BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer Contributor
As they prepared to leave Western Bowl, Mary and Danny Vollrath debated an important point: Who's the better bowler?
Mary, at 12 the eldest of the two Miami Township siblings, said she likes bowling because she's good at it and it keeps her out of trouble. Nine-year-old Danny had a different reason:
"I really, really like beating my sister," he said on a recent Saturday night.
Bowling proprietors on the west side would like to see many more such disagreements. In an attempt to attract teens and 20-somethings, they are expanding the attractions beyond the traditional glossy wooden lanes and metal ball returns.
There are glow-in-the-dark balls and pins, laser light shows and game rooms. Some lanes are uniting with World Championship Wrestling and NASCAR to sell merchandise and possibly bring those sports' stars to the lanes.
"There is a trendiness in the sport we haven't seen in a few years," said Frank Ruggerie, owner of Colerain Bowl on Colerain Avenue. "I think they're just discovering it's a socially fun, easy way to have fun. It's not expensive. For less than $10, a person can bowl, have something to eat and have fun. There aren't many places you can do that."
On the west side, bowling is heritage, and teens often take to the lanes because their parents do. Joey Hager, 13, of Delhi Township, said he bowls about once every three weeks.
"My mom used to be a really good bowler," Joey said. "She has a couple trophies. I asked her what it's like. I would probably be better when (I'm) an adult because you're stronger."
And Matt Conroy, 13, of Delhi Township, said he joined his first league this year.
According to a telephone survey by Market Facts TeleNation of Arlington Heights, Ill., about 91 million Americans bowled at least once in the past year. Of them, 49 percent have a household income of more than $50,000, and 69 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds polled said they bowled once in the last 12 months.
Still, locally, league bowling has declined in popularity. Gary Crooker, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Bowling Association, said about 13,500 regularly compete in sanctioned leagues.
Jimmy Lilze, marketing director at Western Bowl, said that is about 25 percent down from five years ago.
"It's been declining the last three or four years," Mr. Crooker said. There's simply a lot more competition for the entertainment dollar -- cable TV, volleyball and big softball parks. And now, he says, parents are busier because "the kids are into so much. I know I've cut back on bowling because of what my kids are doing."
Mr. Lilze said, to compensate, many bowling centers are offering 10-week leagues as an alternative to the longer 35-week sessions. Mr. Ruggerie said bowling centers have to change their focus from leagues to younger people and casual bowlers to survive.
At Western Bowl on Glenway Avenue, there's a separate game room and restaurant.
"In the past, we could fill up with leagues seven days and seven nights a week," he said. "I think the bowl business was so good for so long, that it resisted change. The industry has developed new products."
Such as "Thunder Alley," a $13,500 set-up to be installed this fall at Western Bowl. It has fluorescent balls and pins and a laser light show that turns the lanes into a combination '70s disco and airport runway.
"It will project images on the walls, the lanes, the bowlers," Mr. Lilze said.
But for some children, all the glitz is not necessary. Mary Vollrath said she's too busy with other activities to bowl more often, but her love of the game is strong.
"I like it because it's fun," she said.
