'Spare' Time: Bowling is affordable fun

Looking for a fun, affordable way to spend an evening with friends or family? Consider bowling! But whatever you do, don’t call the bowling center, a bowling alley. Bowlers don’t like that. After all, alleys call to mind unseemliness and subterfuge—and what’s more above-board than bowling?

“Calling it a bowling alley is a no-no,” said Bowler Hal Bieber. “It’s a bowling center.”

Bieber, 77, and his pal, Norman Greenfeld, 83, are both volunteers with the Albany Bowling Association, a district resident since 1974. The bowling association is a not-for-profit organization, with just over 6,000 members, and as a member of United States Bowling Congress, the association is responsible for organizing bowling leagues and competitions in the Capital Region. The organization is also the interceptor for national bowling tournaments and athletes, Bieber said.

Bieber, Association Manager, has been bowling since 1953, and began to work for the association after he retired from AT&T in 1986. At that time, the association had just over 24,000 members, spread across three groups, the American Bowling Congress, the Women’s International Bowling Congress, and the Young American Bowling Association, but in 2006, the association merged these groups to trim expenses. Today membership is dwindling because there are so many different leisure activities competing for people’s free time, said Bieber. “It’s just too many things going on, and people can only participate in so many things,” he said.

The association offices are chock full of reminders from bowling’s heyday. The walls are decorated with murals of bowlers in mid-swing, as well as the giant aluminum bowling pins that decorated Sunset Lanes on Central before its recent remodel. There’s also a hooked rug of President Richard Nixon bowling, allegedly taken from the White House Lane. The offices also contain a case full of trophies and memorabilia—photographs from the Moscow Musical Theater Troupe in 1988 (what else?) bowling—and certificates and plaques commemorating historic accomplishments. Against one wall is the association’s Hall of Fame, showcasing the names of meritorious achievers, in two categories: good deeds and good bowlers, Bieber explains.

What does it take to be a good bowler?

“Depends what you mean by a good bowler,” Bieber says immediately.

“There’s guys who throw the ball all kinds of ways and get strikes, but I wouldn’t define them as good bowlers,” adds Greenfeld. Greenfeld, a retired University at Albany psychology professor writes a column for the association’s newsletter, titled ‘Why Bowling?’ and has devoted a lot of time to meditating on what it takes to be a good bowler.

According to this savvy bowler, good bowlers need know-how and good technique, and they have to be consistent. Good bowlers are also mindful of the surfaces they’re working with, including the surface of the ball and the lane, Greenfeld said. The weight of the ball can affect how it rolls, and the relative slipperiness of the lane can also be a factor in getting that strike.

“You need physical coordination, mental stick-to-itiveness, and consistency,” said Greenfeld. “It’s mechanical and psychological.”

Recently, Greenfeld was diagnosed with tendonitis in his shoulder and has had to take a break from bowling. He was asked to join a Wii Bowling League, a video game version of the sport, but he declined. For him, bowling is largely social, and he doesn’t see the sport in sitting around video-gaming. “You can find sport now in twiddling your thumbs,” he joked.

When asked about the future of the sport, these two bowlers are thoughtful. “It’s not going to get any bigger,” Bieber allows. However, as long as people are looking for an affordable team sport that is inclusive and promotes camaraderie, bowling will be there, he said.

For those of you looking to try the sport, here’s some tips from our pros:

*Your arm should swing like a pendulum. A lot of people try to force the ball, instead just let it roll off.
*Your body should be bent forward at a 6 degree angle as you walk up to the line, and as you reach the line, you want to put a slight slide and bend in your knee to act as a shock absorber.
*Keep your eye on the target, and keep your head still.
*Whatever you do, don’t call it a bowling alley. It’s a bowling center.
*Likewise, don’t call them gutters, they’re called channels. By that token, a gutter ball shouldn’t be called a gutter ball, then? “Right,” said Bieber. However, after a moment’s pause, he sighs, and concedes, “It shouldn’t be, but it is.”

The Albany Bowling Association is located at 253 Central Avenue. For more information about the sport or about joining a league, call (518) 465-4878.