E-dition No. 996 • Thursday, March 29, 2018
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Go Bowling Teams Up With Stewart-Haas Racing
Go Bowling, the consumer-facing brand of the bowling industry, has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing, a championship-winning NASCAR team. Go Bowling will leverage SHR’s presence in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series to promote the sport of bowling.
Go Bowling will serve as the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 10 Ford Fusion and driver Aric Almirola during the Aug. 4-5 Go Bowling at The Glen Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
Then on Sept. 21, Go Bowling will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 00 Ford Mustang and driver Cole Custer in the Go Bowling 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
“Our racing partnerships have proven to be very effective at reinforcing the bowling brand among consumers,” said John Harbuck, President of Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm of the bowling industry. “This new endeavor with Stewart-Haas Racing and primary sponsorships of its teams during our two NASCAR race weekends at Watkins Glen and Richmond allows us to drive tremendous top-of-mind awareness for bowling by reaching a huge audience with similar demographics.”
Go Bowling is an associate sponsor of the No. 10 team and Almirola throughout the 2018 season, with signage on the B-post of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion and on the team’s transporter, pit equipment and uniforms.
“Bowling and racing line up well together,” said Almirola, who has represented Go Bowling and its initiatives since 2013. “It’s a great team-building sport. Whenever we have some free time during the racing season, me and the crew will get together and go bowling. It’s a sport that brings your family and friends together, too. My kids love it. We always have a great time when we go bowling.”
Go Bowling’s partnership with Custer and the No. 00 team at Richmond coincides with the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour Championship. The PWBA’s pinnacle event is Sept. 16-19 in the historic Old Dominion Building at Richmond, giving bowling exposure throughout the race week.
“Like racing, bowling is a great sport, but it’s one everyone can play,” Custer said. “We’re proud to be associated with the bowling industry and we look forward to a great weekend on the track and on the lanes.”
GoBowling.com is the go-to site for consumers to learn more about the sport of bowling, including information about more than 1,700 bowling centers around the country. The site helps fans find local bowling centers, promotional offers, bowling video tips, and other bowling information. To learn more about Go Bowling, visit GoBowling.com.
BJI Podcast: The Latest on USBC Open, USOC Situation
On the latest edition of The Bowlers Journal Podcast, USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy discusses the Open Championships and, in particular, concerns about recently announced rules changes that will be implemented starting with the 2019 event.
Murphy also answered questions about the formal complaint filed last week with the United States Olympic Committee by Jim Salisbury alleging that the USBC, as the sport’s national governing body, is in violation of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act’s requirement that National Governing Bodies operate “free of outside influence.”
To listen to the interview, go to: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/bowlers-journal-podcast-chad-murphy-on-open-championships-changes-more/.
New Mexico Open Added to WBT Schedule
The New Mexico Open, an independent tournament operated by the Mackie and Miller families at Tenpins & More in Rio Rancho, N.M., has been added to the World Bowling Tour schedule for 2018.
It has been designated a “tier 3” WBT event, and will award ranking points as bowlers compete for spots in the added-money WBT Finals for men and women.
Unlike European Bowling Tour events, the New Mexico Open does now offer handicap pins to female competitors. It’s a “totally scratch, totally open” tournament notes the event’s creator, Steve Mackie. It also features a challenging sport lane pattern developed by PBA champion Mike Miller.
The 2018 New Mexico Open, scheduled for Aug. 17-19, will be the centerpiece of the 35th anniversary celebration at Tenpins & More. The center is hosting a wide array of other special events leading up to the tournament.
The entry fee remains at $270, and Mackie said first place this year will pay $12,000. In its first 14 years, the New Mexico Open had paid out $535,000 in prize money.
“I’ve always had the desire to keep growing the tournament and making it bigger and better each year,” Mackie told the Cyber Report. “With BowlStream.TV covering the event online and now being part of the World Bowling Tour, I think we have a good chance to sell out, or at least break our entry record.”
The 2017 tournament attracted 192 bowlers.
Preview: April Issue of BCM
The April edition of Bowling Center Management is being prepped at the printer. Here’s a quick preview of some of the things you can look forward to in that issue…
* Meet the new CEO of Main Event Entertainment.
* Timeline: Do you remember when second-hand smoke was deemed a carcinogen? It began a series of strict indoor smoking laws that many proprietors blamed for a significant loss of business.
* Marketing: a limited-run senior tournament to fill lanes during the daytime.
* Navigating the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
* Tax reform has only just begun. Next up: the states.
* Revenue possibilities outside a bowling center’s four walls.
* A one-time obstacle to installing solar panels has been addressed.
* How best to manage and train the Millennial generation.
* Are you ready to rock? “Marvelless Mark” Kamp promises a memorable Bowl Expo “Thought Leader” performance.
* Pinstripes at 10: “sophisticated fun” may be coming your way soon.
* Meet Diane Voight, the 2018 BPAA President’s Award recipient.
* Seven ways to cash in on National Hamburger Month.
* International inspiration for renovating your center.
* A look at Ten Pin Alley’s amazing expansion and modernization project.
* Reports from F2FEC and the Amusement Expo.
* A successful proprietor who still operates her center based o the sport.
* Shave the cost of goods and boost summer profits with shaved ice.
* Another way to keep kids bowling (and spending) all summer long.
* Continuous learning via the internet.
* Three action-list items to help you super-charge your business.
All of that… and much more… is coming your way in the April issue of BCM.
Business Briefs…
* To celebrate Easter this year, consumers are expected to spend an average of $150.05 per person, the National Retail Federation reports. We’d love to hear about any special Easter promotions that bowling centers and BECs are running. Please send details to bjibob@aol.com.
* The Milwaukee Record has begun a monthly series on bowling centers in the city. The first spotlights Bay View Bowl, a 12-lane center that requires visitors to walk through the bar to get through the lanes. “That’s good,” the writer notes. More: http://milwaukeerecord.com/sports/bowling-in-place-bay-view-bowl/.
* Gene Jonas, a veteran bowling center manager known for remembering names and giving patrons nicknames, died on March 14. At the time of his passing, Jonas was approximately 14 years into his second stint at Fairway Lanes in Centralia, Wash. Read more here: http://www.chronline.com/news/beloved-bowling-hall-of-famer-remembered-as-generous-mentor/article_56aa99b2-337c-11e8-8262-8f91a7077a73.html.
Other News You Can Use…
* March Madness may be over for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team, but the excitement is just getting started at the Oncenter Convention Center, where the 2018 USBC Open Championships kicked off Saturday. The first of some 7,500 teams took to the lanes, and a standing-room-only crowd of friends, family and bowling fans helped welcome the storied event back to Salt City for the first time since 1999. Full report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/2018-open-championships-underway-in-syracuse/.
* Alex Olendorff of St. Louis, a senior at Lindbergh High School, has been selected as the 2018 Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow Award recipient. Presented each year to a male high school senior or college student, the award recognizes star qualities in a USBC Youth member, including distinguished bowling performances on the local, state and national levels, academic achievement and community involvement. The International Bowling Campus Youth Committee selects the award winner based on submitted applications, and the winner receives a $6,000 scholarship. Learn more about Olendorff here: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/missouris-alex-olendorff-to-receive-chuck-hall-star-of-tomorrow-award/.
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is long-time BJI correspondent Lyle Zikes, who provides an overview of the first quarter of 2018 in the bowling world. To listen to the interview, click here: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2018/3/27/lyle-zikes-phantom-radio.
* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com.
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