A Note to Our Customers, Readers, and Friends

The past month has been a time like no other; the world, our lives, and our businesses have changed overnight. Yet, with one avenue lost, another is found. To our readers and clients, please know that IBIwill continue to work tirelessly to support and promote bowling and the businesses that comprise one of the best industries. Even though centers have been ordered to close, and manufacturers are not selling as much product, IBI, through print and online, will give voice and visibility to get the bowling message out. We are in this together, and we will handle whatever comes our way together.

As we ask for in our Goodwill Central section, we ask that you send us anything happening in your business as the COVID-19 pandemic goes on. Lighthearted photos, photos of you and your staff practicing social distancing, or photos of good deeds are all welcomed. You can send your photos and short captions to: heath@bowlingindustry.com.

Stay safe, wash your hands, and hug your loved ones.

BVL (Bowlers to Veterans Link) announced that Lisa Ciniello and David Kellerman will join the BVL Board of Directors effective immediately. Longtime board member Walter Hall will transition to Director Emeritus. Lisa Ciniello is the vice president of Bowling Management Associates (BMA) in Bonita Springs, FL. Ciniello also serves on the BPAA Food Committee and has been involved with MUBIG and the FEC20 Group. David Kellerman is the co-owner of Mel’s Lone Star Lanes in Georgetown, TX. Over the past year, he made headlines with his Kilroy’s Appalachian Trail Hike for Veterans, raising more than $100,000 for BVL as the largest individual fundraiser in the charity’s history. He currently serves on the executive board of the Texas Bowling Centers Association and is a board member of the Greater Austin USBC Association. Lisa Ciniello David Kellerman

Brian Waliczek has joined the Western Bowling Proprietors Insurance (WBPI) team as a broker/agent for the state of Michigan. Waliczek comes from a bowling family: his grandfather owned two centers in Hutchinson, KS; his father coached the WSU bowling team, taking them to their first national title in the early 70s, and has owned and managed centers for the past 40+ years. His brother is a multiple PBA title holder, and his cousins, Billy Murphy and Chad Murphy, are well known in the industry. His own resume covers PBA bowling and three Eagles from USBC. It could be said that Waliczek knows his bowling! Brian Waliczek

TrainerTainment, a renowned training and coaching company located in Fort Worth, TX, has added two new sales specialists to its staff: Krista Estes and Sonya Terry. Estes’ background includes management and training for Walmart at its Academy Operations training center. Her father, Jay Trietley, is a 40-year veteran of the bowling industry. Estes started her college studies on a scholarship from the Youth American Bowling Alliance. Terry has more than 16 years in the laser tag industry at Leisure Entertainment of Canada and 10 years in fashion retail.

“Krista and Sonya know from experience the training and operating practices that lead to the success of an amusement center,” says Beth Standlee, CEO of TrainerTainment, who touts their ability to help customers grow their sales and service teams. Sonya Terry Krista Estes

Trifecta Management Group’s (TMG) new director of marketing is Sarah Vigil. She has been with TMG since 2015, serving most recently as senior marketing manager. In her new role, she will design and support marketing and advertising efforts and will also serve as director of marketing for TMG’s marketing division, Trifecta Marketing Services (TMS), where she will oversee branding, marketing, and client relations. Vigil is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and has had experience building brands at plank, the acclaimed entertainment and dining venue in the Bay Area. Sarah Vigil

As the world deals with the COVID-19 virus and the fall out to businesses, the BPAA has decided to cancel the trade show portion of Bowl Expo 2020, which is scheduled be held in Denver, CO. They will continue to evaluate the annual meeting, networking, and education portion of the show and will provide updates as necessary.

Bowl Expo 2021 will be held in Louisville, KY, June 20-24. Deposits for this year’s show will be transferred to Bowl Expo 2021. If refunds are preferred, Justin Moore, director of meetings and events, can be reached at (817) 385-8449.

VRsenal, a manufacturer of unattended virtual reality arcade games, has two new distribution partners for the U.S. amusement market. Shaffer Distributing and American Vending Sales have both agreed to add VRsenal’s Beat Saber arcade game to their full lineup of amusement products.

