Bowling Bytes--5/11/10

~ PBA West Leaders Through May 11, 2010

~ PBA Northwest Leaders Through May 11, 2010

~ Mike J. Laneside: A Gulf of Mexico Oil Pattern -- "Lane oil is a frequent topic of conversation in bowling; its application determines the way the sport of bowling is played. Butch Cooper is a subscriber of PBA.com’s Xtra Frame – the official streaming video service of the Professional Bowlers Association. Cooper keeps track of oil conditions in more ways than one; he also works on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico..."

~ Patient Gengelbach Ends 28-Year Quest for His Second PBA Southwest Region Title -- "No one can accuse Kurt Gengelbach of being impatient. On Sunday, May 9, the 51-year-old Gengelbach ended a 180-tournament, 28-year quest for his second PBA Regional title by winning the PBA Del Rio Southwest Open at Jett Bowl. Gengelbach, who won his only previous PBA Regional title in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1982, defeated Bobby Stives of El Paso, Texas, 235-165, in position round, protecting a 34-pin edge over Stives heading into the final game. He also held off Chris Hibbitts II of Fort Worth, Texas, who rolled a 300 game to advance from third to second place. Gengelbach, with a 6-2 match play record and 16-game total of 3,591 pins (including match play bonus pins) finished 48 pins ahead of Hibbitts for the win and a $2,500 prize..."

~ Stuart Williams gets off to a great start in the 7th Istanbul Bowling Open -- "Fresh off his victory in the Bahrain Open last week, Stuart Williams (pictured left), England, got off to a great start on the first day of qualifying in the 7th Istanbul Bowling Open Monday at Timeout Bowling Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Williams, who bowled full time on the 2009-10 PBA Tour, had games of 258, 215, 211, 257, 279 and 236 to set the pace with 1456 six-game total and an average of 242.56..."

~ Breaking News WTBA Presidium has withdrawn the award of WWC 2011 to Malaysia -- "The World Tenpin Bowling Association Presidium has announced that it has withdrawn the award of the Women's World Championships 2011 to Malaysia. According to Christer Jonsson, WTBA Secretary General, the reason is that it has not been possible to agree on a written contract about the championship and the Congresses..."

~ How to Join the PBA Tour -- "Many amateurs have bowled good games and thought, “I just bowled a better score than the pros did on TV this week—I should become a pro bowler.”It’s not nearly that simple, but it is possible..."

~ The 11th Frame: Doyle, 12, is youngest ever to cash in a PBA tournament -- "Last June, when he was 11 years old, Kamron Doyle came within 54 pins of cashing in a PBA Regional in Smyrna, Tenn. As I blogged then, Doyle totaled 1,543 for eight games on the Shark pattern. Now that he's reached the ripe "old" age of 12, Doyle has taken the next step by cashing in the Canton (Ga.) Open Regional tournament, becoming the youngest ever to cash in a PBA tournament. The tourney the first weekend of May was won by Walter Ray Williams Jr. The Brentwood, Tenn., right-hander earned $400 for his SMART scholarship fund by finishing 30th in the 94-man field with a 2,797 total for 13 games. Full results are here..."

~ Questions about ball weight, bowler's tape and adjustments -- "Q: I’m planning to purchase a bowling ball for my 11-year old granddaughter. She has a passion for the game. She started with a 9-lb. plastic ball and has raised her average from 90 to 120 in less than a year. The center where we bowl has fairly dry heads, she throws the ball in the 11-mph range, and her style is similar to a stroker. Can you help me in picking between the T-Road Solid and the Street Rod Pearl balls in the 10 or 11-lb. range?...Q: When putting tape into the thumb hole, I know that most of it should go in the fingernail (back) side of the hole. Which is better to use, the white or the black tape? Also, how do you determine the proper size (3/4-inch or 1-inch)?...Q: I am a left-handed bowler and need some help for tournament competition. First, how do I determine the correct line to play on the lanes? Second, I have a problem with chicken-winging the arm-swing. And third, how do you choose the correct ball for the lane condition?..."