If you’re not poised, clear thinking, and focused, your ability to quickly make a necessary move or equipment change is compromised. Since even a single pin can make a world of difference in the outcome, response to pressure situations can readily affect results. In team play, if someone’s performance drops off, teammates may in turn feel heightened pressure to take up the slack. Also, under pressure some team members may stop communicating or display anger. This can further impair the team effort.
These types of psychological and physical effects and their negative impact on performance are commonly referred to as “choking.” No athlete is immune. Grappling with the potential effects of feeling pressure is part of the sports experience from Little League to the Major Leagues, from youth league bowling to the ranks of the PBA. In one situation or another, in some degree, at some time, all who participate in competitive sports are affected. Close your eyes and envision Walter Ray Williams in a championship round on TV, coming through again and again. If you ask Walter Ray, he’ll tell you of the times in his career he didn’t come through. Or ask Marshall Holman. Or Carolyn Dorin-Ballard. Or Betty Morris. Or any professional or elite amateur. All have had their share of events where the pressure they felt lowered their score. Yet to enjoy so many triumphs, these great athletes have consistently coped with the stress of clutch situations.
The same principle holds true for every bowler. You’ll undoubtedly face
countless situations where a result hangs in the balance. Those who bowl at or close to their best at such critical times enjoy a distinct competitive edge. Acquiring the skills to handle your reactions in these clutch circumstances is a mental game must if you are to reach your bowling pinnacle.
Pre-Game Pressure
Feelings of pressure are by no means limited to the actual competition. As
competitors in all sports will attest, the period of time preceding play can be the toughest in terms of “nerves.” While some pre-competition “butterflies” are, to borrow a sports metaphor, par for the course, excessive emotional and physical tension can have detrimental impact. Some possible negative effects include not adhering to pre-game routine, diminished energy, poor quality warm-up, distraction, and carryover of a pressured feeling into actual play.
Pre-Day Pressure
The experience of pressure can also affect your training. Some bowlers feel intense pressure to perform during all practice sessions. Others may feel it only at specific times, such as when team members, coach, or family are present. Sometimes bowlers will start to “press” during practice as the event approaches. Just as in actual competition, the quality of your bowling can drop if you start to tighten up. As we’ll describe shortly, feeling pressure can produce different psychological and physical reactions. Difficulty sleeping is an example of a pre-competition reaction which could hinder your performance readiness.
Pride in Coping
Bowlers cite several essential characteristics of the sport which can
contribute to a “pressure cooker” atmosphere: the isolated position on the
lane with all eyes on you; the pause between shots leaving time to ponder
what’s ahead; the proximity of spectators and adversaries; the small margin for error; the glare of the lights and the stare of the cameras on the show, along with a single elimination format; the need to think quickly on your feet as you adjust to ever-changing conditions; the minimal opportunity to release tension through physical activity. Add to this the common combination of close competition and limited stakes. All the more reason to develop finely honed psychological tools and all the more cause to feel proud of managing the stress.

(This information is an excerpt from the book, “The Handbook of Bowling
Psychology” by Dr. Eric Lasser, Fred Borden, and Jeri Edwards.)

2nd Place - Bill O’Neill - Storm Rapid Fire

3rd Place - Wes Malott - Roto-Grip Cell Pearl

4th Place - Brian Kretzer - Roto-Grip Grand Illusion

5th Place - Sean Rash - Brunswick Twisted Fury Destruction, Brunswick MaxXX Zone

Women’s Series:

1st Place - Michelle Feldman

2nd Place - Jodi Woessner

2nd Place - Bill O’Neill - Ebonite Pin Slasher

3rd Place - Anthony Lacaze - Hammer Black Widow Bite, Dexter Men's SST 6 LE Right Handed

4th Place - Mike Scroggins - Storm Virtual Gravity,

With that 45^th title, Williams Jr. continues his reign as the PBA’s winningest bowler. In addition to being the all-time titles leader, Williams Jr. is also the money leader; with this week’s win in Lake County, his career earnings total $4,030,116.

