Bowling Bytes--5/7/10

If you want to know more about Walter Ray Williams Jr's great season; upcoming live streaming on Bowl.com; who won this year's PBA Steve Nagy award; how Bo Goergen fared this year at the USBC Open after shooting a record high 863 last year;, the new bowling center in New York City's Times Square; release, carrydown, and adjustments; the viscosities of different lane conditioners; and how one participant in this year's USBC Masters prepared for and fared in this hallowed tournament and what he learned and you can learn from it all, check out today's bowling bytes below.

~ PBA Spare Shots: Walter Ray Williams Jr. Concludes Remarkable 2009-10 Season with Statistical Sweep -- "At the ripe old age of 50, Walter Ray Williams Jr. has already used up every superlative you can attach to his record-setting career, and that makes his sweep of every major statistical category during the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season even more stunning. With the completion of the DyDo Japan Cup, the PBA’s statistical season officially ended in the earnings and average categories. Guess who won both?..."

~ The 11th Frame: A first step to simultaneous Player of the Year crowns? -- "If ever an individual sports victory could be expected, it's the Senior Tour debut of a great athlete. It becomes even more expected when the athlete still is at the top of the "regular" sport --something rarely seen in golf or bowling, the two sports with the most active Senior circuits. So it's far from a surprise that Walter Ray Williams Jr. -- the reigning Player of the Year on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour -- on Wednesday won his PBA Senior Tour debut. But that doesn't make it any less noteworthy: No bowler of golfer has ever been Player of the Year simultaneously on the "regular" and senior tours..."

~ Upcoming live stream events -- "A busy schedule of live streaming events are on tap for bowling fans over the course of the next week on BOWL.com. We will have complete wire-to-wire coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open starting Friday morning, while also streaming live coverage of the USBC Open Championships. Here’s the upcoming schedule..."

~ Canada's George Lambert IV wins Steve Nagy Award -- "After finishing second in the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Trials in Allen Park, Mich., last May, native Canadian George Lambert IV expressed his desire to become the first bowler from his home country to win a PBA Tour title. He is now the owner of one of the PBA’s most prestigious honors, but it isn’t the one he had in mind.Click the link below to download the file. Lambert, a 10-time member of Team Canada and a former collegiate star with Wichita State University, has been selected by his fellow exempt tour players as winner of the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award. He is the first international player to win the award in its 44-year history..."

~ Defending champion helps team into top spot at USBC Open Championships -- "Last year, Bo Goergen (pictured left) of Midland, Mich., rolled the highest series in 107 years of United States Bowling Congress Open Championships history and took home the 2009 Regular Singles title, but something was missing. The 49-year-old right-hander finally accomplished a lifelong goal by winning an eagle, the coveted trophy given to tournament champions, but he knows the accomplishment would be five times more satisfying if he could share it with his teammates. Now, Goergen may have that chance after helping Northern Lanes Pro Shop (right) of Sanford, Mich., into the top spot in Team All-Events with a 10,284 total at the National Bowling Stadium on Thursday night. It was the eighth-highest total in tournament history and topped Linds Lakers 1 of Minneapolis, which previously held the lead with 10,187..."

~ QubicaAMF selected to equip new Bowlmor Entertainment Center in Times Square -- "QubicaAMF Worldwide, a leading manufacturer of bowling and amusement products, has announced that it has been selected as the bowling equipment supplier for the new 50 lane Bowlmor Times Square bowling center, which will be housed on the third and fourth floors of the landmark, 15-story New York Times Building on West 43rd Street in the heart of New York's world famous Times Square..."

~ Questions about release, carrydown, and adjustments -- "Q: How do you get the ball to skid farther down the lane without moving your line or changing bowling balls?...Q: What is carrydown and how do I move when this occurs?...Q: I bowl in travel leagues and tournaments. What is a good system for making moves on the lanes when they transition during competition?...Q: I am a new PBA member and recently bowled in one of the new PBA Experience leagues. For the most part, my ball rolled perfectly straight. I played all different lines – with the same results. Can you give me some ideas about bowling on these types of bowling conditions?...Q: I watch the PBA television show on a regular basis and I have one question that constantly comes up in tight matches. Sometimes it seems that the bowler throws a perfect shot and they leave a 10-pin. Is there a reason for this or is it just bad luck?

~ Viscosity of common lane conditioners -- "I prepared a chart of the viscosity (cps) values for the most common lane oils. This is not exhaustive but will give you a sense of the variation. And, as you can imagine, this will impact your ball reaction. Lower viscosity oils will cause more skill while high viscosity lane conditiones are more durable. But, most importantly, with higher viscocity oils there is more resistance. Consequently, the ball will slow down faster and hook sooner than a lower viscosity oil. Our sport is complex and most be considered a sport. Click the link below to download the file. Viscosity of Common Lane Oils (1 page - small file < 8kb)"

~ 2010 USBC Masters: A day-by-day account of how I prepared for and bowled a "major" (Erik Vermilyea: Sport Bowling: Bowling This Month, April 2010, pgs. 9-14)

-- "Well, the 2010 Masters has come and gone. As you already know, Walter Ray -- "Well, the 2010 Masters has come and gone. As you already know, Walter Ray Williams claimed his second Masters title. I was in Reno with the other 267 competitors who, like me, were trying to win the beautiful trophy. Here is a look at how I prepared for this major tournament as well as a day-by-day look at the competition--what I did right, what I did wrong, and what I learned for the next time. By incorporating some of these strategies into your practice plan, you will be better prepared for the next big tournament..."