New Years Eve Bowling Parties

Roll in the New Year at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes!

For more party information please call us at 585-427-7250

Vote For Your Favorite Business. Please Vote For Bowl-A-Roll Lanes!

VOTE FOR ME! The Democrat and Chronicle Rochester's Choice Awards voting is currently underway. Bowl-A-Roll Lanes would be deeply honored if you would take the time to vote for us as one of your favorite local businesses (Bowling) under t...he Entertainment Section. Here is the link if would not mind taking the time to vote for your favorite local businesses. We would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to everyone in the area for their outstanding support for the past 57 years. Please click on this link to cast your vote:  Rochester Choice Awards

We thank the Rochester Community for their fantastic support through the years.

McDonalds Bumper Bowling

New League Forming

For more information please contact Bowl-A-Roll Lanes at 585-427-7250.

League Fun

A family owned and operated business since 1957 our goal at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes is to provide you with clean, modern, and safe facilities where you can enjoy your leisure time with your friends, family, and associates. 

Leagues are ALWAYS forming at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes. We have leagues for NEW bowlers, as well as experienced bowlers. Our “short season” leagues are great opportunities for you to see what all the fun and excitement is about. 

We can help your group, club, or organization form YOUR OWN league, or you can choose from one of the many leagues that are currently forming at each of our locations. Experience the fun and excitement of league bowling with the family and friends.

More more information please contact Bowl-A-Roll Lanes at 585-427-7250.

Bowling Leagues

  

At Bowl-A-Roll Lanes, we have many different bowling leagues including traditional bowling leagues, different scoring methods like 9 Pin Tap (9 or more on your 1st Ball counts as a strike), different premiums (some leagues have cash prizes, some have bowling balls and other have fun licensed merchandise like NASCAR, Nickelodeon, etc…)

Groups are now forming their own bowling league-why not you? In the past we have provided many different league opportunities to you-but we forgot to ask what you wanted, shame on us! Here's your chance to do it your way.

You form a league of your own with friends, family, co workers or members of an organization that you're a member of. 

Finally, you will have a league you can enjoy with all the benefits you want including a great social activity and a FUN time with friends. Because this is your league, you tell us the rules and how much time you want to spend with us.
Leagues can be formed with as few as 8 bowlers (4 Teams of 2). An extra benefit of bowling in a league with only a couple bowlers on each team is that sessions can be limited to 90 minutes or less too – no longer do you need to mark the entire night/day off your schedule. 

For more information please contact Bowl-A-Roll Lanes at 585-427-7250.  We hope to hear from you

LPGA Bowling Tournament

Bowl-A-Roll Says Goodbye

For the 14th consecutive year Bowl-A-Roll Lanes has had the privilege of hosting the LPGA Caddies Bowling Tournament.  Each year the staff at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes has had the good fortune to meet and greet both the caddies and the lady golfers.  Despite all the FUN and Excitement of hosting this very special event we are saddened to have to say goodbye to our many friends at the Wegmans' LPGA Championship Tournament as they move on to "greener pastures.

Special thanks to Gregg and Donna for organizing this amazing tournament. This year's tournament was dedicated in memory to one of their very own Danielle "Deuce" Downey whose life was tragically ended in an automobile accident last year.  All proceeds from the tournament were donated by the bowlers to the Danielle Downey Memorial Fund.

We would like to personally thank the many caddies and their respective players for their fantastic support for the past 14 years.  Thank you so very much for the memories and especially your friendship.  Where ever your paths may lead you will always be in our thoughts and prayers.  It has a "great ride" and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  

Kids Bowl FREE at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes

Kids BowlFree Tutorial

Select bowling centers and schools around the country are participating in the first ever Kids Bowl Free program. This program is designed by bowling centers to give back to the community and provide a safe, secure, and fun way for kids to spend time this summer.
Children whose age does not exceed a limit by a participating bowling center are eligible to register for 2 free games a day, all summer long, courtesy of the participating bowling centers along with the schools and organizations.

 Bowl-A-Roll Kids Bowl Free Registration Form

What People Are Saying About Our Program

Anxious to get bowling this summer (thanks to Kids Bowl Free and their family pass), but here is my little man a couple of years ago. Thanks "Kids Bowl Free" for a great program!

