CONTENTS
VOL 24.7
THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING
PUBLISHER & EDITOR Scott Frager frager@bowlingindustry.com Skype: scottfrager
6 ISSUE AT HAND
26 COVER STORY
Not Too Distant Memory
Freestyle
By Scott Frager
Serial entrepreneur Ben Jones helps proprietors get down to business. By Robert Sax
8 SHORTS • BMHF strives to restore archival film. • Punk Rock bowling has become a Vegas tradition. • BVL debuts new video. • Bay Tek and TrainerTainment announce new staff. • ‘White-Collar’ exemption begins Dec. 1.
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36 OFF THE CLOCK Ron Richard The Show Me State’s double-duty proprietor. By Mark Miller
40 CENTER STAGE Highland Park Bowl is a smashing success. 26
By Evan Henerson
The Experience that Supports the Cause Striking Against Breast Cancer and The Luci Experience are the passion of Donna Conners.
54 REMEMBER WHEN
By Sean Krainert
Pin Boys By Patty Heath
22 BPAA 2016 Awards
48 Classifieds
Recognizing those who serve the industry. By Jim Goodwin 40
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OFFICE MANAGER Patty Heath heath@bowlingindustry.com
CONTRIBUTORS Jim Goodwin Patty Heath Evan Henerson Sean Krainert Mary Lynly Mark Miller Robert Sax
fredgroh@bowlingindustry.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jackie Fisher fisher@bowlingindustry.com
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION Designworks www.dzynwrx.com (818) 735-9424
FOUNDER Allen Crown (1933-2002)
Classic and Beyond
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garber@bowlingindustry.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Fred Groh
By Patty Heath
13 FEATURE
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER David Garber
12655 Ventura Boulevard Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 789-2695(BOWL) Fax (818) 789-2812 info@bowlingindustry.com
www.BowlingIndustry.com
HOTLINE: 818-789-2695 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One copy of International Bowling Industry is sent free to every bowling center, independently owned pro shop and collegiate bowling center in the U.S., and every military bowling center and pro shop worldwide. Publisher reserves the right to provide free subscriptions to those individuals who meet publication qualifications. Additional subscriptions may be purchased for delivery in the U.S. for $50 per year. Subscriptions for Canada and Mexico are $65 per year, all other foreign subscriptions are $80 per year. All foreign subscriptions should be paid in U.S. funds using International Money Orders. POSTMASTER: Please send new as well as old address to International Bowling Industry, 12655 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604 USA. If possible, please furnish address mailing label. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright 2015, B2B Media, Inc. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the publisher’s permission.
MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:
THE ISSUE AT HAND
Not Too Distant Memory By the time anyone reads this, International Bowl Expo 2016 will be a near, and dear, memory for those fortunate enough to have attended. I’m sure the Las Vegas heat, along with hours and hours of educational sessions, keynote speakers and two days of grueling trade show walking melted even the most stalwart attendee or exhibitor. I’ve always imagined my Bowl Expo trade show experience as a morph of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), Disneyland and Woodstock. Like CES, there are so many products and services being offered that there is scant time available for really getting all of my wish list (as a buyer and a vendor) accomplished. Like Disneyland, the fun usually begins when the sun rises for breakfast meetings and education, and never stops until there isn’t a trace of energy left to shake any more hands or catch up with friends. Like a toddler, I rest my tired head on my pillow and attempt to sleep soundly only to dream with anticipation about the next day. Now, as I was only two years of age during Woodstock and my parents could never be mistaken for hippies, I can only imagine what it must have been like at the mother of all musical concerts. Being surrounded by so many like-minded, friendly, warm people at Bowl Expo makes everyone feel like a rock star. This year, like every year, the show ends up
missing a few of our favorite friends. I know I’m going to miss Marvin and Frieda Cotler who have been to virtually every Bowl Expo since it began. Marvin and Frieda are now retired, and, though I miss them, I am very happy for them. Sadly, we’ve lost others to their final frame; too many to formally list here. However, I will always have a special place in my heart for the venerable Ted Hoffman, and I still get sad when I realize I won’t get to shake hands with the largerthan-life CJ Fox or Patrick or Ray of CDE Software. I would really like to know what meaning Bowl Expo holds for you. I want to hear about the crazy vacations formed around it, the marriages, children, the incredibly tight bonds of friendship, the business conducted, the memories of meeting a U.S. President, shaking hands with athletes or having lunch with a thoughtful and noteworthy acquaintance from another country. What moments at Bowl Expo do you hold dear? By the time you read this, we should all have returned safely home and rested our heads, while remembering the event we call International Bowl Expo 2016 and dreaming about good things to come next year. Regards, – SCOTT FRAGER, PUBLISHER AND EDITOR frager@bowlingindustry.com
4THIS MONTH AT www.BowlingIndustry.com Another successful Bowl Expo has come and gone. Hopefully you attended and met old friends, found new products and ideas to enhance your center, heard Peyton Manning inspire and challenge, and generally had a good time. IBI Online would be a perfect place to share your thoughts. Was it worth the trip? Were there things, in your opinion, that could have increased the value or could be dispensed with? What was the focus for you? Did the seminars meet your expectations? What could have been included? Your membership in IBI Online is a perfect venue to proffer your thoughts. Go to www.bowlingindustry.com and add a discussion under Forum. Please take the time. Not a member? Join now. It’s FREE.
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SHORTS
ALERT: ‘WHITE-COLLAR’ EXEMPTION As per Berman and Company, the Department of Labor (DOL) released the final version of the administrative overtime regulations, aka white-collar exemption. The original regulations were proposed in mid-2015. This final version is somewhat different from the 2015 proposal and will be a dramatic change for employers. The effective date is December 1, 2016, giving employers five-plus months to prepare. The most significant point is that the new overtime threshold will be $913 a week which is the equivalent of $47,476 a year. Employees must be paid a minimum weekly salary of $913 in order to be exempt from overtime requirements. The DOL will not require employers to monitor percentages of employee time spent on work that would be considered non-exempt. Going forward, the threshold will go up every three years. There are many sources for further information. It is important to follow up. Berman and Company will be working to organize a webinar on this topic for BPAA members soon. Kristen Eastlick can be reached at eastlick@bermanco.com.
BVL DEBUTS NEW VIDEO Founded in 1942, Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) is a national 501 charity recognized as one of America’s best charities. It actualizes bowling’s promise of support to America’s veterans through recreational and therapeutic programs. It has now made available a new three-minute video telling the BVL story. Produced by Ten Pin Marketing, this video is a moving and powerful tool to share with volunteers, organizations and centers wishing to help. John LaSpina, BVL board chairman says, “We want to get this video into the hands of every association leader, bowling center manager and community volunteer out there. Through the video, we can effectively explain the need and importance of BVL programs for our veterans. This message must be communicated to our bowling community.” The video is available in three different modes: YouTube (for sharing and embedding); Dropbox (for downloading and saving); or order a hard copy of the DVD at tenpinmarketing.landslideemail.com. 8
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ß BITS & PIECES ß ß ß BVL’s PSA Marketing guru Fred Kaplowitz of the Kaplo Group has produced a public service announcement promoting BVL fundraising events. The goal is to get center owners involved in the sport’s oldest charity. The video is perfect for running on center screens. To view it, go to bowlingindustry.com and click on videos.
ßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß Brunswick’s Sync introduces Angry Birds Bowling.
Rovio Entertainment Ltd, a global entertainment media company, headquartered in Finland, and Brunswick Bowling Products have announced a partnership that will bring Angry Birds, one of the world’s best-selling mobile games, to centers across the U.S. Brunswick’s Sync Scoring and Management System will feature Angry Birds Bowling, incorporating the same frustrated birds and persistent pigs currently starring in The Angry Birds Movie in theaters nationwide. A marketing campaign, rolled out in May, includes in-theater advertising, as well as digital and social media elements. Demos were available at International Bowl Expo, Las Vegas, in June.
ßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß An Oldie and a Goodie
Bowl Mor Lanes in Streator, IL, has the laudable distinction of being home to the nation’s oldest mixed bowling league. Founded in 1946, Streator’s Friday Night Mixed League is still running smoothly with couples, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters and friends just out for a night of bowling. Is the label ‘oldest’ real or wishful thinking? Dave McCoy, league president, decided to find out. McCoy had all the original minutes and sent them to the ABC. It was the ABC who determined the designation. Here’s the icing on the cake: the league’s sponsor, Schultz Vault and Monument, has been so for 62 consecutive years.
ßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß 13th New Mexico Open
The 13th New Mexico Open, to be held at Tenpins & More in Rio Rancho from August 19-21, will continue to hold its place as one of the country’s biggest and richest tournaments, with record prize money of more than $60,000, including $10,500 guaranteed to the winner. Tournament director, Steve Mackie, said there would be another expected $15,000 in side tournaments and brackets with live streaming coverage on BowlStreamTV.com the entire three days of the event.
SHORTS
PUNK ROCK BOWLING, A VEGAS TRADITION For the past 18 years, Memorial Day weekend has rocked and bowled in Las Vegas with the Punk Rock Bowling music festival and three days of outdoor concert revelry...and bowling. However, it did not start out that way. There was no promoter’s dream, just simply punk rock bands getting together to league bowl. At one point, brothers Mark and Shawn Stern of the Punk Rockers enjoy their band Youth Brigade bowling. Fat Mike (center). thought it would be fun to gather the various band teams and do a bowling tournament in Vegas. As quoted to LA Weekly’s Lina Lecaro, “We had Epitaph, BYO, Hopeless, Fearless and a few others bowling every week for 10 weeks,” recalled Mark Stern. “Everyone looked forward to it every week.” To be part of this tournament you had to be part of the punk scene. “Bands, fanzines, college radio, independent labels and no major labels allowed. It started turning into our own little convention for the punk scene,” said Stern. Early on, it was held largely within hotels with bowling centers, e.g. the Gold Coast and Sam’s Town in Henderson. Pretty soon the music was beginning to rival the bowling. Today, PRB attracts fans, young and old. The diversity is reflected in the activities surrounding it: pool parties, art shows, film screenings and, of course, bowling. Mark Stern, one of the This year’s music founders of PRB. included Flag, The Exploited, The Descendents, Flogging Molly, The Buzzcocks and The Bronx.
EXPANSIONS, OPENINGS & NEW BEGINNINGS Big Al’s, the privately-owned sports bar and entertainment center, plans to open its fourth Big Al’s location in the heart of the Inland Empire in Ontario, CA. The facility is in final design stages with construction to commence later this year and the grand opening slated for early 2017.
Signature Lanes, Elkhart, IN, will be the home of this year’s PBA 50 National Championship to benefit Riley Hospital for Children, August 14-17. In anticipation, the center has reached an agreement with QubicaAMF Worldwide to install BES X scoring with tablet-based SuperTouch on-lane consoles, 50” flat screen HD scoring monitors and an upgrade to existing pinspotter machines. Roger Brown, president of Signature Lanes, said, “We are honored to host such a great event for such a great cause and to be able to deliver a state-of-the-art experience for our professionals and guests.”
Maple Family Centers’ Countryside Lanes in Clearwater, FL, is due for renovations according to John and Joe LaSpina. Top of their list is Brunswick Sync bowling and management system which will control all of the POS needs and provide one set of reports. While Sync provides plenty of enhancements, it John LaSpina (left) and Joe LaSpina is also learner-friendly. Other changes (right) work out details with Brent Perrier of Brunswick. include a new redemption arcade and a major overhaul to both the bar and kitchen. Countryside features 40 lanes, sports bar, and a thriving pro shop.
Kings Bowl America opened in May in the Cool Springs area of Franklin, TN. The new venue has 16 lanes of bowling, plus a restaurant and two bars, housed in 25,000 square feet.
Flint Hills Lanes in Emporia, KS, is in the midst of renovation. The building’s awning has been replaced and the center got two new air conditioning units and refinished wooden lane approaches. Business owners Frank and Cathy Desocio own five other bowling centers and are stationed out of Wichita. IBI
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SHORTS
[ ] Celebrating 100 Years of Mini Golf Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) and IAAPA have teamed up on a national fundraiser to celebrate 100 years of miniature golf in the U.S. From now until September 30, they are inviting everyone to visit and play at miniature golf courses around the country and donate to GKTW. Give Kids The World Village is a 79-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with lifethreatening illnesses and their families. The public can play miniature golf and contribute to GKTW through the purchase of a special commemorative, miniature golf ball featuring a GKTW and 100 Year Anniversary logo created for the campaign. Donations can also be made via GKTW’s fundraising page at www.gktw.org.
Want to get a trophy? Six-year-old Mitchell Bannister of Grand Falls-Windsor, New Foundland, Canada, did. His older brother had hockey medals; he wanted to compete too. Mitchell belonged to a youth bowling league and entered its twosome bowling event. He needed a partner to facilitate his medal dream, and he knew just who to ask, his 93-year-old great grandfather Joe Tremblett. Great Grandfather Tremblett is an avid bowler and has been bowling for years. As written by Samantha Gardiner of the Advertiser, “Some of Bannister’s favorite parts from the family twosome event were in between the bowling frames when he was sitting down and talking with his great grandfather, spending quality time together.” It wasn’t until the year-end banquet that he found out he had won a trophy. “My dream has come true,” he beamed. While Mitchell was the only one to receive a trophy, that did not stop him from acknowledging his partner with a handmade trophy he created himself. The moral to the story? Bowling is ageless and a fellowship that endures. 10
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GOODWILL CENTRAL
ACROSS THE GENERATIONS
Rhinos reign high in fundraising at bowling centers. The American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) works very hard at the conservation of endangered rhinos and the ecosystems they inhabit. Since 1990, AAZK has raised over $4 million for sanctuaries in Indonesia, Sumatra and Kenya. Some of the centers that recently have participated in fundraising are: Hartfield Lanes, Berkley, MI; Colonial Bowling Lanes, New Orleans, LA; Revolutions CityPlace, Palm Beach, FL. Bowling is family. And the “family” at Pin Street Lanes in Warwick, NY, held a fundraiser for Eric Haubrich and his mounting medical bills which he has incurred while fighting colon cancer. The latest experimental drug is a staggering $10,000 per treatment. Another “family” held Bowling for Benn at Fast Lanes in Rogers, AR. Benn Banks is battling stage four cancer. The event was held to raise funds for Banks’ two young sons’ future college tuitions. Local businesses, families, friends and strangers helped raise approximately $20,000. All ages, 3 to 76, came to Boulevard Bowling Lanes in Anderson, SC, to bowl to raise money for Family Promise of Anderson County. The proceeds will help give shelter and support to local homeless families. Big Al’s in Beaverton, OR, was the place to be for Sleep Train’s 11th Annual Pajama Bowl. This event raises funds to help make the lives of foster kids just a little better. The mission was to break the record from last year which was $160,000. No official word, yet. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. To help get the word out, the South Dakota chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted Strike Out Suicide at Prairie Lanes in Brookings, SD. Funds will go to local and national education and advocacy programs. Winnetka Bowl, Winnetka, CA, held a Bowling Bash to Strike Away Cancer for the American Cancer Society. The major fundraiser for Philadelphia Futures, a nonprofit that helps low-income students get to college, held a sold-out celebrity bowling tournament at South Bowl in Philadelphia, PA. Major league baseballs’s Philadelphia Phillies came out to support the event. Catcher Carlos Ruiz was the host for Get in the Game and has personally sponsored six students. Who was the best bowler? “I have to say, Ryan Howard from the very beginning has been spectacular on the lanes,” claimed Joan Mazzotti, Philadelphia Futures E.D. What is your center doing? Email Patty Heath at heath@bowlingindustry.com.
