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Published Sunday, May 12, 1996, in the Miami Herald.

Cool way to enjoy a hot day: Spend time at bowling lanes

Picture this: School is out, and it's 85 degrees when the sun rises. Summertime in South Florida.

Need a place to escape the heat?

How about your local bowling alley? Each has ice-cold air conditioning and cool drinks for parched throats.

In the summer, bowling can be as refreshing as a dip in the pool.

Local proprietors use that to their advantage, offering a variety of leagues and promotions to draw people away from the malls and movie theaters.

League enrollments dip during the summer, as bowlers don't seem to be enthusiastic about committing to a 10-week league during vacation time. With fewer leagues, centers have plenty of lanes to be used. By offering discounted -- and sometimes free -- games, the houses can fill up the dead time fairly easily.

At the AMF Fair Lanes in Pembroke Pines, bowlers who join summer leagues earn free games during the week. Join one league, and get three free games. Two leagues get you six, and by joining three or more leagues, Pines is offering unlimited practice.

That's a lot of lane time.

Area day camps often send bus loads of kids to the lanes on weekdays. Pines allows camps to come in and rent a lane for $6 an hour.

``We're pretty much booked with the day camps,'' said AMF Pines general manager Tom Ferraro. ``For $6 an hour, the kids can bowl as much as they want. The camps eat that up.''

West Hollywood Lanes will hold a summerlong ``King of the Hill'' tournament at 9 p.m. Sundays. The tournament rolls for 14 weeks starting on June 2, culminating with the ``Royal Monarch Rolloff'' Sept. 2. The winner will earn a minimum of $1,000. West Hollywood will offer discounted lane rentals and $1 games on Sundays to draw in people tired of the heat.

``We give people a place to go and cool off,'' said West Hollywood general manager Judy Fragoso. ``People are bored, so they bowl. A lot of people don't want to commit to a league during the summer, but they'll come in and bowl when we have specials. Especially if it's raining.''

Last year, Ferraro said his center had a record summer, thanks to the rain. Unlike the Florida Marlins, he's hoping for another monsoon-type season.
Spares and strikes

  • West Hollywood Lanes: The center, at 296 S. State Road 7, will host The Herald's annual Junior Bowler of the Year Tournament July 13. To qualify for the tournament, a bowler must have finished either first or second in the Bowler of the Week competition that began in September and runs through the last week in May. A list of qualifiers will run in The Herald's sports section in June.

    The site of the adult tournament will be announced at a later date.

  • Junior Rachel Figueroa finished second in the scratch division two weeks ago, rolling a 590 series. Mike Azcarate and Richard Russo have two of the top junior averages in South Florida, averaging 230 a game. Eric Walker (229 average) and Ryan Boyd (228) aren't too far off the mark.

  • AMF Fair Lanes Pines: The center, at 1940 N. University Dr., is being refurbished with a new coat of paint on the walls and new synthetic lanes in the 32-lane house. General manager Ferraro says new carpeting will be put in next week.

    Two weeks ago, the old wooden lanes were taken up, to be replaced with the synthetic lanes. Scores haven't been noticeably higher, but Ferraro says they've been more consistent. ``We're just learning how to condition them,'' he said. ``I do anticipate them going up.''

    When the Cloverleaf replaced its lanes a few years ago, the center used the wood for a new bar in the lounge. AMF Pines just dumped the wood outside its center, and bowlers were invited to take home souvenirs. Ferraro said one man turned some of the wood into a table; others have plans to use the material on a patio deck.

    For those interested, there are still some sheets of wood left. Enjoy.

  • Marci Robinson was South Florida's top female junior two weeks ago, rolling a 656 series in The Herald's Bowler of the Week competition. On the boys' side, Jay Linn was third with a 691 series, and David Wisehart followed with a 666.

  • Don Carter's Sawgrass Lanes: Tom Susi rolled the best series at the center this week, rolling a 777, topped with a 266 game. Susi, who sports a 218 average, rolled 123 pins over his average. Jo Martha Randel's 694 was the top female in the series.

    George Richards' local bowling column appears every third Sunday in Hometown Herald. Richards can be contacted in Fort Lauderdale at 527-8430. If you have something you would like to see in the column, fax it to 527-8490.



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