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If nothing else, the names of the oil patterns for this week's USBC Red, White and Blue Open at Northrock Lanes will at least sound less intimidating.
PBA bowlers are used to bowling in five traditional patterns named after animals — shark, cheetah, scorpion, viper and chameleon. This week's tournament, which begins this morning with qualifying on the red pattern, is the first to use the red, white and blue format.
The color patterns are being prepared for use in USBC leagues across the country. The professionals and amateurs competing at Northrock will be the guinea pigs, and scores should be high because the patterns are basic.
"It's actually very similar to what you'd see if you were to go into a normal center and bowl league," third-year PBA player Rhino Page said. "You're just looking for a little bit of a different ball reaction than what you normally see out on tour. I expect scores to be very high. It wouldn't surprise me if it took high 230s, even low 240s average just to make a cut."
This week's tournament is the PBA's seventh of the season and first since September, when the PBA World Championship field was dwindled to four. That tournament will conclude on Sunday at Northrock.
The Red, White and Blue Open is replacing the Ulimate Scoring event on the PBA schedule. At Ultimate Scoring last season, Patrick Allen shot a record-tying 3,647 for a 14-game qualifying block on the same day 11 players rolled 300 games.
Scoring could be just as high this week. Qualifying on the red pattern today is likely to produce many high scores, since the pattern is equivalent to those of a typical bowling alley.
Though many didn't bowl on the blue pattern in practice Monday, the white wasn't reported to be much more difficult than the red.
"We had Ultimate Scoring, and that kind of got a little out of hand, so they elected to do three different patters," said Dino Castillo, a fifth-year PBA player. "The consensus so far is they like what's out there. It's not going to be as high scoring, but I think most of the guys are pretty please with what's out there."
The danger for professionals like Page and Castillo is that they could be outstaged in an easier tournament by an amateur or non-exempt PBA player. PGA golfer Woody Austin, who resides in Derby and is a recreational bowler, has entered the 119-player field.
But while such players could remain in the title hunt briefly, the professionals are most likely to survive a grind that could see them play around 50 games in five days.
"At the end of the day, you still need to make good shots," Castillo said. "The guys who make more good shots are the ones who are going to have a chance to win. Even though you shot 269 and somebody else shot 279, there are still 15 more (qualifying) games that you're going to have to prove it. So the guy who makes the most shots consistently, that's the guy at the end of the day who's going to bowl best."
Professional bowling is like tennis in that certain players are stronger on certain surfaces. The red, white and blue patterns could create a more even playing field because they're easier and new.
"If you get in the right part of the lane, you've got a lot of room for error," Page said. "Now it's just about matching bowling balls with the lanes you're playing on. On tour this year, every pattern played really tough. It's nice to have a little bit of a break where we'll have an easier scoring pace."