SHORTS
IBMHF PUSHES TO SAVE FILM AND VIDEO By Mary Lynly
Last November, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame unveiled the Frame For Frame Project. Frame For Frame is trying to raise money to digitize and permanently archive an estimated 500,000 feet of bowling-themed film that is slowly but surely decaying in canisters in Arlington, TX. PBA PR man Bill Vint said, “Not only was [the project] overdue, but [it] somehow managed to capture the attention of diverse film lovers never reached before.” This initiative was started by Greg Williams, the recently hired IBMHF director of development. Vint says, “Williams has proved to be a rare case of an employee with limited bowling background but who came into our sport and immediately recognized a treasure chest that those much closer to the subject either failed to comprehend, chose to ignore or concluded wasn’t worth the time and effort.” The project caught the eye of HollywoodReporter.com, which encouraged members of the film industry to help raise the $200,000 needed to do most of the digitizing work. Williams noted, “We don’t even know what we have. We could be sitting on a treasure trove of stuff.” If interested, you can send your contribution to Frame For Frame, IBMHF, 621 Six Flags Dr., Arlington, TX 76011.
Media
WATCH GRACE AND FRANKIE AND BOWLING Bowling has been used as the cement, a springboard or a backdrop for episodes of television. Grace and Frankie, a Netflix comedy series, in its second year, starring Jane Fonda as Grace and Lily Tomlin Jane Fonda as Grace loves her as Frankie, is no exception. In bowling. the episode, “The Test,” Frankie’s dependence on Grace to drive her places gets in the way of an evening of bowling. What better way to walk and talk than bowl and further the plot. 12
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PEOPLEWATCHING Bay Tek Games, in the midst of transitioning Skee-Ball products into its production line, has brought on Jeff Hudson from Skee-Ball. He will be joining the sales team with an emphasis on the development and growth of new and existing business for Jeff Hudson parks, carnivals and home sales. Hudson has years of coin-op experience. He has managed Amusement Park Games at DollyWood, The Great Escape in Lake George, NY, Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England, Holiday Park in Germany and Port Aventura in Spain. Mike Pantalone, also from Skee-Ball, will be joining Bay Tek’s parts and service department as customer service manager. He will help provide the high level of support expected by both SkeeBall and Bay Tek customers alike. Mike Pantalone
TrainerTainment, the foremost training company servicing FECs and other hospitality-driven markets, has brought on Phil Showler as vice president of sales. Showler’s background is in sales, with over 20 years of experience, touching hundreds Phil Showler of fun centers and location-based entertainment centers. He is passionate about education to ensure success. His motto, “Friends buy from friends,” will serve him and TrainerTainment well. A new position for Mary Southwick, a TrainerTainment team member, will be director of training. Part of the team for over a decade, Southwick has held the role of trainer and bookkeeper. She also has a foundation of 20 years experience as an educator. Mary Southwick She will bring her teaching and development of curriculum into the coaching program and expand on the current training programs.
FEATURE
Donna Conners
THE EXPERIENCE THAT SUPPORTS THE CAUSE Striking Against Breast Cancer and The Luci Experience are the passion of Donna Conners. By Sean Krainert very remarkable event has a story behind it. How it began, the minds that designed it, the hands that built it, the event itself and the end result. But the Luci Bonneau Memorial Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Tournament is not your typical event that marks the time when a task is completed. The Luci is a shared experience. Donna Conners and Luci Bonneau became friends early on in life and were both native Houstonians, a rarity for a large city. They met while bowling in leagues
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together, which led to tournaments, and eventually, travel partners on the LPBT. In 1999, Bonneau was battling breast cancer with family and friends close by, including Conners. The two of them decided that when she finished her treatment, and if she made it, they would start a breast cancer tournament together. But when she passed later that year, Conners knew it was her purpose to carry on their plans and start a tournament. So on July 27, 2000, Conners partnered with the LPBT to run the first Luci Bonneau Memorial Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Tournament. The proam and the tournament sold out and Dynamic Lanes in Houston was full with 64 teams. The tournament raised $7,000 for the cause, thanks to Conners’ mother and her best friend who walked around the center selling tickets and collecting money in Folgers coffee tins. The money raised was then donated to the Stehlin Foundation, a research facility in Houston focused on looking for a cure to breast cancer. Being a success, the tournament ran again in 2001, and sold out again. The event was drawing more attention each year, and bowlers began to come because it was a good, solid tournament. However, Conners had a bigger vision in mind and knew she had to be true to it. In order to transform the tournament into what she had set out to do, Conners had to take a leap of faith and change the foundation for the tournament. In order for it to thrive, it had to be a volunteerrun event fueled by passion, instead of being fueled by money. By making this big, and difficult, change, it set the tone for the tournament moving forward. In 2002, Jim Welch became the first volunteer to jump onboard with Conners’ plan. He agreed to be the tournament director for the simple exchange of a case of Diet Dr. Pepper at the tournament site each year. “When Donna asks you to do something, you pretty much volunteer. It’s not much of an option; it’s kind of like getting IBI
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FEATURE drafted,” jested Welch. That agreement sealed the deal, and the Luci Tournment began to move forward and gain momentum at an unstoppable speed. From that moment on, every single person involved in the tournament became an unpaid volunteer. With this established, Conners’ mission became the focus for the tournament, and her plan was simple: 1. raise the funds; 2. get the players in the building; 3. run a pro-am. “If I have the players, I have a pro-am. If I Barbara Chrisman, owner of Storm Products. have the pro-am, I have the charity,” says Conners. “My event is about the players. I want to give them everything I can and recognize them in every way, because they deserve it.” Unfortunately, like most non-traditional approaches and ideas, it sparked skepticism, a natural response to change. But Conners stuck to her plan. And that plan started with, and revolved around, the players. If the players would come, she knew she would be able to reach her goals. “If you can see it, taste it and feel it, then it becomes reality. It was wrapped up in Donna’s head that this tournament was going to be special, and great, and wonderful, and it became that. And people fell in behind her to create it,” says Barb Chrisman, coowner of Storm. So Conners began by making her own rules that would set the pace for putting the players first. If she wanted to attract the best bowlers in the world, whether professional or amateur, she had to begin by doing something that showed her respect for them. This meant
challenging the traditional rules that put conditions on with whom players could bowl. “The tournament is about the players. They are what make it great. They believe in my charity, and they believe in what I am doing, and they are the ones that make it all happen. I refuse to take an athlete that strives to be great and put a stipulation on them and tell them they can’t play,” says Conners. That is exactly what she did. She empowered every athlete, by allowing them to choose to bowl with any other athlete, regardless of professional stature. By making the players the epicenter of the tournament and changing the foundation of the Luci Doubles, the next natural step was the sponsors. In 2002, with perfect timing, Conners met Barb Chrisman, co-owner of Storm, during a tournament, sparking a relationship that would forever change the Luci Doubles, Storm
An exemplary duo, Barb Chrisman of Storm and Donna Conners.
