As many bowlers already know, bowling centers have some control over the scores that are rolled at their establishment.

The pattern in which lane conditioner (oil) is applied to a lane and the number of units of conditioner applied on various parts of the lane have a lot to do with the difficulty bowlers will have to throw strikes during any particular session. In recent years, most bowling centers around the country have applied a more forgiving lane condition so more bowlers will be able to throw strikes on a regular basis. This type of lane condition is typically referred to as a “house shot.”

An alternative lane pattern to a “house” pattern is a “sport” pattern. According to USBC’s bowl.com: “Sport bowling consists of leagues and tournaments that are conducted on challenging lane conditions. Sport bowling separates the sport of bowling from the game by placing an emphasis on skill. Sport bowling is the answer to the request of many bowlers who want to bring credibility back to the sport they love. By creating certified, competitive leagues, it allows for the skills of the bowler to take a big step in that direction.”

In a nutshell, a sport lane pattern is much more difficult to roll a high score on than a house pattern. These patterns differ so much that the USBC separately recognizes bowlers’ averages on each type of pattern. If a bowler has booked a sanctioned “sport” average, this is indicated on the USBC Web site and should also be indicated in local association average books.

Many bowling centers around the country run leagues or tournaments that use a sport pattern. However, in order for one of these leagues or tournaments to be sanctioned by the USBC, the house must first be certified as a “sport” bowling center.

Recently, Bowl-O-Drome has become the first area center to be certified as a sport center. It has submitted tapes from the lanes to the USBC, where they were read by the Sport Bowling Department. After testing the tapes, the USBC has qualified B-O-D as a sport center, and it is listed as such on the USBC Web site at bowl.com.

Youth bowlers from around the Niagara Frontier area will be the first to experience these sport patterns. Bowl-O-Drome will run a Teen Sport Shot Experience League on Monday evenings, starting Columbus Day. The league is designed for local youth bowlers who are interested in getting experience bowling on a more challenging lane pattern. The league will be a four-game block and teens will be bowling as an individual. It will run continuous 10-week sessions so that bowlers may join mid-season without penalty.

The best part about this league is that all bowlers will earn a scholarship based on the final standings, similar to the way in which adult leagues have prize lists. Instead of prize money, the teens will earn scholarship money.

Paula Bianco, promotions director at Bowl-O-Drome, said about the league: “Some area bowlers have gone to compete in youth tournaments such as the Junior Gold Tournament and the Teen Masters where a sport pattern was laid out. The bowlers became discouraged when they got into that type of condition because they had zero experience with it. Competing in this type of league will give them some experience, and along with that, some confidence for when they face these conditions at tournaments.” Paula’s daughter, Jenna, is one of the bowlers who will be competing in the sport league.

B-O-D has availability for any area youth that would like to join the league and experience the challenge. If you are interested or have any questions, contact Bianco at 804-2339.

- Grand Island resident Ryan Gott rolled his first career 300 game in the Yuengling Men league at Island Lanes as part of his 793 series.

- On Saturday night at Rapids Bowling Center, Falls resident Billy Barnes rolled his first 300 game. He must have been getting some lessons recently from his neighbor, Eric Johns, a well-known and extremely talented Niagara Falls bowler.

- The Sunday Morning 3-man league at Rapids produced a couple of honor scores this past week as Bob Yamonaco and Adam Wirth rolled 300 games during the league’s six-game session.

- On Monday night at Rapids, Zane Tester rolled games of 278, 300, and 279 for an 857 series. His series was the highest so far this year in the NFBA and was only 11 pins shy of tying the all-time record.

- On Tuesday night at Rapids, Rick Milleville rolled a 300 game in the Sanborn Businessmen’s league.

- On Friday night in the Scotty’s Barber Shop league at Rapids, Mike DeMartinis and Gary Kinyon both rolled 300 games. Said DeMartinis: “I had been struggling recently with my mechanics but I was able to pick up a few tips by watching Fran Bax bowl on Wednesday night.”

Fran is a local bowling icon that many have learned from. Gary Kinyon currently shares the Niagara Falls BA city record for high series with an 868. Both DeMartinis and Kinyon have rolled several 300 games over their bowling careers.

- Some senior news: Last week, Jerry Graff rolled games of 195, 257, and 249 for a 711 series in the Thursday Retirees league at Rapids. On Monday at Rapids, Ross Eracitano rolled a 247 game. You might be thinking “why would he report on a 247-game?” Well, I didn’t mention that Ross is 90 years young! Congratulations!

Ed Ventry is a director on the board of the Niagara Falls USBC men and youth bowling associations. Contact him at eventry@roadrunner.com.