USBC Open Championships Practice Session 1
It's hard to believe, but my turn to hit the USBC Open Championships lanes in El Paso is now just over a month away. As such, I thought it a good idea to break out all of my current equipment to see what looks/feels good and to refresh my memory as to where each ball fits in.
I basically have two arsenals at this point, one Brunswick and one Storm. Here are the balls included in each respective lineup:
Brunswick - Mastermind; Mastermind Intellect; DV8 Brutal Nightmare; Mastermind Genius; Melee Jab; Strike King; T-Zone.
Storm - Crux; Lucid; IQ Tour Solid; Zero Gravity; IQ Tour Fusion; Tropical Breeze; Team Storm poly.
This practice session was held on the remnants of my center's house shot, so I clearly didn't get a true look at how any of these balls would possibly react on this year's demanding patterns; again, this session was more about refamiliarizing myself with the feel in each ball and what each offers in comparison to the others.
I spent a little over and hour and threw approximatly six games. I took each ball out for three shots at a time, moving around the lane to try different lines and hand positions as I did. Here's what I found:
The Crux and Mastermind were simply too much for the conditions of this session; however, I couldn't help but be struck by just how buttery smooth the Mastermind is. It's a super-strong ball, but it's extremely controllable at the same time. The Crux is great in its own right, but I really couldn't see it during this session because the ball was burning up something terrible.
I'd compare the Mastermind Intellect to another ball, but I can't; it's simply in its own class. I don't think I've ever owned a solid reactive that chews through oil down the lane and offers as much recovery as the Intellect does. As such, it makes a great 1-2 punch with the original Mastermind because as soon as the original begins to struggle making it up the hill, the Intellect is the perfect go-to ball. I'm not sure whether or not the Intellect has a place in the bag for El Paso because, from what I've watched/read, too little backend recovery doesn't seem to be a problem for most bowlers out there; on the contrary, too much motion is what seems to trip people up. Still, no decisions have been made just yet.
My Lucid is currently at a polished finish, but I've always liked it more at 2000 matte. The Lucid is a unique ball, one that always seems to give me a slightly different look than what many others are getting. As such, I'm still really tempted to find a spot in the bag for this one for a ball-down option in El Paso. I guess we'll see.
The IQ Tour Solid, Zero Gravity, and Brutal Nightmare are all somewhat similar in my hands. The Tour solid is the earliest and smoothest of the three, which is something that can definitely come in handy on the tough Nationals patterns; however, I haven't thrown it very much, so I don't have the comfort level to make that call just yet. The Brutal Nightmare is also early and extremely smooth, and I saw a lot of success with it at our city tournament when I wanted a controllable reaction. The Zero Gravity is slightly longer and clearly stronger down the lane than either of the other two. This is the one that I've thrown the most, and I've definitely liked it. Still, I worry the extra backend may be enough to get me into trouble. If I had to guess right now, of the three, the Brutal Nightmare will get the nod.
The Mastermind Genius and IQ Tour Fusion are both smooth-rolling hybrids. As of now, I tend to favor the slightly-earlier layout on my Fusion over the pin-up layout on the Genius. Again, with how hard the backends hook in El Paso, I think smoother is going to always be the better choice. So, for now, advantage IQ Fusion.
Lastly, I spent some time throwing both the Strike King and Tropical Breeze. I seriously doubt I'll have to ball down far enough to warrant bringing either of these with me to El Paso. Still, you never know. For me, the Strike King is a bit stronger than the Breeze, but the Breeze is so smooth and controllable at the 500-grit surface I have it at, that it's hard to beat when I want to go straighter!
As such, if I had to make the decision on my 6-ball arsenal based upon what I saw and felt on this day, it would be as follows: Crux, Mastermind, Brutal Nightmare, IQ Fusion, Melee Jab, Spare ball. Of course, knowing myself, I'll change my mind 50 times over between now and the day that I leave. lol Oh well, there are worse things than having too many great bowling balls to choose from!
As always, thanks for reading!
