Bowling column for Tuesday, September 1, 2020
By: Bette Addington
–NEW AMF SOUTHWEST MANAGER MEETS WITH LOCAL LEAGUE SECRETARIES LAST WEEK
It was a positive feeling to get invited to AMF Southwest Lanes to not only meet the new General Manager, Jose Zamudio, but to get some insight on Fall leagues starting up soon. It’s like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
Last Wednesday, Zamudio, accompanied by AMF Regional Manager Cynthia Padilla-Nowakowski, met with AMF Southwest league secretaries at a time they could meet with them one-on-one to discuss their leagues for this Fall. AMF Southwest hopes to open by mid-September and is trying to get all the leagues geared up for the return.
Everyone received a handout along with your league’s roster. League secretaries need to try and contact their league bowlers to see if they are returning and report that information back to Jose Zamudio. He will then contact all the bowlers on all the leagues to welcome them back.
There will be some restrictions because of the State and Local Health Guidelines we will have to incorporate in order to be able to bowl. Obviously, everyone bowling needs to wear a mask upon entry into AMF Southwest Lanes and masks need to be worn on the concourse. You may remove your mask when you are up on the lanes to bowl; however, when you return to your seat, you need to put your mask back on unless you are eating or drinking. This is pretty much a regular guideline for being in an indoor facility with people. Also, as was when they opened up for the few weeks back in June, bowlers only can be on their pair of lanes, so no visitors. Whether we will have to bowl on just one lane of a pair or not is yet to be determined, but keep in mind that that may be a requirement. If we can only bowl on one lane it would be, for example, if Teams 3 & 4 are scheduled to bowl on Lanes 1 & 2. Team 3 will bowl on Lane 1 while Team 4 will be shifted to Lane 3. They will complete their games on one respective lane, with one lane in between separating the two teams. Obviously, if this is the only way we can bowl, it will be a challenge to larger leagues if they have to spread out to bowl. Leagues may have to split the league into 2 sessions on the schedule—i.e., 6pm-8pm and 8pm-10pm, or alternate nights depending on the availability of the center. We hope by the time the centers are open for bowling, we can have the normal league style.
Lineage has gone up 50 cents come this Fall season as well. The renovation at AMF Southwest Lanes is nearly complete. It is so much cleaner on the concourse area and opened up. You will be shocked!
I hope to have a feature on Jose Zamudio for my next bowling column to introduce him to all of you. He’s a busy guy these days relocating from the Petaluma, CA area to Bakersfield! If you were not able to meet with him yet for your league at AMF Southwest, you can reach him at 510/672-6201 or email him at jzamudio@bowlmor-amf.com
–OPEN CALIFORNIA BOWLING CENTERS NOW
If you haven’t already seen this group on Facebook, please check them out! Ric & Carolyn Hamlin created this group on Facebook a couple weeks ago and they organized bowling center rallies on Wed., August 19 and even had a great showing of bowlers at the Capital in Sacramento on Fri., August 21!
This is a VERY active group….so what are they up to now? They have a petition they are circulating and need signatures. Currently they have over 2,400. We have the potential to get at least 5,000 signatures. Please check it out and support it today. Many local bowlers like Zack Newman and Patricia Alonso are circulating this petition. Just look them up on Facebook.
–CA STATE REGULATIONS
Over the last few days we were given the Governor’s new Covid 19 Level Tiers and Kern County, like many other counties in CA, is currently in the Purple range which is the worst. In order for us to see bowling centers open, we must get out of the Purple, then the Red and be in the Orange level. This Orange level would allow centers to be opened at 25% capacity which would allow for bowlers only, no spectators.
Kern County is stuck in the Purple and must stay in that category for 3 weeks minimum. Roughly, we can hopefully reach the Red level in 4 weeks or around Oct. 12. Then we have to stay in the Red level for 2 weeks minimum so hopefully we can reach the Orange level by Nov. 16. This is just a rough estimate. Hopefully things will change more rapidly than this.
Golden Empire USBC President Zack Long just released a statement today saying, “the recent guidelines from the Governor’s office that bowling is to remain closed for at least a minimum of 42 days.”
–JOE SMITH & ANDREW SVOREN PLACE SECOND IN DOUBLES AT CBT MESA, AZ, LAST WEEKEND
CBT (Competitive Bowling Tournaments) traveled to Bowlero Mesa in Mesa, AZ, the weekend of Aug. 29-30 for the Beat the Board Doubles & Singles event. Congratulations to Joe Smith & Birthday Boy, Andrew Svoren, on placing second in the Doubles event splitting $670.
Patricia Alonso, recovering from a back injury, decided at the last minute, to surprise Smith and Svoren and make the trip to Mesa and compete. She placed third in the Doubles teamed up with Prince Elliott and then placed fifth when she teamed up with Joe Smith and then eighth with Steve Sherman.
In the Singles division, Patricia came in third and eleventh while Joe Smith placed fourth and fifth. Joe also killed them in the Scratch Payouts winning both first and second and fifth! Andrew Svoren came in fourth.
Although the final results are not yet posted for the Sam’s Town Open Trios Tournament that wrapped up on Aug. 30th, as of Aug. 23rd, Joe Smith was in 7th in Singles, but Patricia Alonso was sitting in 1st and 2nd!!
–BOWLING MOURNS LOSS OF WCST OWNER/DIRECTOR DICK SANDERS
This past Saturday, we lost a state bowling icon, Dick Sanders, 84. Sanders was the man behind West Coast Senior Tour and had run it for nearly 25 years. He had been suffering from prostate cancer and COPD since late October. Bakersfield was fortunate enough to host Sanders and his WCST thanks to the involvement of local Hall of Famer, Jim Zimmerman who competed in the WCST circuit. Sanders was unbelievable, hosting the WCST events once a month throughout Nevada and California to bowlers 60 and over. As soon as a WCST event was over, he was busy getting the results in to the bowling newspapers and letting his bowlers know their current standings. He was totally devoted to running these events. And those that knew him, knew he was quite the character!