Keith Cipielewski and Cathy Nelson enjoy the event.
and the sport of bowling. “She asked if I could sponsor the Luci [Doubles], shared Chrisman, and I said ‘absolutely.’ Storm wasn’t big then and people just didn’t know how to say thank you to sponsors back then. But when I walked into the first Luci tournament that Storm sponsored, Donna had Storm on every wall and every sign. She embraced us. We embraced her. And we stayed involved from that point on, and I made sure Donna was taken care of,” said Chrisman. 2016 marks the 17th year of the Luci Doubles, a title event more formally known as the PBA/PWBA /XtraFrame Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Tournament. It is now well known as an unparalleled experience generated by a contagious 14
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FEATURE wave of energy that exudes from the hearts and souls of everyone involved. “The Luci is one of the most sought out tournaments in the U.S., and maybe even the world,” says Liz Johnson. Players have noted across the board, that when you walk into the building at Bowl On Bellaire at the beginning of the tournament, it is as if you are walking through a portal that immediately transports you to a charged environment unlike any other. “Initially you enter for the first time, because it is a good tournament. But then you walk in and there is something to the event. You feel the passion, and you feel that bond with the survivors and the charity. There is an air, and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” says Lynda Tina Williams getting ready to bowl. Norry Barnes, who has bowled in the Luci Doubles with her husband Chris Barnes since 2003. The fundraising for the cause has come a long way since the $7,000 collected in Folgers coffee tins the first year. In 2015, $81,000 was raised for the charity, and 2016 is aiming for an even higher number. Conners created a new 501(c) called the Striking Against Breast Cancer charity. All of the money raised from the raffles and auctions is now donated to The Rose, a Houston-based organization that helps women who can't afford breast care treatment or mammograms, and the Huntsman Cancer Institute, a cancer research center based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each year, the prizes become more and more extreme with everything from drones and electric bicycles to large electronics, vacations and concert tickets. But the items themselves are not what generates the excitement at the Luci Doubles. Every year, many players finish their squad only to find the tallest chairs in the house to stand on to sell raffle tickets until the center closes late at night. In some years, players have stripped their shirts off and signed them on the spot for auction, while bicycles were ridden across the approaches to showcase the Some of the incredible volunteers for the event.
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raffle prizes. And, it is not rare to see people giving their prizes back, time after time, in order to re-raffle to raise even more money. From the time people enter the building, until the last minute of the last day, there are raffles, auctions and giveaways that include every person in the building. “Nobody leaves the building empty-handed,” says Conners. Besides the extravagant items donated for
Players: Sean Rash and Liz Johnson.
the raffles and auctions, the tournament always brings in a new dynamic that keeps the players and participants on their toes. Contributing to that is the tournament’s Mystery Man, who in 2012 joined the ranks with the dozens of individuals and businesses that donate funds and items to the tournament each year. However, unlike traditional sponsors and vendors, the Mystery Man is somebody that is unknown to anyone at the tournament. Every year, he donates a sum of money and just before it begins, shares his wishes for its use. “The Mystery Man is so fun. He is in the building the entire time and nobody knows who he is, and he doesn’t want anybody to know. He is an exceptional man, passionate about our sport, and he is an awesome bowler. For me to have him on my team, I am pretty honored,” says Conners. A notable moment at every Luci Doubles
FEATURE tournament is at the beginning of the pro-ams when every person, who has fought or is fighting breast cancer, is asked to go out onto the approach. In most cases, this could be up to 100 people. It is during this time, without a dry eye in the house, that the cause behind the experience is transparent and recognized and respected by every person in the building. With the funds being raised, and the players in the building, it is the pro-am that carries an unprecedented charge of energy every year. “It’s contagious. Donna is contagious. The players who come want to bowl the pro-am. They want to do it. They ask what they can do, and you don’t see that at any other tournament. It takes something really special to pull that off,” Wes Malott shared about his experience with the pro-am at the Luci Doubles. In 2014, Dino Castillo stepped up to help Conners with the pro-am. “I knew that from running tournaments myself it can be very overwhelming, and I knew she was going to need some help. So I took it upon myself and I told Donna: ‘I am here and I am going to help you and you don’t really have a choice, so let me handle this,’ ” said Castillo.
Standing room only during the tournament.
The Luci Doubles pro-am is just as atypical as the tournament itself. Instead of just assigning the top players to the pro-am slots, the players are strategically placed where they need to be, and sometimes, that means they don’t bowl during a pro-am at all. Instead, every year, the players that bowl the pro-am are rotated. If they are not assigned to bowl, they are assigned to represent themselves at the pro-am selling raffle tickets, signing t-shirts and talking with everybody who is there to bowl or observe. “The pro-am is a great time, and all of the players look forward to it every year. And you leave with way more friends than you walked in with every year, which to me is what bowling is truly about,” says Barnes. 18
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Incredible volunteers, Cindy Starkey, and Bertha Ortiz
Players agree in unison that this tournament, this experience, is the one stop every year that they look forward to. “It doesn’t matter if the tournament didn’t pay anything. I’m going to be there, because of how Donna is and how she treats her players and everybody else too,” says Malott. Whether a person is there for the fight against breast cancer, the camaraderie with their fellow bowlers, to meet the pro players, to give back and volunteer, or simply to win the tournament, it is all orchestrated by a higher cause, bringing everyone together at the right place at the right time. “This event is operated from higher up. I’m telling you, it is like nothing you have ever seen. There is an energy in that building that you cannot bottle. If we could bottle it in our sport, it would be incredible. It is fun, electrifying and crazy,” says Conners. 2016 will mark the first year with four squads, and still a waiting list in tow. Conners set out on a lifelong journey with the Luci Doubles, reaching levels that exceed her goals every year. But beyond her goals, there is the humanity and love that Donna shares with the world. Donna is the spark that drives the accomplishments of the Luci Tournament. “If there were five, ten, fifteen more Donnas in the world, then the world would be a better place,” says Johnson. ❖
Sean Krainert is a freelance copywriter living in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in real estate, hospitality and mental health writing. He is also an alumni of the Wichita State Shocker bowling program.
BPAA
2016 AWARDS Recognizing those who serve the industry.
By Jim Goodwin
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nternational Bowl Expo is the biggest and most important gathering of bowling aficionados in the world. And when the 2016 Expo rolled at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas June 26-30, the BPAA once again honored its best and brightest. Starting at the top, receiving BPAA’s highest honor, the Victor Lerner Memorial Medal, was Wes Becker of Tucson, AZ. Becker owns Vantage Bowling Centers, a four-center chain. He has been very active in BPAA for many years, serving on numerous committees. He has also been instrumental in the development of Strike Ten Entertainment and a strong leader for MUBIG, serving as secretary and president. “This was
a surprise and shock for me,” said Becker. “I always thought you had to be one of the line officers for many years to be considered. I’m sure my good friends from MUBIG like Pat Ciniello and Mark Voight had something to do with this. I’ve enjoyed working with them and all the others for many years, Wes Becker of Tucson, and serving on several BPAA AZ, received the Victor committees. BPAA is a great Lerner Memorial Medal. organization, and I am very grateful and honored. But gosh, this really came out of the blue; a total surprise.” The BPAA President’s Medal winner for 2016 was BPAA past president Jeff Boje of Tampa, FL. Traditionally, this prestigious award has gone to up-andcoming BPAA members, many of whom went on to become BPAA president. This year, president Tom Martino took a different approach to honor Boje, because he continued to serve BPAA in significant ways after he served as president. “I am truly honored,” said Boje. “Being recognized with this award was a complete surprise and means so much to me, because I feel that I am now truly still giving of myself to the BPAA in a meaningful way. Long after my presidency, Tom has chosen me as his choice for outstanding service during
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BPAA his term. It honors me to still be a great contributor today, rather than a beenthere-and-done-that past leader. It makes me feel relevant ten years after my term as president.” Other major award winners included Rick Goins of Texarkana, TX, who received the V.A. Wapensky Award, named for long term BPAA executive director Chief Wapensky; Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, TX, received the Dick Weber Ambassador Award, and Reggie Reggie Frederick with his wife Nancy, of Seattle, Frederick of Seattle, WA, received the WA, received the Ruben A. Dankoff Award for Ruben A. Dankoff Award for Public Policy Public Policy and Legislative Service. and Legislative Service. The 2016 BPAA Media Award went to the Dude Perfect Group for their video clips of PBA star Jason Belemonte performing trick shots. The group, started by four college students, creates sensational trick shot videos in sports like basketball and now bowling. The 2016 Special Projects Award was awarded to the Wisconsin BPA for its outstanding progress in membership development. The BPAA USBC Association Award was created to recognize local associations who create special relationships with their local BPA office, recognizing that a
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consumer membership organization and the bowling centers that provide a playing field for them must work together for the betterment of the game. This year, The Greater San Antonio USBC won the award. The BPAA Proprietor of the Year Award was Jim Chambers, proprietor of Cloverleaf Family Bowl in Fremont, CA. “All of our award winners exemplify leadership, service, and admirable dedication to the bowling industry, and we sincerely thank them for their contributions,” said BPAA president Tom Martino. The BPAA Awards luncheon was held Wednesday, June 29, 2016 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. ❖
Jim Goodwin is the founder and president of the Bowling News Network and a former president and life member of the International Bowling Media Association.
