Oil Pattern
Oil Pattern
When watching the PBA pros, you may think,
"Hey, I bowled a 210 before, I can be a pro too."
It's not as easy as it looks.
There's something that significantly changes the playing surface.
Something you can't see: Oil.
In the early days of bowling, oil conditioner was applied to the lane as a barrier to protect the surface from damage over years of use.
As lacquer, polyurethane and synthetic surfaces became more popular, oil became part of the sport.
Today, PBA members must continuously adjust their strategies and methods of attacking the challenging conditions of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.
The PBA has a lane maintenance staff that travels to all tournaments (including PBA Regional and Senior Tours) and determines the appropriate oil pattern to apply, given the condition of the lane surface.
The PBA Lane Maintenance Program (PBALMP) balances many complicated variables associated with the cleaning, conditioning and verifying of lanes for a PBA event.
A viper strikes with multiple angles of attack.
This pattern will challenge players to attack the pins from multiple angles in order to score well.
The 2009-10 Viper has also been changed to allow for more ball roll in the middle part of the lane.
While the Viper is a multiple angles pattern and normally yields medium to high scores, bowlers this season will need to place a premium on the ball traveling straight through the front part of the lane when the lanes are “fresh”.
Once Viper breaks down, multiple angles are available for attack.
Even with the changes, Viper still remains the most versatile of the five named patterns and can be used on any lane surface.
The champion on Viper will be the bowler who can outsmart their opponent playing multiple lines.
2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tournaments Using Viper: Viper Championship – Allen Park, MI PBA Match Play Championship – Norwich, CT PBA Marathon Open – Baltimore, MD
This pattern forces bowlers to play deep inside the center of the lanes, like sharks that troll the depths of the ocean.
The 2009-10 Shark demonstrates the largest change from any of the patterns from last year.
Returning to the Shark this season is the key characteristic of the “deep inside line” providing a decisive strategic advantage.
The “out of bounds” on the outside portion of the lane has been increased, making errant shots wide of the target in danger of once again falling into the “moat”.
With less oil being placed in the middle of lane on this season’s Shark, bowlers will see their ball roll earlier on the lane compared to years past.
Bowlers who play the wrong angle on the Shark will feel as if the pattern is a “reverse block”.
The scoring pace for this pattern will be medium with the champion having the ability to get the corner pins out while playing a tough angle.
2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tournaments Using Shark: Shark Championship – Allen Park, MI Gemini Championship - Wheat Ridge, CO *Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship – West Babylon, NY PBA Marathon Open – Baltimore, MD *Modified
A scorpion is dangerous and unpredictable, like this pattern.
If you can't find the right groove on the lanes, you'll be stung!
The 2009-10 Scorpion returns to being one of the more challenging of the five named patterns.
While Scorpion is not the longest pattern, because of the large volume of oil on the lane it will for sure play as the “slickest”.
The pattern shape is very “smooth” and allows for a multiple-angles approach to attacking it based on rev rate, lane surface, ball surface, and ball speed.
Since the volume of oil is so large, bowlers will normally see a large difference in how the pattern plays from lane to lane across the house.
The pattern is medium scoring based on its ability to confuse bowlers during early portions of the game or series as they move throughout the tournament.
In order to avoid being stung, it is imperative that the bowler make quality shots early in the game in case the Scorpion decides to “mutate”.
2 009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tournaments Using Scorpion: Scorpion Championship – Allen Park, MI Don & Paula Carter Mixed Doubles – Medford, OR PBA Marathon Open – Baltimore, MD
Chameleons change color to outsmart their enemies.
To excel on this pattern, bowlers must be versatile in many styles of play.
The 2009-10 Chameleon maintains its tradition of utilizing a “retro” approach to pattern design.
Instead of “smoothing out” the oil on the lane, increased volumes are placed in “zones” encouraging players to choose a specific area of the lane to play.
This is a multiple-angles pattern allowing the bowler to choose what part of the lane best suites their particular game.
The scoring pace remains medium to low as the primary challenge faced by bowlers is the large number of adjustments which are needed to move from “zone to zone”.
Large moves, more than five boards at a time, are common to stay out of trouble and to conquer the Chameleon.
2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tournaments Using Chameleon: Chameleon Championship – Allen Park, MI Eliminator Championship – Columbus, OH PBA Marathon Open – Baltimore, MD
A cheetah may look harmless, but this speedster has a dangerous side.
So does this pattern - with a fast scoring pace and play near the gutter, there's no room for error.
The 2009-10 Cheetah “sprints” back to its roots as the highest scoring of the five named patterns.
Originally designed for use on worn lane surfaces, the Cheetah produced the most memorable moments on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour because of its propensity for rewarding players who “live on the edge”.
The new design once again places a premium on the ball traveling towards the gutter in order to maximize the best possible angle to carry all ten pins.
The scoring pace on Cheetah is normally high with the champion being required to know that success means striking and not just hitting the pocket.
2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tournaments Using Cheetah: Cheetah Championship – Allen Park, MI Gemini Championship – Wheat Ridge, CO PBA Marathon Open – Baltimore, MD
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