Don”™t like skiing, snowboarding or generally anything to do with bundling up and braving cold temperatures? The ancient art of bowling is still around and it is gaining in popularity once more.
It may be hard to believe that King Tut probably played ninepins back in ancient Egypt, where the sport is said to have originated. Even Henry XIII spent some time enjoying the game while not beheading wives. Our region may boast the most famous bowlers of all: the crew of the Half Moon as portrayed by Washington Irving in “The Legend of Rip Van Winkle.”
There are nearly 170,000 registered bowlers and 351 bowling centers in New York State, where the game is regularly played by both singles and leagues.
Bowling is also recognized in New York as a school varsity sport, according to Mark Miller, corporate communications director for the United States Bowling Congress in Wisconsin.
“According to the National Federation of High Schools, bowling is the fastest-growing high school sport in America,” said Miller. “November through April is the prime time the sport schools participate, and it fits a great niche. It also helps to build team spirit among teenagers.”
The newest bowling alley in the Hudson Valley is Colonial Lanes in Chester, where it”™s tough enough to get one of its 32 lanes on weekdays. Weekends usually have waiting lists. “We love coming here,” said Karen Fassbender, owner of Early Link Intervention Center in Newburgh, with toddlers in tow. “The place is just beautiful and has a great restaurant if you want to sit down while your kids play.”
“It”™s not just for kids and league players,” added Sylvia Bittles of New Windsor, who is a loan officer for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. “Keller Williams Realty just held a charity event here, and we took up all 32 lanes. Everyone had a great time, and bowling can be a great ice-breaker. It”™s a real change of pace from traditional networking or a sit-down dinner, and you can have fun. It even gets people back into bowling — including me.”
The Empire State Games includes bowling in its package of sports, and the games will be returning to the mid-Hudson region in 2009 with bowling again be on the menu. Kathy Leitgeb, the state”™s bowling coordinator, said the 2006 games bowling competition in the Hudson Valley was held at Poughkeepsie”™s Mardi-Bob Lanes, with 72 of the state”™s top bowlers participating. The 2009 location in the Hudson Valley has not yet been chosen. “We”™re still in the decision-making stages,” said Leitgeb.
Nearly 20 per cent of Americans go bowling at least one time a year; 2.6 million nationwide are considered “regular weekly bowlers” according to Miller, who says the sport is slowly coming back into popularity. In fact, he hopes it will again be part of the Olympic roster. It was taken off in 1988.
For those who like to lounge and play leisurely, Lucky Strike Lanes (www.bowlluckystrike.com) in Nyack”™s Palisades Mall may be up your alley. The nationwide chain, founded by Steven and Gillian Foster, opened its 14th center in Nyack in early 2007. Lucky Strike is modeled after the former Hollywood Star Lanes in California (torn down in 2003) and serves an upscale crowd.
Lucky Strike is not your average “Ralph Kramden” bowling alley. It does not accommodate leagues, but for those who are in the market for a few hours of bowling, billiards and a lounge-lizard experience, this could be the place to take your next date or hold a corporate event.
“We”™ve held several meetings there and had a few after-hours”™ mixers at Lucky Strike, and it”™s been great,” said RBA president Al Samuels. “We are big supporters of the Palisades Center, and Lucky Strike is definitely a great addition.”