We love Kids Bowl Free. It provides us with a fun family activity at a great price! My daughters love bowling so this is perfect!

My family and I love to bowl! I had my son's 7th birthday party at our local bowling alley. We had a great time and took lots and lots of pictures!

 

I Use To Bowl - Where Did All The Bowlers Go

I grew up just a few blocks away from what was once the Showboat Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the main features of the Showboat was its massive bowling alley. Added in 1953, the lanes of the Showboat were amongst the oldest bowling alleys along the PBA tour circuit, but were mostly a fun Friday night for a downtown family that couldn’t afford the gas to make its way to the then-new attractions on The Strip, such as the Stratosphere, Treasure Island, and the Luxor.

To say bowling was a large part of my childhood would be an overstatement; I never participated in any youth leagues and even now can’t bowl much better than a 130. But it was a fun, air-conditioned respite from the boiling city streets and greed-enabled exhibits mostly meant to get our parents to lose money they didn’t have. Before game consoles and apps were making solid attempts to be integrated with every part of your life, socializing in a real place around a real activity was the best way to feel alive. Plus. bowling is a rare entity: a sport that’s fun even if you aren’t much good at it.

So I do shed some metaphorical tears as bowling alleys across the countrybegin to die out, as Business Week reports? It does make a sort of cosmic sense: the kids less fitted for football and basketball could easily get a hand on bowling. But why bother participating in a rewardless sport—one treated more like a drinking game than a physical competition—when you can gather accolades amongst your fellow nerds, playing video games or even building them yourself?

Even as a social atmosphere, bowling alleys and other such local hangouts shy away in comparison to the nearly unlimited social possibilities of the Internet. Why bother meeting at a sporting venue—usually dank and outfitted with a bar full of depressing adults—when you can find your crush on Snapchat, Yo, and Tinder? Plus, your parents never let you go anywhereanyway. Why not just stay home?

The death of bowling alleys is about more than low-level physical activity and nachos. Physical, public spaces themselves are at risk of being felled by the enormity of what can be done in a digital space. Online gaming means you can have as much fun (if not far more) on your couch than a teenage kid ever would at a bowling alley. An Amazon Prime subscription is an agoraphobic’s dream, enabling anyone to have everything from groceries to electronics delivered to your doorstep.

Netflix and online streaming as a whole has been slaying yet another important hangout spot for those of us in flyover country: the movie theater. After Hollywood distributors set digital projection as a standard in 2012,over 1,000 local movie theaters across the country went out of business. Combine that with the dearth of quality original movies in production and the surplus of content available at home (it’s no mistake the “Golden Age” ofTV syncs with a decade of nothing but sequels and reboots), not to mention soaring ticket and concession costs, what’s the point?

When Facebook purchased VR manufacturer Oculus back in March, people were perplexed by what a social network and a immersive gaming console could possibly have in common. “The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people,” Mark Zuckerberg said of the Oculus Rift headset. “Imagine enjoying a court-side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face—just by putting on goggles in your home.”

What Zuckerberg is not merely predicting but, in fact, celebrating is a world within our world, wherein all locations will eventually be replaced by digital approximations, with avatars portraying the real bodies of your friends.

Tech companies’ aim, whether they know it or not, is to remove the social factor from much of our lives, and bowling is just one of many fatalities. As our options for media and consumption grow and fracture, all of our options for how we spend our free time are competing against one another. Books, sports, bars, movies, and games are all essentially in the same market for your time.

But as home media becomes cheaper, more abundant and, yes, greater of quality, we are abandoning a former way of life. People wonder why “car culture” continues to dwindle in the U.S.—a country famous for its historic fetishization of the automobile—when the answer is simply there’s no where more interesting to drive than the place where you keep your phone chargers, Xbox, and Chromecast: home.

It’s entirely possible I’m merely being wistful for Friday nights, eating cheese fries and rolling blocks of marble at wooden pins with a family I now mostly communicate with through texting and the occasional Call of Duty match. But there are more reasons than nostalgia to hold on to such low-culture meetups as bowling alleys and movie theaters.

As we continue to not just build new cultures online but distinctly relocate old culture there, we leave behind unique experiences that will become harder and harder to relive.