THE IBI INTERVIEW:
COVER STORY
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FREESTYLING ENTREPRENEUR AND BANKER BEN JONES HELPS PROPRIETORS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.
By Robert Sax
B
en Jones is a serial entrepreneur with a record of success in the hospitality and family entertainment industries. An avid athlete and adventurer as well, in his early days he played hockey for the Detroit Junior Red Wings and helped pioneer the sport of freestyle skiing. When it comes to conquering mountains, Ben knows what he’s talking about. Since 2013 Ben has been the entertainment center specialist for Live Oak Bank, which provides financing to entertainment centers. He also coproduces the acclaimed F2FEC conference for experienced FEC operators; the fourth such event will take place in February 2017. A constant road warrior, Ben recently stopped in at the IBI office long enough to let us catch up on his eclectic career and latest activities.
COVER STORY IBI: You were a snow skier, right? Ben: It was freestyle snow skiing. There were only 40 or 50 of us worldwide, and we, in essence, created freestyle as a sector of the skiing industry. There was no money back then. Only a handful of us actually made a career of it, if you could even call it that. It wasn’t really a sustainable profession, but many skiers went on to have very successful careers in other areas like sales and R&D. IBI: What did you learn from freestyle skiing that helped you in your business career?
Ben: When you get dropped off by helicopter at a peak, there’s one way out and it’s down the mountain. So you have to get into it, physically and mentally, because it’s the only way you’re getting out safe. That’s the one thing I think that we all learned on that tour — gravity is real, mountains are unrelenting, falling hurts and mistakes are sometimes life-changing.
IBI: So you left skiing and had a liking for mini golf. How did that evolve into your own mini golf business?
Ben: I owned a hotel and there was a piece of property adjacent to it that became available. I acquired that piece and then started looking into miniature golf as a business model. I started camping out in parking lots and doing that old school due diligence, counting people, looking at dayparts, how business grew. I visited miniature golf courses in lots of states and decided ‘I’m going to do this.’ My first miniature golf course was Congo River in Kenosha, Wisconsin; it opened in 1987. I had it for 23 operating seasons, and it was an amazing place. I sold it in 2008, but I developed others in the process and became a pretty good designer of miniature golf and a good space designer of entertainment centers.
IBI: How did that evolve into Recreation and Entertainment Consultants (REC), your FEC consulting business? Ben: I began to speak on customer service, which evolved into training and
IBI: You’ve run your own FEC. How did you get started in the business? Ben Jones: When I skied professionally, I trained in Arizona in the summers, and I played mini golf at Golf N’ Stuff in Tucson. This was in the mid ‘70s and I thought, this is pretty cool, one day I want to own a mini golf course.
professional development. Then people would ask me to come and talk to their staff and while I was there, they would ask, ‘Tell me what you see about the facility.’ I didn’t set out to be a consultant. I was still an owner/operator of hotels, of businesses and just started helping other people. Then one day I said, ‘Wait a second, if I’m going to do this, I might as well get paid for it.’
IBI: Did you learn something from that experience that helped you to evolve your own way of thinking and working with people?
Ben: Absolutely… that good due diligence really does pay off and that milestones and good planning are how you win. It’s the same in sports. You talk about great basketball players like Michael Jordan or hockey players like Gordie Howe or [Wayne] Gretzky and their ability to [think ahead]. IBI
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COVER STORY
Taking a moment to reflect on the bowling industry.
IBI: Gretzky talked about knowing where the puck was going to be in a couple of moves rather than where it was right now.
Ben: If you look at old film of Gretzky where he’s behind the net and then the play is over here and Gretzky just calmly [makes] what looks like a random move and then sure as heck if the puck doesn’t end up there somehow.
IBI: So you had a consulting business, REC, which led to your involvement with IAAPA. Ben: I joined IAAPA and started doing a lot of volunteer work. I became a consultant to the association for entertainment center programming, and I was the liaison for the entertainment center constituency, owner-operators, manufacturers, suppliers. Ben demonstrates his water ski skills.
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COVER STORY
Ben’s sons, Zak (left) and Chris, make him proud.
I developed programming on training and development for the association. I had a really nice run with them, and then we simply decided it was time to part ways.
IBI: Where did the idea for the F2FEC conference come from? Ben: [I have] two partners, Rick Iceberg and George Smith. [Collectively known as The Three Amigos –ed.] Rick Iceberg runs a beautiful family entertainment center just outside of Detroit called CJ Barrymore’s. George Smith is the president of Family Entertainment Group [in Chicago]. They were both members of the Ben freestyling a back flip at the 1975 finals of the World Freestyle skiing championship in Snowbird, UT.
IAAPA family entertainment center committee. We [agreed] that the way we were delivering educational content needed to change and that there wasn’t really good programming for experienced, existing, seasoned operators. Most of the focus was entry level, mid-level management, which is also needed. We just started brainstorming and decided that we were going to put together a small conference and try to get it off the ground through IAAPA. We had several false starts and a lot of pushback, because it was a real departure in terms of attendee, conference style, length of time, everything about it. Eventually we put on what was called FEC Phoenix under the IAAPA umbrella. It was a sell out.
IBI: What makes F2FEC different? Ben: It’s one event over a two-and-a-half-day period where the social interaction is as important as what we call “being in the room.” There are no breakouts. There’s one big general session. It starts at 9:00 in the morning and it goes until 10:00 at night. We mix the room. We mix the content. We design and facilitate the interaction. The theme this past year [was] design and development. How do we know a good design? Well, what’s the science behind good design? Who are the leaders? Why do you follow them? How do you know? We pose more questions, and we look for dialogue from the room more than trying to provide answers. IBI: Has the conference developed into any other gatherings or ways of sharing information? Ben: It’s formed a lot of small independent networks, trading partners, and small groups have emerged that have become good friends. That aspect of it is working extremely well. IBI: How did you get involved with Live Oak Bank?
