Bowlers rally in Tri-Cities for the WA state to let them roll

Robert Powell is missing the chance to go bowling.

A professional bowler, it’s a major part of his life. For nearly five months, he and all others bowlers have been kept from their sport and hobby by the coronavirus shutdown.

He believes bowling alleys can reopen safely, and he joined other bowlers statewide in protest rallies hoping to sway Gov. Jay Inslee and health officials.

“You could keep your mask on most of the time as long as social distancing is still applied,” he said. “There are a few of us that have thought this through.”

Bowling lanes across Washington have been closed since March when Inslee issued his initial stay-a-home order.

Bowling was initially allowed in Phase 3, but now it’s been pushed into Phase 4, said Gregory Olsen, the executive director of the Washington State Bowling Proprietors Association.

The rallies are aimed at putting pressure on the state to allow the businesses to open up with a reasonable set of precautions. Supporters say the businesses rely on the summer months because that’s when leagues start forming and organizing their schedules.

And the threat to the industry came into sharper focus recently when one of 66 lanes in the statewide association closed went out of business, Olsen said. Glacier Lanes, an Everett landmark, shut down this week after 63 years.

“Sadly, the mandated closures and the lack of direction from Washington state’s elected officials has officially claimed a family-operated icon of entertainment in Snohomish County,” they said on their Facebook page.

Olsen is worried that this may be just the first to fall in a $300 million state industry that employs about 4,000 people. It’s hard for a business that was looking at record sales earlier this year, said the group.

Have a plan

Powell and Atomic Lanes’ managing partner Max Faulkner said they are ready to reopen.

Clear plastic shields have been put up in front of counters. They developed safety plans to space out bowlers on lanes.

Faulkner even suggested a slow opening to allow just club bowling to start, which would at least bring in a steady source of income. People would bring their own equipment, and the areas would be cleaned after they finished.

“If the club bowled from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., we could cover our variable costs,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got all of our cleaning supplies. We’re ready. We have a plan. We were ready two months ago.”

The association is getting thousands of emails from bowlers. He said if bowling businesses must wait until Phase 4 to reopen, most won’t survive.

Olsen said they agree COVID-19 is a serious public health threat, which is why the association has put together a plan for how to reopen safely to prevent the spread of the disease.

Olsen said it’s not necessary to put the businesses in the same category as sports stadiums and nightclubs.

He said bowling centers have reopened in 45 other states, and he hopes to some bowling activities can be allowed in Phase 2.

Industry officials have started meeting with the governor’s office.

“It’s all family entertainment. We’ve got to be clean when the mom comes in for her child’s birthday party,” Olsen said. “We totally believe in cleanliness.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 8:03 PM.