Gearing up for some serious bowling

'What's the most fun you can have while still fully clothed?" asks Steve Hardy. For him the answer is: bowling.

Hardy, who is a four-time New England Bowlers Association champion and averages 237 in leagues, not only bowls four times a week, but also operates Striker's East, a bowling alley in Raymond, N.H.

"Bowling is in my blood," says Hardy. "I love what I do, and I love the competition."

For many players, bowling doesn't get any more serious than a night out at Jillian's Lucky Strike Lanes, where plasma TVs compete with strikes and spares, or candlepin bowling at The Milky Way Lounge and Lanes, where DJs spin tunes every Monday and bowling is free after 9 p.m.

But for others, like Becky Kregling, women's bowling coach at Sacred Heart University, and Bill Webb of Enfield, Conn., six-time NEBA Bowler of the Year, bowling is, well, a ball, and should be taken seriously, including using the proper equipment.

That means starting out with the proper bowling ball, says Paul Ridenour, a research engineer at the United States Bowling Congress, the national governing body for bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee. Ridenour specializes in the development of bowling technology, including the "science" of bowling and bowling balls. And lest you think bowling is just throwing a ball down an alley, listen to Ridenour talk about the physics of the sport, which includes velocity decrease, break and transition points, launch angle, and entry angle into the pocket. Ridenour works with a robotic ball thrower and motion-tracking software to understand the biomechanics of bowling.

The bowling ball has evolved from being made out of lacquered wood, rubber, and plastic, to the urethane, reactive resin, or particle balls of today.

Although the casual bowler will use "house balls" on untreated lanes, a league player is treated to lanes that are oiled in different patterns, affecting a ball's friction and the way it travels. A reactive resin ball, used by more experienced players, will actually absorb oil and is more sensitive to lane conditions, allowing more striking power and hooking ability. A particle ball, the newest technology, adds tiny pieces of ceramic, glass, rubber, mica, or other small fragments, increasing the ball's friction and making it easier to hook.

"Today's bowling balls are like atom bombs," says Hardy.

The inner core of the bowling ball has a weight block made of different shapes or materials, ranging from Brunswick's "Differential Increasing Side Cylinders" to Columbia's "Titanium Nugget." Together with the cover stock or outside surface of the ball, the density and position of the weight block affects the ball's reaction and balance.

A good bowling pro shop, preferably one registered by the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association, will help a bowler find a ball geared toward the type of league they play in, where they bowl, and the bowler's physical bowling habits. Ridenour, for example, who averages 210, says he has higher than average speed and medium ball revolutions, and therefore needs to be sure "my equipment is aggressive enough to be able to turn corners on some of the heavy oil patterns I bowl on."

But as with any sport, it's not the gear but the player behind it. "Some players have the mindset of buying a $210 ball, but if they're not going to practice, they might as well buy a cheap plastic ball," says Hardy. "On the other hand, a 220 bowler could take a block of ice and still bowl well."