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COVER STORY Ben: Through [Bob Rippy] a friend at IAAPA [and] former chairman of the board, [who] is also friends with the founders of Live Oak Bank. He talked a lot about the need for financing in the entertainment and amusement community-at-large and said this is an underbanked, underserved and misunderstood industry, and there’s some real opportunity to have a small niche division of Live Oak. I put together a little state of the industry survey and I met with Live Oak and we just talked. Months later, we went on a road trip to visit various entertainment centers. Over a three-day period, we were in seven states and hit 13 locations. Everything from water parks, traditional FECs, laser tags, hybrids and [I] introduced them to my friends in the industry. At the end of the road trip, Chip Mahan [Live Oak’s founder] said, ‘I’m interested in this industry, would you agree to join the bank and see if there’s a real opportunity here?’ I became a contractor for Live Oak and helped them establish the parameters and the criteria that we would look at [for] loans. My role with Live Oak involves being a face for the bank to the industry and helping the industry understand how to become visible and bankable and relevant and attractive [to a lender] whether it’s to Live Oak Bank or to their local community bank. Real growth in almost any industry happens with leverage, with good debt, with good business structuring, [and with] good financial structuring.
to learn about an industry, you want to know that you’re going to benefit from making that investment. When there’s only half a dozen bowling centers in a community but there are 50 gas stations or 30 party stores or 400 restaurants, there’s more growth potential.
IBI: How can an industry that seems to be as well-established as family
IBI: That in a sense is the opportunity that Chip
entertainment or bowling not have made an impact on those communitybased banks, and why are they having trouble getting financing?
Mahan saw?
Ben: Those proprietors and business owners that have been able to forge good relationships in the community have been able to borrow money effectively within that community. When they then move or decide to open up a second location, if they are outside the comfortable lending territory of that bank, they are now starting all over. They have to recreate the relationships, becoming well-known in that community, because, generally, the lending has been specific to product and individuals in the community. Being able to grow in terms of a chain and be able to develop two or three or four [attractions] in multiple cities can become a very difficult task.
IBI: Were there fewer FECs than there were dry cleaners or gas stations or whatever so that the bank really didn’t know what to expect from that industry?
Ben: Correct. They didn’t. As a community lender or even a national lender, you have to pick the industries that you find where you have good expertise and where your own learning curve is going to match the potential of the industry. If you’re going to make an investment as a bank
Ben sharing a quiet moment with his golden retriever Kenna.
Ben: He did. He saw an opportunity to focus teams and lending groups in very specific industries, and he brought in domain experts, people from the industry who support the banking and the lending side with industry expertise. Every division of Live Oak is run by a domain expert. IBI: So you are merging your experience as an operator and a consultant with what you’re doing as a lender. Ben: Yes. We don’t agree or approve everybody, but even if I say no, I’m going to tell you why it’s no. If there really is an avenue and I understand what you’re trying to accomplish, I’ll say here’s what I see and here’s why I don’t think you’re quite ready for that today and here’s what you need to do from a banker’s perspective. IBI: I’d like to close by talking about trends that you IBI
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COVER STORY
The extended Jones family.
see in how FECs may be evolving or what you see coming down the road in the next few years.
Ben: I see more convergence. Bowling alleys becoming bowling entertainment centers and continuing to move in the direction of family entertainment, adding games, upgrading food and beverage, adding more of a restaurant component. I also see the same thing happening in the entertainment centers. Traditional entertainment centers are also looking for ways to grow horizontally, to widen their appeal and market space. Entertainment centers are moving into boutique bowling, adding four or six lanes; mini bowling is becoming popular. Both are morphing but the convergence is coming to the middle. I see that as being a potential challenge for the industry, because where we have had bowling alleys and bowling centers and family entertainment centers growing in their own vertical, there’s now going to be a convergence which means that market spaces are going to become more crowded. The offerings are going to look more similar. Pretty soon, when those lines blur, well, then they’re going to blur for the consumer as well.
spend it one time instead of perhaps two times. The real issue then becomes who’s sustainable and who’s relevant and who is going to survive the next downturn in the economy.
IBI: Then marketing becomes a big issue in terms of relevance.
Ben: Relevance has lots to do with demographics, sociographics, operating style, offerings; customer experience comes into play. I really differentiate the customer experience from the simplistic view of customer service which to me is nothing more than technical dos and don’ts. The experience is how you feel. It’s the intangible. It’s the takeaway of those very rudimentary processes. To me an experience wins . . . the really cool aspects of life to me are the intangibles, the subtle. Those are what I think are exciting. ❖
IBI: How do you see that blurring affecting consumers or being a challenge to the industry?
Ben: From a consumer standpoint the consumer that [once] differentiated between their experience in the bowling center and their experience [in the FEC], as convergence occurs, they’re going to 34
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Robert Sax is a writer and PR consultant in Los Angeles. He grew up in Toronto, Canada, the home of five-pin bowling.
OFF THE CLOCK
MR. PRESIDENT
Missouri proprietor Ron Richard serves the ‘Show Me’ state in a key political position. By Mark Miller
I
f you want to find Ron Richard at work, chances are good he’ll be in one of two places. From mid-May through mid-January, he spends most of his time in the Joplin, MO, bowling center his father Carl bought in 1959 and sold to his sons eight years ago. But from mid-January to mid-May, the younger Richard is primarily inside the Missouri state capital in Jefferson City, something he’s done since 2002. Currently, the 69-year-old Joplin resident serves as the Missouri state senate president pro-tem. He was elected by his fellow Republicans last fall to serve the remainder of the 98th Missouri General Assembly which was vacated when predecessor Tom Dempsey of St. Charles resigned to take a job in the private sector. Richard thus became the first person in Missouri history to be elected as both senate president pro-tem and speaker of the house. “Being the first in Missouri to be president of the senate and speaker of the house is quite an honor,” he said just days after returning home from the general assembly. “I keep that in mind and try to do my job with dignity and
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respect. I try to encourage other legislators to do their jobs with respect and not get involved with any side distractions. The lobbying corps and bureaucrats can get in the way. I encourage them not to pay too much attention in the hallways. The lobbyists and bureaucrats will always be there but because of term limits you have to go home sometime and look yourself in the mirror.” Richard, the senate’s majority leader since 2012, will serve as president pro-tem until the November elections including leading the delegation to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland later in July. In Missouri, the president pro-tem appoints committee members and chairs, assigns legislation to appropriate committees, and rules on points of order raised during debate in the senate chamber, among other powers. Richard undertook those tasks during the 2016 session that ended May 13. Did anything surprise him as president pro-tem? “There are always issues up in March or April that you don’t expect, that vary from year to year,” said Richard, noting pro-business legislation and frivolous lawsuits as this year’s hot issues. “There are those who think you can’t get anything done in campaign years but we were pretty good with the issues and made an attempt to get things done.” Though bowling has been part of his life seemingly forever, politics only joined the mix in 1990 when Richard ran for and was elected to the Joplin city council. Four years later, he became the city’s mayor, a job he held for three years. The long-time Joplin Chamber of Commerce member entered state politics in 2002 when he was elected to represent the 129th district in the state house of representatives. Two years later he was appointed chair of the House Economic Development Committee. “We passed many significant legislations on pro-business issues that still attract and retain businesses into Missouri,” he said. He was elected speaker of the house in 2008 and when his two-term limit was up in 2010, he was elected to the 32nd Senatorial District, representing people in Dade, Newton and Jasper counties. He was re-elected in 2014 to serve through December 2018, at which time he’ll be ineligible to run again. For the past eight years, he’s been a partner in C&N Bowl Corporation, the company formed in 1959 by his father and mother Norma, who died in 1987. At one time, the family owned five
OFF THE CLOCK centers and 206 lanes in Missouri and Arkansas. Ron started working in the business in grade school, first in janitorial and maintenance and later in construction, sales, marketing, and customer service before becoming an owner. Today there’s just the 40-lane Carl Richard 4th Street Bowl in Joplin run by Ron and 72-lane Bowling World in Fort Smith, Arkansas, operated by brother Randy. Brothers Dave and Barry previously were involved before retiring from the business. As the virtual CEO of Carl Richard 4th Street Bowl, Ron oversees the overall operations of his business. His managers and staff of 20-22 people perform the daily tasks while reporting their achievements and challenges to their boss just like his 10-person team in the senate. “The legislature, just like a bowling center, is a microcosm of the whole country,” he said. “You get people in your bowling center from different walks of life and different views and different job qualifications so you manage different personalities and manage different kinds of needs, which is exactly what you do in the legislature, so it’s a pretty good fit.” Richard is no stranger to business leadership, especially in the bowling industry. He’s served on the Missouri Bowling Proprietors regional and state boards of directors plus on national boards with the BPAA and the former Bowling, Inc. With BPAA, he was on the committee that hired Jack Kelly and John Berglund as executive directors. He’s also testified on bowling’s behalf before pro-business committees in the United States house and senate.