Betson showcased its latest arcade equipment at Amusement Expo in New Orleans. The line-up features the premiere of BUST-A-MOVE Frenzy, the original bubblepopping game, and the action-packed and rowdy off-road racing game, Nitro Trucks.

Kegel announced the release of Specto Go, a portable version of the Specto tracking and practice system for centers, bowlers, and coaches. The system is perfect for temporary set-ups and can be moved between different locations. The unit comes with a hard case for storage and transportation, as well as a laptop to run the system.

The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa has officially opened The Den, a 3,000- square-foot entertainment center featuring two axe throwing lanes, four boutique bowling lanes, two virtual reality games, an Egyptian-themed escape room, assorted arcade games, and a bar/restaurant. Axe throwing came to prominence in Canada in the mid-2000s. The International Axe Throwing Federation claims to represent more than 10,000 active axe throwing league members spanning more than 125 cities across six countries.

ZOT Bowling Parts has launched a new website, www.zotbowlingparts.com, which showcases its expanded line of 82-30, 82-70, 82-90, A, A2, and Jetback parts. It is also linked to ZOT’s current March print media advertising, which features a redeemable coupon for a free sample product, either a distributor belt for pinspotters or a deck chute. See page 17 in IBI’s March issue. The new website comprises links to PDF files of br ochures for seven ZOT product lines, including pinsetter and pinspotter parts and assemblies, pinspotter

control systems, electronic products, and easy to follow installation instructions to assist technicians when installing specific parts and assemblies. It is designed to serve as a valuable resource to owners and center technicians.

To redeem the free sample noted in their March ad, simply log on to the new website, www.zotbowlingparts.com, enter contact information and the promotion code, and ZOT will send the free product. The promotion is valid for U.S.A. customers only and is offered while supplies last.

WHEN BOWLING’S AROUND, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN.

BVL is once again the beneficiary of the goodwill of six Bowland and HeadPinz Entertainment centers in southwest Florida, led by owners Pat and Lisa Ciniello. $46,000 was designated for Florida-based veterans’ services for recreation therapy programs addressing the emotional and physical needs of veterans and active-duty military. B’ville Sports Bowl in Baldwinsville, NY, raised $44,500 during their Van Wie Mixed Doubles Bowling Tournament. The funds went to the local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) chapter which serves 2,500 families in 34 counties in western and central New York.

A Super Sunday bowling tournament, the 5th annual Strike for a Wish at Clinton Lanes, in Lock Haven, PA, had a record 70 teams with 887 bowlers. Six local children have had their wishes come true over the past five years. The event raised $2,069 this year, totaling $11,000 over its history. This event was created by Dakotah Miller of Loganton as a senior project at Central Mountain High School for his brother Kyler, a senior at the school and a wish recipient, who battles Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction.

The Lima Flag City Honor Flight took over 20th Century Lanes, in Lima, OH, for a fundraiser to try to take the Lima veterans to their place of honor, Washington, D.C. Mike Melvin, Lima Ambassador of Flag City Honor Flight says, “It brings closure to their military life. [For] a lot of these guys, it brings healing, especially the Vietnam era veterans. A lot of them have a lot of hurt in their heart that they’ve had for years, and Honor Flight brings pure healing to that and make this all worthwhile.”

Bowl for Kids Sake is a Canadian tradition from coast to coast. This year, bowling centers in Lanark County, Ontario, were packed with over 876 bowlers and raised $90,000 to fund mentoring programs for local children’s charities. Centers participating were: Spare Room Bowling Lanes, Perth; Gratton Lanes, Smiths Falls; and Chasin’ Turkeys Bowling Alley, Carleton Place.

Bowlers raised over $4,000 during the 13th annual Strike for the Cure bowling tournament held at Morrow Lanes, in Cardington, OH. The event supports the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Barn, Bowl and Bistro in Oak Bluffs, MA, hosted an event to benefit Vineyard House, founded in 1997, as a sober living community, helping those in the early stages of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

When good people and good things happen, bowling is around. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

What is your center doing? Email Patty Heath at heath@bowlingindustry.com.

