Bowling Center to re-open Jan. 29

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Christopher Buzzetta
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affair
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Vance's bowling center is getting a facelift. The Falcon's Nest Bowling Center will reopen after a major renovation.

"We want to continue to make bowling fun for the customer," says Ken Broder, Bowling Center manager. "From the time the customer waits for pins to set, glow lanes, ball to return, uptime of machines - it's all designed to improve the customer experience."

The original pin-setting machines were installed when the Bowling Center opened in 1982. Synthetic lanes and new ball returns were installed in 1999 and 2005 respectively. The new machines will reduce the pin reset time from 180 seconds to 90 seconds. In other words, the machines can place two sets of 10 pins, a full frame, in 90 seconds.

The grand re-opening is scheduled Jan. 29 to 31, featuring family bowling for $1 an hour. Glow bowling is $2 an hour and starts after 6 p.m. each day. Diane McCurdy, 71st Force Support Squadron director, will roll out the first ball at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

The overhaul started Jan.11 when eight "glow ready" synthetic lanes were installed. These new lanes have a black-light reactive pattern injected in them that give the lane a "carpeted" appearance.

The old lane pin-spotter machines were removed Jan. 18-25. These are part of a front-end system that sets the pins in that perfect triangular pattern. New Qubica/AMF pin wheels, part of a back-end system, were installed at the same time. The pin wheel lifts the pins from lane level so that they may be dropped into position.

"This is the first time outside of a lab that this pin wheel design has ever been used - world-wide," Mr. Broder said. Dave Hayes, the Bowling Center pinsetter and adjuster, said, "I can remove six bolts and take the entire pin wheel off. Before, I had to crawl through a hole which made maintenance harder and longer. It even comes with an animated service manual."

New computers to control the lanes will also provide timely financial data to managers.

The final step is to have the lanes recertified by the United States Bowling Congress.