2nd Place - Chris Loschetter - Global 900 The Break S75, Columbia 300 Momentum, 3G Bowling Tour Ultra Black Men's Right Handed

3rd Place - Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Morich 'N Sane LevRG, Dexter Men's SST 8

4th Place - Wes Malott - Roto-Grip Cell Pearl, Roto-Grip Grand Illusion

Womens Series:

1st Place - Stefanie Nation. - Brunswick MaxXX Zone,

2nd Place - Michelle Feldman - Ebonite Game Breaker, Ebonite Complete NV

2nd Place - Chris Barnes - Columbia 300 Momentum, Columbia 300 Momentum Swing, Columbia 300 Pro Loomed Towel

3rd Place - Steve Jaros - AMF 300 The Code

4th Place - Sean Rash - Brunswick Avalanche Slide, Dexter Men's SST 8 , Brunswick Loomed Towel

Norm Duke became the first player in PBA history to win three consecutive Majors as he captured the PBA World Championship at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan., which marks the first event of the 50th Anniversary Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Prior to today’s win over 2007-08 PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Tex. (259-189), Duke had won the 2007-08 Denny’s World Championship and the U.S. Open.

“That (making history) hasn’t hit me,” Duke said. “I was focused on winning the World Championship. When I heard that, it kind of choked me up. It’s a dream and I want to thank my family for standing by me the whole time.”

Track Rising SE

Features:

• Core : “Mega Tron”
• Core Type : Asymmetrical
• Color : Red Pearl
• Surface : 4000 Unpolished
• Coverstock: Gen 2 Reactive Pearl

Available November 17, 2008

The HY-ROAD™ is the latest release in the Thunder™ Series of balls. HY-ROAD™ is the perfect complement to the 2007 solid ball of the year; the T-ROAD™ Solid.

That’s right. We’ve merged together the T-Road™ Solid and the T-Road™ Pearl and created the new Hy-Road - the Ultimate hybrid. This was accomplished by blending the R2S™ coverstock at 50% Solid and 50% Pearl and then wrapping it around the road-tested Fe Technology core.

Buckle up, because this baby is gonna turn the corner hard in the mid-lane and then floor it to the pocket

Features:

• Coverstock: R2S™ Hybrid
• Weight Block: Inverted Fe2™ Technology
• Durometer: 74-76
• Flare Potential: 5-6″ (Med-High)
• Fragrance: Boysenberry

Review by bowlingball.com Staff Member Brian Halstrom:


The one thing I loved about the Storm Hy-Road was the ability it gave me to play different parts of the lane. I can stand further right and play a little straighter. It still allowed me to get through the heads easily while maintaining enough energy down lane. After finding out that I could play straighter with this ball, I moved left about 15 boards to stand at 35. This is where I usually like to throw my Storm Virtual Gravity. Once again, this ball impressed me by turning the corner effortlessly and exploding at the pins, sending messengers everywhere. This is an essential piece in any bowlers arsenal.


Review by bowlingball.com Staff Member John Congdon:


We tested the ball on a fresh typical house shot before our Thursday night league. I was able to control this ball better than most High Performance Bowling Balls. It still got down the lane with a strong backend reaction. This ball is a GREAT companion to the Storm Virtual Gravity. Start your night out with the Virtual Gravity and as the lane condition changes and the Virtual Gravity starts to hook too much, change to the Storm Hy-Road and finish your night strong.

Storm Hy-Road

The Flat Iron Core that we are introducing to the market offers a few unique properties. As a result, the core numbers are slightly different than any other ball that Ebonite has introduced to date.

Ebonite Striking Motion

• Core Design: Flat Iron Asymmetric
• Mass Bias Strength: 0.022
• Mass Bias Location: 6 3/4” from the pin
• Coverstock Name: Super Shell 1.0
• Box Finish: Sanded with 4000 Grit Abralon Pad
• Length: (Ebonite scale of 1 to 50, earliest to latest) - 19
• Overall Hook: (Ebonite scale of 1 to 50, least to most) - 48
• Breakpoint Angle: (Ebonite scale of 1 to 15, most smooth to most angular) - 12.00

On the way to a 2-1 win over Sweden’s Martin Larsen at Bol 300, Eoff rolled games of 221, 279 and 278 for a 778 series, the highest three-game set in a World Cup championship round.