When we hear that vinyl records are resurging as a music format, it’s easy to chalk it up to hipsterdom or Boomer nostalgia, two forces as potent as they are self-aware. What it really stems from is a distinct nostalgia for holding something. But like a Millennial long-distance relationship, we continue to be wistful for physical aspects while embracing the digital.

Locations may soon be no different. Faster than we can say “Moore’s Law,” the digital sphere of our lives is stealing away places we will one day miss. Our children will stare at us blankly as we talk about bumpers and scorecards and how you never fully realize how heavy twelve pounds is until you have to fling it down a well-oiled wooden lane.

What we’ll be talking about—and what our parents talk about when they talk about vinyl records—is what philosophers call qualia. Defined as the subjective quality of an experience, the immeasurable sensation of being somewhere and doing something, qualia loses its uniqueness—its very subjectivity—the more we trust digital universes to recreate original, real-world settings.

And maybe that is a good thing. Maybe a world that is the same for everyone—or possibly so individualized it’s beyond sharing with others—is what we want. But if we hope to be both social creatures and remain individuals, we need to sustain our physical spaces. The more removed we are from seemingly silly experiences like bowling or going to the movies, the more we are removed from one another.

Bowling Is FUN

Fall Leagues Now Forming

It's Not Too Early to Think About Joining A Fall League

League bowling is one of the most popular recreational sports in the United States. If you're not a league bowler, chances are you know one, even if you don't think you do. League bowling has given many hours of joy (and frustration) to people since the inception of the sport, and continues to do so.
There are leagues available for all types of bowlers. If you're one of the best bowlers in the area, there's a league for you. If you don't care about winning at all, there's a league for you. If you and your significant other want an activity you can do together, there are couples leagues for you. On top of all the leagues bowling alleys administer, you can usually set up your own league at your own center. Bowl the way you want with the people you want.
Still not convinced? Here are the top 10 reasons to join a bowling league:

1. The Characters

You won't believe it until you see it. Even then, you might not believe it. League bowling brings out some of the most colorful, interesting, baffling personalities in the world. You have no idea these people are in your community until you join a bowling league. From unbelievably talented bowlers to inexplicably strange humans, you get a cross-section of society you didn't realize existed.

2. Camaraderie

Typically, you'll find the word "camaraderie" thrown around in team sports, particularly hockey. People past their primes play the games so they can relive the locker-room banter and hilarity. Bowling is no different (except it all happens in the stinky bowling alley rather than the stinky locker room). Bowling leagues, especially with your friends (or strangers who will become your friends), are great ways to spend a few hours a week.

3. Fun

Bowling is fun. Whether league bowling or not, it's fun to bowl. Joining a league keeps you accountable to yourself - you're going to bowl at least once a week.

4. Money

Small-time gambling is acceptable in most bowling leagues. Often, half your league fees go toward your bowling and the other half goes toward the prize fund. At the end of the season, you and your team will receive prize money based on where you finish. Individual prizes are usually up for grabs, too. Other ways to win a pittance during league bowling involve card games and strike pots.

5. Fitness

You can get fit by bowling? Common perception and stereotypes would suggest you can't. And if bowling once a week is the only bit of exercise you get, then don't expect a sculpted physique by the end of the season. Still, repeatedly hurling a heavy sphere requires strength and endurance, and you can burn a significant number of calories bowling.

6. Pizza

Counteract the exercise with pizza. Many bowling leagues will help you relive your childhood pizza parties by giving you adult pizza parties. Actually, the pizza detracts from not only the fitness point, but also the money, as the pizza is usually funded by the prize money. For those 2-3 nights a year, though, it tastes great. Never mind you're counteracting the exercise portion while cutting into your prize fund - it's delicious.

7. Television

If bowling isn't enough for you, many bowling alleys have TVs playing whatever most of you want to watch (typically sports). Depending on the time of your league, you can watch entire hockey and baseball games while bowling.

8. USBC Membership

You'll be a part of the United States Bowling Congress, which costs less than $20 a year (and is often hidden in your league fees, so you don't even have to think about it if you don't want to). Membership qualifies you for award magnets (formerly patches) and gives you discounts with various merchants, including hotels and rental cars.

