A New Spin On Bowling Participation Declines, But Mixed Leagues Strong

Bowling is a game of cause and effect.

Competitors are constantly adjusting various elements of their technique in response to shifting conditions. Everything from the weight of the ball to the type of oil used on a lane has an effect on a bowler’s approach. The lightest variation can cause a major impact.

The bowling industry is no less complex. Proprietors have been forced to adapt their policies and services in response to changes in the economy and social climate.

Thanks to technological advances, consumers face more choices than ever in regards to where they spend their entertainment dollars. Fewer are choosing to do so at bowling centers.

During the 1994-95 season, 138 bowling centers across the U.S. closed their doors. In addition, the combined memberships of the American Bowling Congress, Women’s International Bowling Congress and Young American Bowling Alliance fell to 4,924,709, a drop of 277,318 from the year before.

In Spokane, bowling numbers are also decreasing. In 1980, there were 10,500 female and 7,850 male cardholders. This year there are 4,300 women and 4,750 men who are members.

Lilac Lanes owner Dan Kukuc said it’s impossible to tell exactly why the number of participants has plummeted so dramatically.

“There’s obviously a lot smarter men than me that have tried to figure it out and haven’t been successful,” he said. “My own opinion is that society has changed to a great degree … people don’t have a sense of commitment any more and try to avoid committing themselves to being in a specific place on a specific night.”

In addition, Kukuk said, fewer people are willing to bowl on week nights.

“So many are both working parents now and they don’t want to stay up that late and then get home at 12 o’clock and have to be up in the morning to go to work. I think that has a big impact on the loss of bowlers … bowling centers can only accommodate so many people at (earlier) times.”

Both as a result of declining numbers and in an effort to spark a resurgence, bowling centers have slowly shifted their emphasis away from individual men’s and women’s leagues. In their place, centers are offering more mixed leagues.

Of the 94,319 leagues sanctioned by the ABC last year, 73 percent were mixed. In the WIBC, 71 percent of its 62,278 were mixed.

Spokane County’s 11 bowling centers have 131 mixed leagues, 41 men’s leagues and 64 women’s leagues.

Local bowler Julie Twiss said the switch can partially be attributed to a growing number of working women.

“We used to have a couple very good (women’s) scratch associations here in Spokane,” she said. “But the work force has taken them away.

“When I first started bowling, probably 20 years ago, it would be pretty tough to get a practice lane during the day because that’s when all the women did bowl. But now it’s pretty easy to get a lane anywhere in Spokane during the day.”

Kukuc agreed.

“The pool of bowlers has gotten so small because there are so many more working women now,” he said. “And I think another aspect of it is that because it’s necessary for both men and women to be employed to survive any more, this is one of the few things they can do together as a couple at a social or a recreational or a competitive level.”

The concept of putting men and women together in one league has raised some questions concerning the overall level of competition. Twiss said the mixture actually strengthens the quality of play.

“Usually it’s tougher,” she said. “Even those at the handicap level are very, very competitive. Most men, in general, do not like to be beaten by a woman. So that’s kind of fun.”

Kukuk said mixed leagues have gotten a positive response from members of both genders.

“There doesn’t seem to be any resentment from the men,” Kukuk said. “It got to a point where we almost had to offer (mixed leagues) at the 6 o’clock or 6:30 prime-time spots in order to field enough teams because … there just weren’t the bodies available to fill strictly men’s or women’s teams.”

Despite the downward trends, Kukuk said bowling has always been a cyclical business and will continue to survive because it fills an important niche.

“Bowling leagues in general, not particularly mixed leagues, are still one of the cheapest forms of entertainment for your entertainment dollar. A couple can go to one of the bowling centers and have 2-1/2-3 hours of entertainment, a cup of coffee or a coke, maybe a mixed drink or a beer, and still not spend more than 15 bucks.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo