THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512030005
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 35 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
The old-timers on the lanes have mixed emotions about the high scores being posted by bowlers using high-tech balls these days.
A tenpin ball or duckpin balls purchased 30 years ago were expected to last a lifetime. Some bowlers are still using those relics - and bowling the same scores they had 30 years back.
The only reason the late Roger Ledbetter, a local lanes standout for years, ever bought a new ball was that he would get disgusted with a bad score and throw his balls into the river on the drive home.
Now new balls come out almost weekly, and many bowlers buy all of them. High porosity, low porosity, dynamically balanced dual weight blocks, urethane and polyester, built-in shock absorber. You need a degree in research and development just to know which bowling balls to purchase.
New bowling balls are designed for certain performances despite short or medium heavy oil on the lanes, engineered to allow hooking action at a certain point and with perfect balance. The ball grabs the lane, penetrates deeper into the pocket.
The old-timers can tell you when they only threw a hard rubber ball and had to really crank it up to make it break on many nights. In the old days, the secret to scoring was accuracy, particularly the ability to convert spares.
Talent now is secondary to technology.
Says one frustrated bowler-reader: ``I wish we would bring back the fun of plain old competition. I think a sport where the participants believe it takes the latest, more expensive equipment to get the highest scores is really headed for trouble down the line.''
Longtime duckpin standout Joe Rabel chuckles about it. For many years in the 1960s, Rabel was ranked in the nation's top 10. He was No. 4 on four occasions.
``Right now, I'm carrying a higher average than I ever had when I was ranked,'' said Rabel. ``And probably I am half the bowler I was then.''
Dee Pouttu, who was the No. 1 ranked woman tenpinner in local leagues for seven consecutive years beginning in 1966 and who is still is an outstanding bowler, feels ``a lot of the skill and thrill has been taken out of bowling.''
``I remember the days when a bowler had to make adjustments,'' she said. ``Now they just switch bowling balls. But I think the game now is a deterrent to both women and the older bowlers who can't wing the ball 150 miles per hour.''
A 21-year veteran of the lanes, Danny Mausolf, agrees that the bowler's input is secondary.
``The equipment has beaten the game,'' said Mausolf, a 200-average tenpinner. ``But big scores are what the bowlers want.''
Bowler of the Week honors are shared by 300-game shooters Ellis Ivy and Scottie Sutton.
Each had the thrill of posting his first perfect game.
Ivy fired a 741 series in the Pinbusters Tenpin League at Pinboy's of Military. A year ago, the steady-bowling Ivy had three league averages of 186, 186 and 187.
Sutton notched his 300 in a 649 series, sandwiched between a pair of 170s in the NAD Intramural Tenpin League at Little Creek. His previous high single was 297 a year ago. He currently sports a 193 average and carried 189 last season.
Tenpin topics: Youth leaguer Marc Daniels joined the 300 Club with a 12-striker in the Indian River Youth League. He added games of 216 and 221 for a blistering 737 series. . . . John Confalone racked up a 300 in the Tuesday Commercial/Divisional League at Pinboy's of Norfolk, adding games of 225 and 228 for a 753 series. In the same league, Leslie Livesay tied her women's house record series with 736 and had an all-time high single of 297. The big game came between games of 218 and 221. . . . First-ever 200 games were pitched by Della Scarbrough (222) and Sherry Hudgins (202) in the Ladies Nite Out League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake. . . . David Kinsey had his first 600 with 605 in the Pinbusters League at Pinboy's of Military. . . . Wendy Pond soared 150 pins over average with her 585 series in the Ball & Chain League at Indian River. Pond averages 145. . . . Barry Pugh and Mike Robinson rolled 11-strike games. The No. 7 pin stood on Pugh's last pitch in a 299 in the Monday Nite Fun Bunch League at Pinboy's of Norfolk. Robinson tossed 290 in the Monday Mixers League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake. . . . Other big gems: 279 by Jeff Harrison in the Ball & Chain League; Al Taylor's 278 in the C&P Mixed; and Mike Rogers' 277 in the Sunday Twilighters. . . . Rosie Harris, who averages 132, notched a 508 series in the Friday Mixers League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake. . . . This is ABC's Centennial year and the rings that are awarded for 300 games this season acknowledge that, possibly making them a collector's item.
Duckpin data: The Woodpickers registered a record 1,562 series in the Industrial League and were a single pin off the high game mark of 557. Gus Koch paced the Woodpickers with a 186 game and 453 series. The Woodpickers, who bowled as the Woodpeckers last season and are one of the few teams to shift their bowling order periodically, had a new-look lineup with Koch in the No. 2 spot. . . . Bowlarama Youth Leaguer Bobby Coley, who averages 110, whacked a 405 series. A Prep bowler, Danielle Dancker, shot a 364 set. . . . Evelyn Saunders is taking bows for a 161 game in the Monday Morning Mixed League. . . . Victory Lanes is holding an After Christmas Special - all you can bowl between 6 and 10 p.m. for $3 per person Dec. 26 and Dec. 27. . . . Brian Aldridge and Don Ferguson defeated Robin and Dennis Long in a rolloff for the first-round championship in the Elimination Doubles League. In the same league, Joan McCook zipped up the ladder with 101, 102 and 103. . . . There are five openings on the Dec. 10 shift of the Portsmouth Match Game Duckpin Championship. There are 16 spots still left for Dec. 17. Bowlers will roll only a single match in December. The field closes when 64 bowlers register. by CNB