E-dition No. 1,022 • Friday, September 21, 2018
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Bowling Business Does Not Escape Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence, which touched down Sept. 14 in North Carolina and South Carolina, caused damage that Moody’s Analytics estimates will cost $17 billion to $22 billion.
Florence was a Category 1 hurricane that was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm, but its 24-inch rainfall surpassed the record set by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Moody’s estimates Florence is one of the 10 costliest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S.
“We were close to $10 [billion] to $15 billion [last] Friday,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The flooding is more extensive than we had anticipated, and the storm was slow-moving. It hung over the Carolinas a lot more than was expected.”
The storm is expected to cause a loss of up to $2 billion in economic output, and the bowling industry was not immune. At B & B Bowling Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C., the home center of BPAA Past President Nancy Schenk, the doors were closed early on Sept. 13, and then the storm caused the center to lose power. Even after power was restored, rook leaks caused B & B to remain closed for another day.
Numerous other centers in the path of the storm endured similar fates.
“These estimates are based on the information available, and there is a high probability that Florence’s costs will be revised significantly higher with added information or inland flooding,” according to Moody’s Analytics.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said people can make donations to help with hurricane relief here: https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/.
If you have information about bowling centers damaged as a result of Hurricane Florence, please send it to bjibob@aol.com.
Florence Delays PWBA Finale; Rodriguez Wins
Colombia’s Maria Jose Rodriguez capped the 2018 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour season Wednesday evening by winning her first career PWBA Tour title at the PWBA Tour Championship.
Rodriguez edged Kelly Kulick inside the Old Dominion Building at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, 236-228, to collect a major championship and the $20,000 top prize.
Four lanes were specially installed inside the Old Dominion Building by QubicaAMF, the official supplier of bowling equipment for the 2018 event.
Hurricane Florence had delayed tournament action earlier in the week, causing roof leaks and power outages. But the schedule was adjusted so that all of the matches were contested, and the live CBS Sports Network telecast was able to take place.
Florence Can’t Stop PBA50 Storm Invitational
Thanks in great part to the foresight of its builders, Planet Fun Bowling and Entertainment Center in Shallotte, N.C., has escaped the ravages of Hurricane Florence and the show will go on as planned.
“The show” is the PBA50 Storm Invitational, a new end-of-season tournament for 12 elite “senior” stars who excelled during the 2018 season — Michael Haugen Jr., Brian Kretzer, Ron Mohr, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Norm Duke, Parker Bohn III, Lennie Boresch Jr., Amleto Monacelli, Ryan Shafer, Bob Learn Jr., Pete Weber and Harry Sullins — plus PBA Hall of Fame legends Johnny Petraglia and Brian Voss.
The event will take place at the 32-lane Planet Fun Sept. 29-30. PBA Xtra Frame on FloBowling will live-stream the entire 14-game round-robin match play event plus the stepladder finals.
In the wake of the flooding and wind damage caused by Florence, the Planet Fun family entertainment complex in the sleepy little resort area of 3,600 residents escaped with minimal damage and is now patiently waiting for flood waters to recede.
”We’re doing okay,” proprietor Brian McCall said Tuesday. “We made it through the storm with very little damage. The area is still in the midst of trying to recover; roads are still really bad, but flooding is supposed to crest soon so we’re hoping we’ll get back to normal soon.”
Shallotte, McCall noted, is only a couple of miles from the ocean. It’s midway between Wilmington to the north and Myrtle Beach to the south. Shallotte got about 15 inches of rain — far less than areas to the north — and winds that hit the 80 to 100-mph range.
The bowling center escaped, despite having a river right behind it, because “we raised the center about 11 feet to get out of the flood plain when we built it,” McCall said. “We got it about 19 feet above sea level. It certainly has paid for itself a couple of times over. The river has never gotten to our parking lot, but we can see it from there.”
The upcoming PBA50 event, he said, may prove to be therapeutic for the region.
“We look forward to hosting the event,” McCall said. “We know people will show up to support it. We hope it’ll be a breath of fresh air for people around here. We had to shut down the center for a week because our league bowlers couldn’t get here, but as bad as things have been, they could have been a whole lot worse.”
The PBA South Region’s Century Lanes Open, scheduled for last weekend in Hampton, Va., was cancelled due to the presence of Hurricane Florence in the region.
Business Briefs…
* The bowling center inside the Gold Dust West Casino in Carson City, Nev., has completed a $1 million renovation. The project included the installation of new lanes, pinsetting machines, a sound-and-lighting system and carpet. The center also was painted, had its restrooms upgraded and saw a state-of-the art control counter installed. The resort opened in 1995 and is owned by Jacobs Entertainment. Get a preview of the bowling center’s Saturday “Renovation Grand Opening” here: https://www.gdwcasino.com/Carson/bowl/bowling/.
* Also on Saturday, a new Stars & Strikes BEC is scheduled to open in Smyrna, Tenn. The center will feature 24 bowling lanes, eight of which are VIP, along with laser tag, bumper cars and an arcade. The 7/10 Grille will offer burgers, pizza, salads, wings and snacks, along with options for vegetarians and those with dietary requests.
* A New Round1 Bowling & Amusement Center is scheduled to open early next year at the Holyoke Mall in Holyoke, Mass. Plans call for 16 lanes and the usual Round1 mix of arcade and other games. The company operates more than 100 centers in Japan, and is on track to have 32 U.S. locations by early next year.
* “Eat, play, roll” is the marketing mantra of Good Times, a new bowling entertainment center in Auburn, Ala. In addition to bowling, Good Times features more than 30 arcade games, two escape rooms and two party rooms. The facility’s extensive food offerings include appetizers, pizza, entrees and desserts. To view the menu, click here: http://goodtimesbowling.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/menu-sept-2018.pdf.
Other News You Can Use…
* The next stop for PBA Tour players who are chasing the top eight places on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour earnings list for a berth in the end-of-season PBA Clash will be the PBA International-World Bowling Tour Thailand, Sept. 22-28 at Blu-O Rhythm & Bowl Paragon in Bangkok. The tournament’s $32,250 first prize could play a significant role in the earnings race. More: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/pba-international-world-bowling-tour-returns-to-bangkok-sept-22-28/.
* Expert Hosiery’s program to provide homeless veterans with socks has thus far generated more than 17,000 pairs of donated socks through the Bowlers to Veterans Link. For information on getting involved in the program, center operators may contact BVL at 703-934-6039, or Abid Latif at alsg@experthosiery.com.
* As the 2018 USBC Open Championships concluded its 15-week run, Marcus McClain knew he’d won an eagle after shooting 698 to help lead S&B Pro Shop #1 to the team title. But there’s more to the story. Far more. Get that story here:
* The guest this week on Phantom Radio is renowned bowling coach Bill Hall. To listen to the interview, click here: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2018/9/19/bill-hall-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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