The WCST lives on through another name as Eddie Katz is keeping it alive and it is now called the 60 & Over Scratch Classic.
–TOURNAMENT CLUB CANCELLATIONS CONTINUE
Be sure to check with the tournament director whether an upcoming event is a go or not as it changes from day-to-day, even hour-to-hour! Many of them are trying their darndest to provide events for bowlers to compete in but are up against city, county and state health regulations.
–OUR CONDOLENCES
- To Pamela Bright, President of the Bakersfield TNBA Senate, who lost her nephew recently.
–LOCAL BOWLING CENTERS
- The BLVD! – CLOSED for Bowling, Food & Alcohol!!–3200 Buck Owens Blvd., BLVDBakersfield.com, 661/873-4477
Military Service (Active, Reserve, Retired, Law Enforcement, Fire & First Responders) get 15% off Food, Soft Beverages, Bowling, Laser Tag, Ropes Course & Arcade Play Every Day!
Live Music on the Patio – Every Friday from 6pm-8pm – FREE!
Sign Up for The BLVD!’s E Club, connect with them to get exclusive offers & updates. Join via their free WiFi or fill out a card today! (Like & follow @BLVDBAKERSFIELD.)
Monday-Thursday (Open-Close) $4.25/Game, per person
Friday (Open-5pm) $4.25/Game, per person
Friday (5pm-Close) $42/Hour, per lane*
Weekends (Open-Close) $42/Hour, per lane*
Shoes – $4/person—Socks – $2.50/pair
*Up to (6) people per lane - AMF Southwest Lanes – CLOSED –3610 Wible Road – 661/834-2695, amf.com.
Hours of Operation
Mondays – CLOSED
Tuesdays – 4pm – 10pm
Wednesdays* – 4pm – 10pm
Thursdays – CLOSED
Fridays* – 4pm – 12 midnight
Saturdays – 12 noon – 12 midnight
Sundays – 12 noon – 10pm
*may open earlier on these days ROBB’S PRO SHOP (inside AMF Southwest Lanes) –661/833-2695:
Hours of Operation
Mondays – CLOSED
Tuesdays – 4pm – 8pm
Wednesdays – 2pm – 8pm
Thursdays – CLOSED
Fridays – 4pm – 8pm
Saturdays – 12 noon – 6pm
Sundays – 2pm – 8pm - West Side Lanes – CLOSED–500 Cascade Place, Bldg. D, Taft, 93268 – 661/763-4246 or 765-6677
- Mt. Mesa Lanes – CLOSED–4612 McCray Road, Mt. Mesa, CA 93240 – 760/379-3131, www.Kernvalley.com/mtmesalanes
“I can do ‘to go’ food, but nobody can come inside.”–Gabriella Mayfield - High Desert Lanes – CLOSED–205 Fitzgerald Blvd., Edwards AFB, CA 93523 – 661/275-2695
–BOWLING COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Now-Sept. 6: Mega Bowling Tournament, Mixed Handicap, Singles/Doubles/Team/All Events, Winks Silver Strike Lanes, Gardnerville, NV, bowlmega.com
Fri. & Sat., Sept. 4-5: PBA Junior National Championships, Phoenix, AZ, pba.com
Sat., Sept. 5: Mega Elite Bowling Club 1st Major 8 Gamer, 10am, Canyon Lanes, Cabazon, 909/450-9415
Sun., Sept. 6: Mega Elite Bowling Club 5 Gamer, two squads – 9am & 1pm, Canyon Lanes, Cabazon, 9090/450-9415
Sat., Sept. 12: David Marcus Thumbs Up Scholarship Foundation 1st Golf Tournament, 8am, Riverlakes Golf Course, 661/205-1478 – Arlene
Sat., Sept. 12: PBA Regional, Bowlero Mesa, Mesa, AZ, gary.mage@pba.com, 360/600-1229
–UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS ON THE HORIZON
Sat. & Sun., Sept. 19-20: CBT Doubles & Singles, Sat. @ 10/12/2/4; Sun. @ 10/12/2, Sunset Station, Las Vegas, 661/418-8007, cbtbowling.com
Sat. & Sun., Sept. 19-20: PBA50 on 9/19; PBA Regional on 9/20, Bowlero Lynwood, Lynwood, WA, gary.mage@pba.com, 360/600-1229
Sat., Sept. 26: SLAC & OC USBC’s 4th SoCal Queens & Princess Tourn., 9am, Forest Lanes, Lake Forest, 323/252-7904, aweubanks@yahoo.com
Sun., Sept. 27: SLAC & OC USBC’s SoCal Masters & Apprentices Tourn., 9am, Forest Lanes, Lake Forest, 323/252-7904, aweubanks@yahoo.com
Sun., Sept. 27: 60 & Over Scratch Classic, 11am (check-in starts at 9:30am), Canyon Lanes, Cabazon, 562/243-0175
Sat., Oct. 3: Elite Bowling Club Women’s Scratch 6 Gamer, 9am, Canyon Lanes, Cabazon, 909/450-9415
Sat. & Sun., Oct. 3-4: Cal Bowlers Tour Reno Team 4 Gamer, National Bowling Stadium, Reno, NV, squads at 10am & 2pm both days, teams of 4 (Men, Women or Mixed), handicap 80% of 220, optional Scratch, 925/757-2695, CalBowlersTour@aol.com
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