Bowlers, it’s that time of the year again. Fall leagues are about to start up at Orchard Lanes. So come on up to the Heights in Hood River and get ready to do battle with those elusive ten pins. This season you will even get to take on brand new pins! That’s right, they were just installed last week. It doesn’t get any better than that although they may be harder to knock down. Do you think you can take on those new pins? Here is the league line-up:
Industrial: Bowl every Monday evening at 7 p.m. starting Sept. 9. The league format is for three-person teams with the handicap based on 95% of 220 average. The league is open to men and women. There are three rounds culminating in a unique championship finish that features a bracket tournament like college basketball. This exciting conclusion gives more teams a good chance to win the league. That alone makes the Industrial league special!
Tuesday Nite Mixed: Bowl every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. starting Sept. 24. The league format is for four-person mixed teams of men and women with the handicap based on 95% of 220 average. The league is split into two halves with a championship roll-off between the round winners and the second place teams at the conclusion of the season. This league has always been a prime event in Hood River. Many bowlers and teams have bowled it for years. As a result, it can get quite competitive but it’s always friendly,so don’t be afraid of this league.
Senior Colts & Fillies: With a league name like that, how could you go wrong? Bowl every Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. starting Sept. 4. The league format is for 3 person mixed teams with the handicap based on 100% of 200 average. This league is for seniors 50 years and older. It’s divided into two halves but here’s the nitty gritty: The winner of each half stands alone, there is no overall champion because the primary reasons for the league are for the seniors to get out of the house, get some exercise, socialize with good friends and enjoy the challenge of knocking those stubborn 3 pound, 6 ounce pins around. It’s great fun for all!
Fraternal: Bowl every Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. starting Sept. 4. The league format is for three-person teams with the handicap based on 95% of 220 average. The league is open to men and women. There are three rounds with a championship roll-off at the end of the season between the round winners and a wild card team that won the most points but didn’t win a round. This league is extremely competitive and is comprised of top bowlers, many with 200-plus averages. Better bring your “A” game to hang with the big shooters in this league.
County: Bowl every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. starting Oct. 3. The league format is for three-person teams with the handicap based on 100% of 200 average. The league is mixed with no restrictions, it’s open to everyone. The league is divided into two halves with a championship roll-off at the end of the season between the round winners. This league has welcomed dozens of new bowlers to this great game over the years. The teams in this league really get into the swing of it with creative team names and they often get quite rambunctious. The bowlers in this league really have a good time.
Challenge nights: This past summer, Orchard Lanes held seven mini tournaments in what were called challenge nights to test our interested local bowlers on different lane patterns. For the inexperienced, a common comment is “all lanes look the same” so bowling can’t be that tough. Au contraire my friend! The oil patterns put down on the lanes by state-of-the-art and very expensive computerized machines are invisible. But the essence of what they do is to pile more oil in places on the lanes and less oil on others. When the bowling ball hits this oil, it slides more where the oil is heavier and hooks where there is none. This presents quite a challenge for the bowler to negotiate the entire pattern on a 60-foot lane to get strikes and spares. Some of Challenge night patterns were difficult and some were easy, but they were all different from the regular house shot at Orchard Lanes that was used for all leagues last season. In bowling vernacular oil patterns are called “shots.” A simplistic way to characterize the difficulty of a shot is known as oil ratio. This measures the maximum height of the oil to the lowest point. The house shot at Orchard Lanes has a 12 to 1 oil ratio. That’s quite forgiving. Here are the Challenge night results:
May 30: 2022 USBC (United States Bowling Congress) Senior Championship national tournament, oil ratio 6.5 – 1: A total of 23 bowlers tried their skills on this pattern. Patrick Olson (226 local average) won the scratch division with 879 pins for 4 games, a 219 average; Jeff Brittle (195 local average) won the handicap division with 883 total pins (791 (197 average) + 92 handicap).
June 12: 2020 Storm Youth Championship tournament, oil ratio 5.25 – 1: A total of 24 bowlers participated. Stan Pratnicki (210 local average) won the scratch division with 802 pins for 4 games, a 200 average; Chris Huff (176 local average) won the handicap division with 918 total pins (754 (188 average) + 164 handicap).
June 26: 2019 PBA (Professional Bowlers Association VIPER 36 tournament pattern, oil ratio 1.5 – 1: A total of 20 bowlers gave it a shot, Patrick Olson (226 local average) won the scratch division with 779 pins for 4 games, a 197 average; Jesse Orr (169 local average) won the handicap division with 897 total pins (705 (176 average) + 192 handicap).
July 10: 2023 USBC Open Team Championship tournament, oil ratio 2.6 – 1: A total of 21 bowlers participated, AJ Perdue (212 local average) won the scratch division with 735 pins for 4 games, a 183 average; Dan Nakamura (171 local average) won the handicap division with 884 total pins (700 (175 average) + 184 handicap).
July 24: 2023 USBC Junior Gold Open tournament on the left lane oil ratio 6.75 - 1 and Kegel Big Ben Recreational pattern on the right lane oil pattern 7.3 – 1: A total of 20 bowlers tested their skills on these two different patterns that were put down respectively on each pair of lanes, Sandy Holmes (158 local average) won both the scratch and handicap divisions, she fired an 822 scratch, a stellar 205 average and had 232 pins handicap for a huge 1,054 total. Sandy put on quite a show!
Aug. 7: 2022 USBC USA Bowling Championship tournament, oil ratio 25 – 1: A total of 22 bowlers participated, AJ Perdue (212 local average) won the scratch division with 859 pins for 4 games, a 214 average; Sandy Holmes (158 local average) won the handicap division with 991 total pins (759 (189 average) + 232 handicap).
Aug. 21: Amateur Bowler’s Tour 2 tournament, oil ratio 9.5 – 1: A total of 33 bowlers tested their mettle on this pattern, Owen Clement (218 average) won the scratch division with 832 pins for 4 games, a 208 average; Dan Nakamura (171 average) won the handicap division with 911 total pins (727 (181 average) + 184 handicap).
To summarize the Challenge nights, as you can see AJ Perdue and Patrick Olson both won 2 scratch events; and on the handicap side, Sandy Holmes and Dan Nakamura each won two times. Great bowling everyone!
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