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Though this year’s Missouri state senate sessions are over, Richard’s political work is not, especially being an election year. He’ll spend much of the coming months raising funds and providing campaign advice to fellow Republicans up for election with the goal to continue as the majority party. He also will attend the Republican National Convention as delegate. His senate roles have kept him away from national bowling involvement for several years. Though he once was approached about becoming BPAA president, other interests kept him from that. Still, his two roles have intertwined in numerous and positive ways. “You try to balance those opinions with what is reality and what you can accomplish to try to do what’s best. You have to be careful not to take yourself too seriously. You need to pay attention to reality and what the needs of the real world are.” ❖ Mark Miller is a freelance writer, editor, and public relations specialist from Flower Mound, TX. He's the author of Bowling: America's Greatest Indoor Pastime available at Amazon.com or directly from him at markmywordstexas@gmail.com.
CENTER STAGE
The 1933 Group partners, from the left, are Dimitri Komarov, Bobby Green and Dima Liberman.
By Evan Henerson
A
fter conceding the space to an assortment of punk bands and their fans, Los Angeles’s oldest operating bowling alley is up and rolling again. Visitors to the newly refurbished Highland Park Bowl are advised to bring a healthy nostalgic appetite for an age long past. And they should arrive thirsty. The folks behind the revamp of what was once called Mr. T’s Bowl know their way around a cocktail. “With this one, the bar and the food are the main businesses and the bowling is kind of secondary,” said Bobby Green, co-owner of the 1933 Group, which purchased Highland Park Bowl in 2015. “I really don’t want to run a massive bowling alley, but having a kind of a niche with a fun bowling element is pretty cool.” Not that the bowling will be in any way neglected. The group brought in general manager Sterling Couts, 40
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a veteran employee of Lucky Strike in Hollywood, to oversee bowling, and Couts has trained his staff in everything from restaurant operations to pin chasing and repairs. Couts, who was delighted to be back on the floor hearing the regular crashing of pins, noted that Highland Park Bowl’s cozy set-up-with its plush sofas and eight lanes–would likely provide a
CENTER STAGE
different kind of experience than a mega-lane establishment or family entertainment center. “On these couches, you could be sitting across from somebody you might not have known when you came in, but by the end of the game, you might be best friends with them,” Couts said. “Because it’s only eight lanes, it is that boutique experience that provides for a great guest experience.” After the 1933 Group conducted a massive overhaul to the building’s interior and exterior that cost more than $1.5 million, the results are cool indeed. Of all its projects, the restoration of Highland Park Bowl represents the 1933 Group’s largest demolition effort to date. On the outside, layers of remodeling have been peeled back to reveal elements of the original Spanish revival architecture, including the signage announcing the 42
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CENTER STAGE
building as Highland Park Bowl. Gone are the dropped ceiling and the massive black curtain that covered the unused lanes. A 1930s forest mural by the Anderson Brothers rests dramatically at the end of the alley. The exposed Brunswick A-2 pinsetters are so retro that they look practically futuristic. Above–ground ball returns–a bane to bowlers looking to carve out some
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space–keep the noise level humming. Discarded and unusable equipment from the facility’s early days have been refurbished into decorative pin wheels and chandeliers over the two massive bar islands. Highland Park Bowl was built in 1927, and Green dove into the historical archives to find period-specific photos, banners and memorabilia to place on display both in the front rooms and in the alley itself. “Figuring out the whole concept of the dueling bars was a challenge,” Green said. “You want to have a big bar in a big space, but with this particular space, the walkway is right down the center of your space. If you put a giant bar in the middle, it doesn’t work. You hit a roadblock.” “We inherited so much stuff from the bowling alley,” he continued, citing an enormous pile of shoes “We’ve got trophies galore and all these great hand-painted
CENTER STAGE boards that have league names on them. So I decorated and created display cases to show off that history.” The designated music room and a smaller dining area front the main drag of Figueroa Street, along a bustling stretch of Highland Park located steps from the Metrolink Gold Line stop. With the arrival of new coffee houses and restaurants, the neighborhood is alive with activity. On a Saturday night, a few weeks after the facility’s opening, Andy Mueller and Jennifer Pitt brought their three young children to check out Highland Park Bowl which sits a couple shops down from their clothing store, The Quiet Life. Sharing a couch with a group of adults celebrating a birthday, the Mueller-Pitt family arrived before Highland Park Bowl kicked over to 21 and older. (Families can bowl from opening until 8 p.m. daily.) “Great food, good bowling,” was Pitt’s verdict as she headed back to the Quiet Life. “It was a little bit loud, but we came late.” Nick Arambula, along with six friends, who convened at Highland Park Bowl that same Saturday, also gave his first visit to the facility a thumbs up. “I kind of get the feeling that people are coming here not just for bowling, but also for the ambiance, which is cool,” said Arambula who lives in Hollywood. “This place is a little bit out of the way for us, but it’s very unique.” A 1933 Group-worthy spin on league bowling may well be part of the venue’s future. Green envisions the creation of Monday night bar leagues from around the area with bartenders engaging in cocktail mixing competitions to earn extra points for their teams. “We’re really ingrained in the cocktail culture of the city, and we know a lot of people,” Green said. “So it won’t be just about how good a bowler you are, but also how good the cocktail is.” The design approach is not dissimilar to the 1933 Group’s artistically refurbished bars around Los Angeles including Bigfoot Lodge, Harlowe and–most recently–Idle Hour, situated inside a giant wine vat in North Hollywood. The group had long coveted the idea of adding a bowling alley to its stable, and the idea of restoring a facility that opened during the Prohibition era made perfect sense, according to Green. “I think this is definitely probably the new direction for a lot of bowling alleys across
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the country,” Green said. “Most bowling alleys have been in such a stylistic trend since the 1950s, and they’ve never really gotten out of it. The above ground ball returns used to get in people’s way. We learned that once professional bowling and league bowling really took off,
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bowling alleys had to either upgrade or go out of business, which a lot of them did.” According to Green’s research, from the building’s opening in 1927 until the end of prohibition in 1933, Highland Park Bowl kept physician offices and a pharmacy on site. Customers would get a prescription for whiskey from a doctor’s office, fill it in the pharmacy and enjoy the libation over a round of bowling. Purchased in 1966 by Joseph Teresa, the business became Mr. T’s Bowl. When bowling fell out of favor in the 1990s, the lanes were covered over as the center began attracting punk rock bands and conducting open mic nights. Beck, the Breeders and the Beastie Boys were among the groups who came to Mr. T’s. “With a lot of projects, you find menus, napkins, matchbooks, stuff like that,” Green said. “With this one, there wasn’t anything like that. All we could find was the early Prohibition–era stuff which was pretty interesting. We had someone at the city go through microfiche and pull all the original permits. There was an article that talked about how this was the most beautiful building on Figueroa when it was originally built.” In the months ahead, Highland Park Bowl will once again host live music in what will be called the Mr. T’s Room. Food-wise, executive chef Richie Lopez is overseeing Napolitano style wood-fried pizzas and sandwiches, and eventually a microbrewery will be brought in to recreate a local brew from L.A. history, Eastside Beer. A native of Oklahoma, Green recalls a short stint working for a bowling center in the 1980s in the San Fernando Valley. He fondly equates the
sport with activities of a different age. “Bowling has always had that super nostalgic feeling,” he said. “Its heyday was definitely in the 1950s, but what’s great about this place is you’re getting a much older nostalgic feeling. We’ve framed a lot of the early bowling pictures to kind of educate people on the early days of bowling and how there used to be human pin setters, and they didn’t have machines. There was even a bowling lane in Hollywood that was an outdoor bowling lane. That would never exist now.” “Half of this place is like the museum of bowling, educating people on it and then living history by getting to actually experience the sound of the ball on those original wood lanes and the sound of the bowl rolling back,” he continued. “You don’t get that at bowling alleys now. I think a lot of people will appreciate it.” ❖
Evan Henerson is a features and lifestyle journalist who lives in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in TV Guide, American Theatre, Orange Coast and the Los Angeles Daily News where he was a staff writer and critic for nine years.
