensure their bowlers are hydrated and prepared for pre-event, during and post-event consumption needs to maintain appropriate glycogen levels with sufficient and appropriate food in-take..."

~ The Great Adult Beverage Debate (Bowlers Journal International, April 2010, p.22) -- "Two perspectives on the USBC's decision to allow drinking--and we don't mean water--at the Open Championships..."