-
Jeff Davis
Loft is that short span of hang time before your ball hits the lane. Earlier in this space we reported on “Mr. Smooth”, whose ball is laid down so softly that it’s not audible, to the “Paratrooper”, whose delivery sends his ball far down the alley before contact. Somewhere in between are varying degrees of loft.
Essentially more loft equates to more skid at the top of the lane and less hook. Also, more energy is available at the pins since less is lost nearer the foul line. If you are hooking too early, the loft will help your ball get down the lane and create more angle into the pins.
A key consideration is that we are talking about lofting the ball “out”, not “up”. Another important aspect is that loft can be created with the legs, rather than just using arm strength to fire the ball down the lane. Avoid “popping up” at the delivery, which can affect accuracy and can also undo some of the benefit of the loft and cause the ball to hook too soon or more than you want. Standing a little taller and bending the knees less is another facet of increasing loft. Experiment and see what happens.
On a personal note, some of you know I had hand surgery in January and haven’t been bowling. After league play today I bowled seven games. My scores were not impressive, but my hand feels great. As expected, my footwork and timing were way off. What surprises me a bit is that my legs are feeling the exertion – just goes to show the importance of good legwork in your delivery.
The results below begin with the Thursday Commercial League’s April 11 session and go through the Senior League’s April 17 bowling. The various leagues divide the season into quarters or halves. The standings reported below reflect the current marks, not the overall season.
Graham International stumbled a bit but still leads the pack with a 15-5 record. Very close behind with marks of 14-6 are The Shredders, Rollin’ Dirty and The Pawn Shop. Kyra Jenkins continues to make waves with her scores, rocking a 237 game and 675 series to lead the ladies. Derek McClure paced the men with a big 268 and Corey Ogle had three very consistent games to tally a 707 series.
The race is tightening in Sunday’s This Ain’t Yo Momma’s Bowling League, with Full Throttle and Split Happens on top with 2511 records. Rollin’ Dirty comes in next at 24-12 and there are six more teams above .500. Here comes Kyra Jenkins again, this time rolling a 215 game and 577 series for ladies’ honors. Sisco Zarco topped the men with a 248 game and Kelly Shields scored a 686 series to lead the men.
WWM jumped into the lead of the Monday Night Trio League, posting an 11-5 reset mark. Sisco’s Crew and Spare Me are vying for second with 10-6 records. Corey Miller had it together Monday with a 230 game and 582 series for the men and Debby Essary was on fire, crashing a 267 game and 716 series to once again lead the ladies’ scoring.
Cletus’s High Rollers continue to pace the field in the Tuesday Mixed League with an 18 – 6 record. Carries Gang is next with 15 ½-8 ½. JP’s Classic Lanes’ General Manager Tarry Davison was on target all night, blasting a near-perfect 297 and a 770 series for men’s honors. And… Kyra Jenkins was the class of the ladies, smashing a 202 game and 589 series.
The Wednesday afternoon Senior League continues to be ultra-competitive with 10 of the 13 teams boasting records of at least .500, led by Mine’s In Tha Gutter with a 38 ½ -21 ½ mark and Livin’ On A Spare tallying 37-23. Robert Smith was “the man” for the men, scoring a 223 game and 630 series to pace the men’s scoring. Cyndie Ewert took all the honors for the ladies with a 203 game and 491 series.
Until next week, good luck and good bowling.