Ball Review
NO HOLES BARRED
BY VERNON PETERSON. {
Vernon.Peterson@
kegel.net }
A Half-Dozen New Choices for Filling Out Your Arsenal
THE BOWLING BALL FAIRYwasn’t too busy this month, so we have only six balls to review — including four from Seismic. That company has a new trilogy of
balls for its TSE (Tournament Special Edition) line, as well as the new Euphoric to fill up the four-ball box. The TSE line was developed to provide an arsenal of tournament balls to control a variety of lane patterns, using the same solid cover with different cores. Motiv sent us the Venom Shock,
which was used by E.J. Tackett on the USBC Masters telecast, and AMF sent us the Darkness to overshadow the lanes toward the pocket.
THE TESTING: Former Webber International national champion bowler and current Webber Assistant Coach, Cruise Webster, joined me for testing once again. He is a high-rev player (420 to 450-rpm) and batch tester at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla., with an axis of 5¼ over and 15/16 up. We drilled all the balls with the same layout for me (a tweener) — 60/4.5/40 (4.5 x 3.5 x 3 in the VLS system), while Cruise
used a 50/5/70 (5 x 4 x 4 in the VLS system). We threw each ball 30 times on four patterns: Dead Man’s Curve (a longer, heavier Sport pattern), Viper (a shorter Sport pattern), Stone Street (a heavier volume recreation pattern), and a 39-ft., lighter volume house pattern. We used CATS on each shot to track and keep records of our ball paths. We do all of our testing on lanes 1-4 at Kegel, with the same patterns on the same lanes, using Ice conditioner applied by the Kegel Lane Walker. We pull tapes and do calibrations on our lane machine regularly to ensure everything is consistent every time we test. Also this month, we used the Jayhawk ball scanner in order to glean more information from our testing procedure. Every ball was tested on the scanner, which gives two measurements: the surface Roughness Amplitude (Ra) of the ball, which is the depth of the microscopic valleys and height of the microscopic peaks, and the effective surface grit, which is the number (more or less) of the Abralon pad to which the original finish out of the box corresponds. (Certain characteristics of the coverstock can make this a higher or lower number than the actual pad used to surface the ball.)
Each month, BowlersJournal interactive will reprint the BJ ball review.
THE SKINNY ON THE LATEST AND GREATEST
METHODOLOGY The Bowlers Journal International Ball Motion Potential chart is designed to help bowlers un- derstand which lane conditions are best suited for the most recently introduced bowling balls in the marketplace. Placement positions on the chart are based on the “out of box” surface from the manufacturer. Surface adjustments can impact a ball’s performance and, thus, its position on the chart. The chart’s horizontal axis displays a ball’s
approximate total hook in the presence of oil. While some coverstocks may have similar maximum, dry lane, or coefficient-of-friction measurements, their ability to traction in oil can vary significantly.
Balls with minimal hook potential are
placed on the far left side of the chart. Balls offering a moderate degree of hook are placed in the chart’s middle section. Balls with the greatest hook potential in heavy oil are placed on the right side of the chart. The chart’s vertical axis displays a ball’s
breakpoint shape. Balls offering more skip/ snap reaction are placed higher on the chart. Balls offering a smoother, more arcing motion are placed lower on the chart. Chart placements are based on testing by
BJI ball reviewer Vernon Peterson, selected bowlers with varying release styles, CATS results, PBA player input, and discussions with ball company representatives.
HOOK POTENTIAL 35-45: Balls with lower total hook ranges, best suited for lighter oil concentrations. Players with slower speeds or higher rev rates may also prefer balls in this range for medium oil applications. 45-51: Balls with medium hook ability, best
suited for the vast majority of “typical house shots” and some lower-volume Sport patterns. This hook range should be represented by the “centerpiece” ball in most arsenals.
51-60+: Balls with greater total hook, de- signed for heavier oil volumes. Players with higher speeds or lower rev rates, who need added lane traction, may also prefer balls in this range.
LENGTH RATINGS 8-12: Earlier rolling balls that read the lane sooner. These products generally come facto- ry-sanded with lower grit surfaces, and match up well with speed-dominant styles and those bowling on longer patterns. 12-15: Medium-length balls that produce easier length through the midlane. Good for most house shots and medium-volume Sport patterns. 15-19+: Balls offering extra length for those
bowling on lighter oil concentrations. Also beneficial for slower speed players, or those with higher rev rates needing added push downlane.
BREAKPOINT SHAPE 10-13: Slower-response balls that read the friction areas more gradually. This range may include balls with a urethane or mild reactive cover, designed for a smooth arc to the pocket. Can also help those with higher rev rates con- trol motion and also can match up well from outside angles of attack. 13-15: Balls rated for slightly stronger and quicker reactions when encountering friction areas (as when the ball leaves the oil pattern). This range offers a balance of control and back-end angularity. 15-18+: Balls that respond more quickly and aggressively to friction areas. This range can help those with less hand action create more angularity near the pocket. Also pre- ferred when playing deeper inside angles, which generally require more entry angle for above-average pin carry.
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