AKRON — The Tri-County Bowling Hall of Fame will induct six new members into its group in July
Jim Mitchell, TCBHOF president, made the announcement recently.
The new inductees include:
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: Frank Testa, Emily Westfall and Tiffany Schmitt.
OUTSTANDING SERVICE: Augie Koch.
BILL WHITE PIONEER AWARD WINNERS: Doris Warnick and John Seaburn.
The Induction Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. June 7 at Guy’s Party Center in Akron, with the cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the ceremonies to follow. Tickets are $50, with a cost of $45 for past inductees.
For ticket information, contact Secretary/Treasurer Julie Molenaur at jlmolenaur1956@gmail.com or Mitchell at jimmitchell324@gmail.com
NEOTL HONORS TOP PLAYERS
CANTON — The Northeast Ohio Travel League recently honored its top players from the 2023-24 season during its annual banquet held at La Pizzeria.
The RJ Flooring team of captain Josh Haddad, Justin McIlvain and Kara Kutz captured the league title during an eight-team rolloff at Park Centre Lanes.
TJ Charles became the first player in the league’s history to capture both the Ed Limbach Sportsman of the Year and Andy Lillo MVP awards, finishing the season with a league-high 237.05 average.
Jordan Norris earned the most improved bowler award, increasing his average by 22.51 pins this season.
Members of the league’;s 2023-24 Bill Gaume All-StarTeam (with averages in parenthesis) included Charles (237.05), Chase Barstow (232.59), Norris (232.51), Eric Randazzo (232.31) and McIlvain (232.2).
The league’s annual player draft is set for 7 p.m. May 18 at Park Centre Lanes, with a player combine for new players set for 6 p.m. There is a $10 application fee, with food being provided.
The league includes 16 three-player teams and bowls Thursdays with starting times ranging from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Weekly fees are $25.
For a draft application or information, go to the NEOTL’s Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/NEOHIOTL
STRING PINS SET FOR PBA EVENT
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The next step in bowling’s evolution will occur this week at Lehigh Lanes.
At the heart of the renovation is the installation of USBC-approved QubicaAMF EDGE String Pinsetters.
“Like most bowlers, we were skeptical of these string pins at the start,” said Chris Keane, one of the partners of Lehigh Lanes, told the Cape Coral (Fla.) Breeze newspaper. “But after bowling on them in January, all our doubts were quickly erased.”
Now just a few weeks later, Keane and his partner Dennis Bush were busy preparing for the biggest remodel ever for the center with all 12 lanes getting the EDGE String Pinsetters.
The project, to remove the old machines and install the new string pinsetters, was completed last month. The owners used this time to also update carpeting and furnishings so the center has a completely fresh look. The project is estimated to cost approximately $300,000, the Breeze reported.
Keane, who knows there will be resistance from some bowlers, said he feels confident most will become believers of the new technology after bowling on the lanes.
A true test begins Thursday, with the start of the PBA50 Lehigh Lanes Open regional event at the center. Top players on the entry list include Tom Hess, Jeff Johnson, Dan Knowlton, Ryan Shafer, Sammy Ventura, Chris Warren and Walter Ray Williams Jr.
String pinsetters were approved for use in-center by the United States Bowling Congress, the national governing
The event runs May 16 through 18. This means Lehigh Lanes will go down in bowling history as the first center ever to host a PBA event on all string pinsetters.
BOWLERO PURCHASES THUNDERBOWL LANES
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Bowlero Corp. confirmed the acquisition of Thunderbowl Lanes, site of the this year’s PBA World Series of Bowling, last week.
The transaction is expected to close in June and will be funded through an all-cash transaction, Bowlero said. Terms were not disclosed.
Thunderbowl has 90 lanes and its 98,000 square feet includes banquet and meeting rooms, a sports bar, billiards, and the Greater Detroit Bowling Association Hall of Fame.
Thunderbowl will be Bowlero’s sixth location in Michigan.
“We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Thunderbowl Lanes,” Bowlero Founder and CEO Thomas Shannon said in a news release. “Thunderbowl’s impressive facilities and prime location near Detroit complement our existing portfolio, furthering our commitment to strategic growth and enhancing the guest experience in new markets. We eagerly anticipate integrating Thunderbowl Lanes into the Bowlero family as we continue our growth trajectory.”
Some good news came in a report by Detroit TV station WXYZ that Thunderbowl general manager Vicki Ingham will stay on at Thunderbowl following the sale.
“All businesses change and need to progress and that will happen here as well, but I don’t think any major changes for the customers that feel like they come here because they know us,” Ingham told WXYZ. “I think that’s still going to feel that way.”
Bowlero is the world’s largest bowling center operator with about 350 centers across North America and also owns the PBA. Among Northeast Ohio centers are AMF Hall of Fame in Canton, AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn and Medina Lanes in Medina.
Thunderbowl posted the following on Facebook in announcing the sale;
”Today the Strobl Family and Bowlero announced the signing of a purchase agreement to sell Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI to Bowlero. Closing of the transaction is expected in June 2024. Thunderbowl Lanes is the largest privately held bowling center in the United States and has had the privilege of hosting a number of professional and collegiate tournaments over for the years , including the World Series of 300 bowling , USBC Masters, and NCAA Women’s Finals. Bowlero is a national public company that has over 300 bowling centers across the U.S as well as owning the PBA tour.
For over the past 80 years , the Strobl family has been involved in all aspects of the bowling world and became the majority owners of Thunderbowl Lanes in 1997. The family would like to thank the bowling community , the City of Allen Park, the staff and the management of Thunderbowl lanes for all wonderful memories and we wish for many more to come with Bowlero.”