Bowling gets a gutterball

Trent Nakamura
December 16, 2009
Filed under Features, Uncategorized

“Good luck and good bowling,” announced Ted Chock, director of the Waialae Strike and Spare club.  The junior bowlers began to roll their bowling balls down the 60-foot lanes.

It seemed like any other Saturday, but the mood was different. Waialae Bowl was closing in two days.  Even though the alley was falling apart, with a leaking roof, broken seats, and smelly, run-down restrooms, many were still going to miss the bowling center.

The bowlers reminisced on their striking memories and enjoyed sparing every last moment together.

Across Oahu, many bowling alleys have closed because of leases ending, high costs of land, and increased competition for entertainment.  High school bowlers, senior citizens, and bowling leagues have all been affected by the closures.

On Oahu, 30 alleys have closed in the last 20 years according to Ed Sun, a representative of the Hawaii Bowling Stadium Steering Committee.  The most recent closures were Kam bowl in June 2007 and Waialae Bowl eight months later.

Pali Lanes is set to close at the end of the year, leaving only two public centers left.

There are still military bowling centers such as Fort Shafter, Schofield, Naval Station, and Kaneohe Marine Corps Base (K-Bay), but these alleys are not easily accessible to the public.

Many bowlers have been displaced because of the closed alleys.  Some bowlers have decided to travel farther distances while others have quit the sport altogether.

“Because bowling is a community sport and not a “destination sport” like golf, most bowlers only bowl at their home alley,” said Sun, a senior bowler and youth bowling coach at Naval Station.

“When Waialae closed, we knew our Kalani team would suffer because our practices would be held at K-Bay. We’re not losing any practice time; we’re mainly losing people because they can’t make it all the way out to K-Bay,” said Janelle Takahata, a varsity bowler for Kalani High School.

The popularity of bowling is still growing. According to an article from the Texas Bowling Centers Association, bowling has continued a 10-year trend, in the 2007-2008 school year.  It was the fastest growing high school sport in the nation.

However, with the alleys closing, less people have the opportunity to bowl.

“The bowling team keeps growing.  This year we had a total of 27 bowlers,” said Chelsea Cagaoan, a University High School varsity bowler.

“Since we had a large team, it was a challenge for the coaches to get practice time to every one,” Cagaoan said.

Hawaii Baptist Academy (HBA), the winner of this year’s boys’ state championship, had a total of 35 bowlers.  To fit everyone on the team, HBA had to create two boys’ junior varsity teams.

For many senior citizens, bowling is one of their few forms of physical activity.  Many of them would look forward to bowling every week, but because most are unable to drive, they are not able to bowl.

“You can’t just go to the alley and practice if you wanted to, see your friends if you wanted to,” Jeanne Akisada, a former senior bowler at Waialae who now bowls at Fort Shafter said.

“I’m not a regular bowler anymore because of the closures,” she said.

Negotiations are underway to renovate and reopen Waialae Bowl. According to a Honolulu Advertiser article from Oct. 26, the Anderson family, whose family owns five Colonial Lanes centers in Minnesota, said that they are still committed to reopening the lanes.

For now, bowlers continue to enjoy Pali, Leeward, and Aiea Bowl.  Aiea Bowl was renovated in 2005 and has since become a popular hang out with wide screen TV’s, a pro shop, and full restaurant and bar.

If current and new alleys can follow this hip trend where bowlers bowl, watch TV, and eat good local food, the public bowling alley could survive and prosper.