Courtesy Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center
By Andrea Harwood
While the economic impact of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tournament in June is difficult to measure with exactness, the owner of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center where it was held in South Glens Falls calls it a success.
There was a surge in bed nights at hotels and motels as well as restaurant meals eaten out. There were 91 female athletes competing in the event, many of them travelling with a significant other and/or family members. These visitors were in the area for the majority of the event week.
The sold-out event was broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network.
“The event went very well. There were no issues, and the TV show was fabulous,” said Kingpin’s owner and operator Doug Bohannon.
Bohannon is also the president of the New York Bowling Proprietors Association, serving since August 2018.
“Every match was pretty close. The entire show was very exciting,” said Bohannon.
Bohannon hosted a national tour stop last year as well.
In addition to competing athletes, PWBA staff travelled to stay in the area. Television crews and staff were also around for a full day.
The PWBA does not closely monitor exhaustive data associated with tournaments, said Bohannon.
“The economic impact the event has isn’t as humongous as, say, Americade or even the car show. But it still has an impact. And it brought a lot of notoriety to the area with the television show. The fact that it was a U.S. Women’s Open is huge,” said Bohannon.
Ratings for the televised event were not immediately available.
“When my wife and I first bought the bowling center nine years ago, it gave us an opportunity to give back to the community. We don’t bring events like the U.S. Open or the upcoming PBA Regional to make a ton of money. We do it for the area, and for the bowlers,” said Bohannon.
He said he fronts the hosting fee out of pocket for the events. “We do this for the bowling community, and for our community in general,” he said.
Kingpin’s Alley is hosting the PBA Regional Tournament in September. That is a Regional Pro Invitational (RPI) event, and is competitive men’s regional event. Past regional events have had an average of 60-80 participants.
Bowlers must qualify for the event, and finals are held in Las Vegas.
The PBA Regional Tournament is a Friday, Saturday and Sunday event with prizes in the $3,000-$4,000 range. Larger-scale national events can have purses of around $60,000.
Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center is located at 166 Saratoga Ave. in South Glens Falls. The bowling facility can be reached at 518-793-9606. The website is www.kingpinsalley.com.