After dropping the opening game 229-221, Eoff rode the momentum of an emotional ninth and 10th frame roll-off (59-37) that decided Game 2 after a 279 tie and then struck 10 times to put the final game out of reach, 278-196.

“After the third frame of the first game, I changed to a ball that I hadn’t thrown all week, and it turned out to be a pretty good guess,” said Eoff, a two-time Team USA member and first-time World Cup participant. “I knew I had a really good reaction going into the second game, so it was just a matter of carry. When he kept striking, I knew I had to keep striking, too. When I won the second game the way I did, I knew I had the momentum going into the last game.”

Eoff started the day slowly with three spares and a split in the first four frames, but quickly got lined in after a ball change. He struck seven times in the final eight frames of the first game and never looked back.

Larsen matched him strike for strike through nine frames in Game 2, including a Brooklyn strike along the way, and when Eoff left a 2 pin in the 10th frame, Larsen could’ve locked up the title with another strike. Instead, he left a 10 pin and struck on his fill ball to force the roll-off.

“When I first got involved in youth bowling, I never would’ve believed that someday I would be bowling for the World Cup,” said Eoff, a Sport Bowling Coordinator for the United States Bowling Congress. “This is a dream come true and feels absolutely amazing.”

Last year, nine-time Team USA member Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, became the first American man to win the World Cup since 1995. Eoff’s title marks the ninth win for the American men and the 17th overall title for the United States.

On the way to the championship match Friday, Larsen posted a 2-1 win against No. 3 Zulmazran Zulkifli of Malaysia. Larsen won the opening game 203-187, split twice and lost the second game 237-180 and bounced back to win the final game, 249-187.

On the women’s side, Jasmine Yeong-Nathan of Singapore struck 20 times on the way to a 2-0 win over defending champion, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia, and will bring the World Cup back to Singapore for the first time.

Yeong-Nathan, who rolled one of five perfect games at Bol 300 this week, started the first game of the championship match with nine consecutive strikes before a 4-6-10 ended her run at perfection, but a 263-222 win gave her the momentum in the match.

The second game looked a lot like the first as Yeong-Nathan opened with 11 strikes on the way to a 298-215 victory. The 20-year-old right-hander left the 2-5 on her final shot. The previous high game rolled in the women’s stepladder finals was 280, shot by Putney in 2007.

“I just came here to bowl my game and do my best, and winning is a great bonus,” said Yeong-Nathan, a two-time member of Team Singapore. “I took it one shot at a time, but it was great because everyone loves strikes. I feel really happy right now.”

With a win, Putney would’ve been the first woman to win back-to-back titles since Jeanette Baker Finch, also from Australia, did it in 1982 and 1983, and would’ve become the fourth woman to win two World Cups (Finch, Shannon Pluhowsky of the United States and Pauline Smith (Buck) of Great Britain).

Putney advanced to the final with a 2-0 win over England’s Zara Glover, 246-219 and 248-202.

Pluhowsky, who won the event in 2002 and 2004 and was looking to become the first woman to win the coveted World Cup three times, rolled a 299 game during match play Thursday and finished sixth overall.

This year’s World Cup featured 82 men and 63 women representing 85 countries. It was the event’s second trip to Hermosillo, which also played host in 1994.

Friday’s championship round was shown live on Mexican television and also aired live on Eurosport, the largest European sports satellite and cable network.

Example, I average 188, so I am going to put more credit into a 185 average bowler’s reviews than I might of a 220 average bowler. I will look at bowler’s review that has a medium ball speed more than that of a high ball speed player.

I hope you like this new feature and would like to hear your feedback. Are there other attributes that we should add? Would you change anything about this section?