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CLASSIFIEDS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Like new 24-lane Anvil pkg., foul line forward w/deck; installation. Approach sand/screen available. 16-lane Steltronic pkg. 24-lane AS90 or AMF Excel. 22-lane American Bowling Hood/Rack. Brunswick & AMF powerlifts. 16lane Brunswick bumper/gutter. 20 lanes Media Mask w/ speakers. Blacklight bulbs, $4 ea. Installation available. Email knotritellc@gmail.com. For Sale: Complete AMF AccuScore Plus scoring system with monitors & 40 Frame Game for 12-lane center. $15,000 OBO. Must pick up. Call Ryan (574-583-7358. FOR SALE: 6 Brunswick A-2 machines. Working order. $2,500.00 complete set. Call (785) 221-2847. BRUNSWICK FRAMEWORX SEATING PACKAGE (16 lanes) includes: 16 Team Tables with (4) attached swivel telescoping seats; 4 High Tables with (2) attached swivel telescoping seats; 16 moveable separate seats. Call Jim @ (313) 715-7921. NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. (800) 255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com. REPAIR & EXCHANGE. Call for details (248) 375-2751.
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SERVICES AVAILABLE Bowlingtrader.com is YOUR FREE bowling buy and sell site. Sponsored by Redline Foul Lights. Tel: 1 (888) 569-7845. PROPRIETORS WITH AMF 82-70 S.S. & M.P. MACHINES! Chassis & P.C. boards. REPAIR AND EXCHANGE. Mike Barrett, phone (714) 871-7843 or fax (714) 522-0576. Drill Bit Sharpening and Measuring Ball Repair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. (800) 255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com.
CLASSIFIEDS
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CLASSIFIEDS Felix Erickson Co., Inc. Strike Zone © Family of Lane Products Strike Zone© Next Generation LC 5 gal case $105 Envi-Cide II Disinfectant Shoe sparay 12/15 oz $87.95 Solve-It © Orange Foam Cleaner 12/18 oz $69.95 FESI Solve-IT © Ball Wheel Liner 22’ $90 NEW RM 107 Rubber/Cork Wheel Liner $29.95/Roll 000-024-604 Gray Ball Lift Belt $195 ea. Exclusive Phenolic Kickback Plates Front F128D 16” x 33” $88 ea. Rear F129 19” x 23 3/4” $88 ea. F132T 15" x 50" $130 ea. All plates include screws and instructions 800-445-1090 (F) 609-267-4669 festrikezone.com Resurfacing - Repairs - Supplies - Synthetics
CENTERS FOR SALE NEW YORK: Foothills of the Adirondacks: Multi-Channel Income Streams defines this opportunity! Thriving diner, tavern & recreation center, including bowling, sand volleyball and card leagues awaits. This turn key business is located on the main thoroughfare just minutes to Utica Nano, SUNY Polytech, Rome & Utica metro areas. On the snowmobile trail as well! John (315) 534-1925. Northern California (near Oregon border): Only family center in town with 16 lanes, 8270s, Brunswick scoring, wooden approaches & synthetic lanes. Includes 17,000 s/f bldg. w/ game room, snack bar/restaurant & banquet room. Growing party business. Call (209) 756-8827 for more info. CENTRAL IDAHO: 8-lane Brunswick center with Anvil lanes, 50-seat restaurant with Drive-Thru Window. All new appliances. Only bowling center within 60 miles. Call (775) 720-2726. APPRAISALS: LARRY DOBBS MAI, ASA. (214) 674-8187. Bowlingvaluations@yahoo.com. WESTERN OREGON: 16-lane center in growing small town with high quality of life. Revenue per lane above average and cash flow trending up. Strong state license video poker revenue. A-2s, wood lanes, Qubica scoring, Frameworx seating. Includes real estate. Ken Paton, (503) 645-5630.
HELP WANTED Center Management Opportunity. Are you an assistant manager, manager or assistant general manager looking for an opportunity to grow professionally, as well as financially? Do you have the motivation, drive and energy needed to grow our center’s business? If so, you will want to contact us today. We are a Los Angeles area bowling center seeking a bilingual (Spanish/ English) candidate who is eager to help our business grow. We offer salary (commensurate with experience) plus 401k and vacation. Relocation costs may be provided for the right candidate. To apply, please email your resume and salary history to info@bowlingindustry.com.
EDUCATION & TRAINING PRO SHOP TRAINING. Classes always forming. Jayhawk Bowling Supply (800) 255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com. 50
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WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN
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All Keys done by code # Locks and Master Keys E-mail: huff@inreach.com TOLL FREE
1-800-700-4539
MINIATURE GOLF COURSES Indoor/Outdoor. Portable/Pre-Fab. Black Light/Traditional/Pro Putter. 202 Bridge Street Jessup, PA 18434 570-489-8623 www.minigolfinc.com
AMF and some BRUNSWICK PC board repair/exchange. 6-month warranty, fast turnaround. Call or write: WB8YJF Service 5586 Babbitt Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054 Toll Free: 888-902-BOWL (2695) Ph./Fax: (614) 855-3022 (Jon) E-mail: wb8yjf@sbcglobal.net Visit us on the WEB! http://home.earthlink.net/~wb8yjf/ IBI
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REMEMBER WHEN
T
PIN BOYS
his is such an interesting photo. It truly represents “back in the day.” When? Not sure. Where? Haven’t a clue. However, it does show less than high-end bowling, when alleys were smoke-ridden and times were tough. Studying this archival photo, even then, there were worker-bees and watcher-bees. In checking out the number of pins, maybe there should have been counter-bees. There is not one complete set on any lane. Not only that, we seem to have a mixed bag of games: ten pin, nine pin, duck pin?
Definitely not candlepin. These young, and I do mean young, men were called pin boys and worked for tips and pennies per pin. Once automatic scorers took over, the position evolved into pin chasers, the slang, pin monkeys, and they were stationed near the equipment to clear jams and pick up stray pins. For the antique lovers, take a look at the hanging lights with the pin pattern set into them for bowlers to reference. Definitely kitsch. Somehow, I get the feeling that this was taken late at night. Do I see one watcher nodding off? What ever happened to “It’s ten p.m. Do you know where your kids are?” We’ve come a long way, baby! ❖ - Patty Heath
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