Lane oil conditions are to spinning bowling balls like gusts of wind are to spiraling footballs.

 “It’s an equalizer,” said Berne-Knox-Westerlo Coach Matt Decker this week. “If a ball ignores oil well, it’s a good ball. Bowlers usually want a ball with a dull finish for maximum hook ability.”

Most varsity bowlers have two balls — a stone ball for hook shots and a plastic ball for straighter spare shots. Guilderland Head Coach Lou Marino told The Enterprise that some bowlers have upwards of 20 diverse balls.

“Different balls hook more than others, and oil patterns dictate how much hook you need,” Marino said. “There are all sorts of oil patterns.”

Each bowling alley has its own unique way of making oil patterns, and local bowlers travel from alley to alley during the winter season. By and large, there is much more oil in the middle of the lane than on the outside. This allows the ball to hook more from the outside part of the lane to the pocket.

“I’m more of a paperwork guy,” said Kyle Turski, who co-coaches the Voorheesville team with Jon Glisson. “I leave the bowling advice to Jon, while I focus on the scores and words of encouragement.”

The longer the oil pattern on the lane, the less the ball can hook. Knowing the oil pattern can help the bowler determine the strategy of his shot. If the bowler finds the correct target, he could have many strikes in his future.

“You can throw a ball that becomes a disaster unless you adjust your style,” said Decker, mentioning that the oil on the lane wears away over time. “That’s what separates a good bowler from a great bowler.”

Marino says that some bowlers don’t know how to “count boards” or line up properly. On a lane, there is a triangular configuration of arrows 15 feet past the foul line that is symmetrically placed to be used as guides. The “boards” that Marino referred to are on the lane surface, and are counted from five to 35; each arrow is five.

However, no matter the bowling ball or the oil conditions, Decker said that it’s always the bowler that dictates the shot. “It’s how you adjust, move, and throw,” he said. “And attitude.”

Decker likes the attitude and temperament of his Berne-Knox-Westerlo team, which placed sixth at Class C sectionals out of 31 teams.

“We had a really good day,” said Decker of the sectional tournament; competitors bowl three games in the morning and three more in the afternoon. “I’m extremely proud, but wish we had bowled like that all season.”

The Bulldogs won 29 of 52 possible points this season — each league match is worth four points — and placed fourth in the Western Athletic Conference tournament. Middleburgh and Canajoharie were co-champions of the WAC; BKW ended up third in the standings.

“I’m happy with that,” Decker said. “It was a year of haves and have-nots for points.”

Senior Derek Hempstead led BKW in per-game average (197) and total pins, and was a First Team WAC All Star. Hempstead had the second highest series at Class C sectionals (657) and almost reached 1,300 for all six games.

“He cared so much that he would have rolled his heart down the lane,” Decker said of Hempstead. “He was actually disappointed with a 197 average. There are some kids in our league that are bowling at a very high level. It’s amazing to watch.”

Hempstead’s younger brother, Dillon, a freshman, was right behind his sibling at sectionals, averaging over 200 per game. “They’re a bowling family,” said Decker. “They maintain a level of cool and know how to adjust their shots.”

Decker has seen Derek Hempstead get close to a perfect 300 game many times. This season, Hempstead had a game where the first eight frames were strikes. Decker said that Hempstead never suffered from senioritis.

“You get to be a kid once,” said Decker. “He was always in the now, and always had a good attitude. He’ll be missed.”

Voorheesville

Coach Kyle Turski says that he hears comments about not having to be athletic to be a bowler. Regardless, bowlers need a certain mental capacity to keep focus amid all the noise of a bowling alley.

“You need to have enough composure to regroup after mistakes and get that focus back,” Turski said.

Voorheesville went 8-9-1 in the Colonial Council this season with a tie against Waterford. The Blackbirds placed fifth in the Colonial Council tournament and 15th out of 31 teams at Class C sectionals.

Freshman Matt Flandreau, who was selected to the Second Team All Colonial Council, led Voorheesville in per-game average (188) and points won (42). In every match, Flandreau went against the opponents’ best bowler, Turski said.

In a match, six bowlers square off from each team for four points from three games and combined pins. There are eight more points up for grabs for the teams, not the individual bowlers, which is decided from total pins from all the games.

“It can be confusing for people who aren’t involved,” said Turski.

Alex Paigo rolled the second-highest game of the season in the Colonial Council for Voorheesville with a 289 at Waterford. He also bowled a 279; no other Birds’ bowler broke 250.

“He made a spare shot early, and then got strike after strike after strike,” Turski said of Paigo’s 289 game. “He was upset about that early spare, but he put it behind him.”

Freshman Tom Della Penta was named Most Improved Bowler for the Blackbirds with multiple games over 200 this year. “He ended up with a very consistent shot that he worked very hard on,” said Turski. “He had a goal of making top seven for sectionals and the league tournament, and his hard work paid off.”

With Flandreau and Della Penta set to return for next season alongside Bonnie Grab, a ninth-grader, and Morgan Galvin, an eighth-grader, Voorheesville will have a “nice young nucleus for the coming years,” Turksi said.

Turski said it would be hard for him to coach Voorheesville without Jon Glisson; both men coach the varsity baseball team at the school, too. Turski said that the crossover with baseball and bowling — four baseball players are on the bowling team — is dumb luck, but it keeps everyone competitive during the winter months.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot about bowling,” said Turski, who took the coaching opportunity with Glisson three years ago. “I still let Jon do the instructing though.”

Guilderland

Coach Lou Marino said that it’s atypical for Guilderland to finish with a losing record, but the young Dutch team went 7-9 in the Suburban Council this season.

“It’s been a long time,” said Marino, Guilderland’s bowling coach for 15 years. “Nobody bowled too well this year. They wanted to learn more about the game.”

The Dutchmen placed eighth at Class A sectionals. The high series of the day was a 623.

Marino said that the highlight of the season was beating Christian Brothers Academy, the eventual Class A champions that willed itself to a title after finding out the coach, Tom Donato, had died of a heart attack.

“Everyone was rooting for them,” said Marino. “The whole thing was an inspiration.”

Sophomore Brandon Indovina was Guilderland’s top bowler, averaging 213 per game, and being named a Suburban Council First Team All Star. Senior Alex Varsanyi has an average of 203 and made Suburban Council Honorable Mention while being awarded Guilderland’s Most Improved Bowler; Varsanyi shot an 823 series (248-275-290) when the Dutch beat CBA earlier in the season.