National television show “World’s Greatest!...” has awarded Strike and Spare in Hendersonville, TN, its world’s best family entertainment center. The show provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the companies, people, and places that are making a difference throughout the world. The team at “World’s Greatest!...” goes through a stringent, multi-layered process to find the right companies, people, and places for the program. Strike and Spare was a perfect fit based on “the excitement they bring to their guests.” The program aired in January and February but can be watched online at worldsgreatesttelevision.com. Hendersonville Strike and Spare is one of 14 centers owned by former baseball executive and Nashville Sounds founder, Larry Schmittou. Schmittou stated that the credit should go to Crystal Moore, GM; Tracy Lambert, bowling manager; Chris Law; Michael Fish; and the 60 dedicated employees of the center.

As a full FEC, the center emphasizes bowling. It has over 340,000 games bowled per year and over 1,200 league bowlers. It also offers laser tag; Lazer Frenzy; roller skating; bumper cars; four-station bungee trampoline; and a virtual reality roller coaster. The center also hosts over 1,500 birthday parties; over 100 school field trips; numerous activities for special needs; and dozens of corporate parties per year.

The corporate headquarters, L&S Family Entertainment, plan on opening another Strike and Spare in Murfreesboro, TN. STRIKE AND SPARE FAMILY FUN CENTER IS ‘WORLD’S GREATEST!...’

SCOOBY-DOO ALERT

Scooby fans can’t wait to rush to local theaters to view Scoob. All kinds of Scooby characters reside in this feature: Dick Dastardly, Blue Falcon and assistant, Dee Dee Sykes, plus Dynomutt, the Wonder Dog, and even the Addams family and the Munsters have brief moments. For bowlers, the Takamoto Bowl, an homage to Iwao Takamoto, the original designer of the Scooby gang as well as other Hanna-Barbera characters, plays a prominent role. You can find the Takamoto Bowl right next door to Peebles Pet Shop.

BAR RESCUE AT LUCKY 66 BOWL

Jon Taffer and his crew went to Albuquerque, NM, to rescue Lucky 66 Bowl. The combo bar and bowling lanes, owned by Vietnam vet Mike Draper, had financial woes and was on the verge of shutting down. The August 2019 Season 7 episode of Bar Rescue can be seen online. New Center Consulting’s POS stations, the only equipment that remained after the refresh, are given prominence. According to Glenn Hartshorn, whose company, New Center Consulting, has done other projects with Bar Rescue, shared that Taffer, the host, liked the center and Mike so much, he gave him $10,000 in cash.

CARMEN SALVINO RETIRES Pete Dougherty of timesunion.com stated in his column that if you haven’t seen the emotional end to the illustrious career of Carmen Salvino, “take a visit to YouTube. It is worth the trouble.” By taking part in the Tournament of Champions in Fairlawn, OH, in February, Salvino, 86, extended his record of being the oldest bowler to compete in a PBA event. It was the 734th PBA Tour event of his career, with his first in 1959 at the Empire State Open at Schade’s Academy in Albany, NY. Salvino is one of 33 charter members of the PBA.

Santa Cruz, a California coastal town approximately 70 miles south of San Francisco, has opened a small bowling museum on Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The exhibit, housed inside the Boardwalk Bowl, showcases the history of bowling by the beach with a display of artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia. In February 2001, the Vienna Boys Choir bowled at Surf Bowl on the way to Los Angeles, after performing in Santa Clara. A pin, signed by all the boys, can be seen at the museum.

Oviedo 24 Lanes

We congratulate Kurt van Zyl & Ed Klamp in acquiring this fine center. Thank you to Bob and Sue Wentworth for trusting David Driscoll and the Hansell Group to facilitate the sale. We wish all parties the best in the future.

Bowling’s Only Full-Service Brokers, Appraisers & Financial Advisors

Check out our listings at www.thehansellgroup.com (619) 551- 6005

Bowling in the area dates back to 1909 when Victor A. Marini operated a 4-lane duckpin alley along the Boardwalk. The Marini family is also known for their saltwater taffy and local candy shops.

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