9. Relaxation

Except on the nights during which you're bowling so poorly you find yourself doing anything but relaxing, the sport can give you a nice respite from the work day or work week. Show up, relax, throw a few frames, and have fun.

10. Status

"Yeah. I bowl." You'll be amazed by how many people are impressed when they find out you bowl in a league.



HERE IS A LIST OF ALL OUR LEAGUES

Flag Day

I Am Old Glory by Howard Schnauber

I am the flag of the United States of America.

I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
I stand side by side with the Maple Leaf on
the worlds' longest undefended border.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.
I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners,
my head is a little higher,
my colors a little truer.
I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshipped — I am saluted.
I am loved — I am revered.
I am respected — and I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war
for more then 200 years.
I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomattox.
I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy.
Guam, Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me,
I was there.

I led my troops, I was dirty, battle worn and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me And I was proud.
I have been burned, torn and trampled on the streets of
countries I have helped set free. It does not hurt,
for I am invincible.

I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled on
the streets of my country. And when it's by those whom
I've served in battle — it hurts.
But I shall overcome — for I am strong.

I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stood watch over
the uncharted frontiers of space from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded
comrades on the battlefield, When I am flown at
half-mast to honor my soldier, Or when I lie in the
trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their
fallen son or daughter, I am proud.

The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned then our lasting gratitude.

John Wayne
"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be."

Kids Bowl Free

How the program works:

1. All of the participating bowling centers are listed at http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/all_centers.php.
2. Select a bowling center near you.
3. Register directly on the bowling center page (The registration is valid only at the bowling center where you register and cannot be used at any other bowling center unless otherwise noted.)
4. Once you register, you will have the opportunity to purchase the family pass.  The Family Pass was created to allow for adult family members to enjoy bowling throughout the summer as well. The Family Pass starts from $24.95 and includes 2 GAMES PER PERSON PER DAY. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members. You may have 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults on the family pass.

This low one-time payment covers up to 4 adults for the entire summer and is a tremendous value.

***Very Important****
After your registration we will send you two (2) emails.
The first email is a welcome email and contains your account information.
The second email is very important. This email does not contain coupons, but you will need to click the link confirming your subscription to our service. If you do not click the link, our system will not send your weekly coupons to you.

When do you receive the coupons and family pass?
The "program start" and "program end" dates are listed on the bowling center page that you register with. You can sign up for the program before the start date, but the coupons and family passes will not be loaded into your account until the start date has occurred.

Once the program has begun, we will send you an email every Sunday morning that contains a link to your coupons and family passes for that week. It is not required that you view this email to print your coupons.
Simply login to your account at anytime once the program has started to print your coupons and family passes.

Father's Day

Dad

Father’s Day is all about spending time with your dad, doing things dads like! So why not bring him to Bowl-A-Roll Lanes for some good ‘ol fashion family fun and a smoke-free, friendly atmosphere?  This year we’re proud to announce that on Father’s Day, dads can bowl free when accompanied by their children. There are not a lot of things better than FREE, so if you’re looking for a great way to spend some quality time with dad, come visit us.


For more information please call us at 585-427-7250 or email us at bowlarol@rochester.rr.com.  Happy Father's Day to one and all.

A Day Of Thanksgiving

"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."
- President Harry S. Truman

Bowl-a-roll- Say no to drugs program

D.A.R.E. Summer Bowling Program

Bowl-A-Roll Lanes' Family Fun Center is proud to announce the return of the “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Bowling” program for Summer 2014!  Last year over 50,000 students bowled over 100,000 free games in our tenth year of the program.  "Say No To Drugs, Say Yes To Bowling" is a healthy, wholesome program for students of all ages that will give them a free activity all summer long at our family-friendly bowling center.
Here’s how it works...It’s very simple. We will give each student a “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Bowling” card. The card entitles your child to ONE FREE GAME OF BOWLING (including rental shoes) EVERY DAY during the summer (May 1st through August). That’s it. There is nothing to buy and very few restrictions. Cards are good seven days a week whenever lanes are available from open until 9:00 p.m. Students need only to present their card when they come to the bowling center and they may bowl ONE GAME FREE.  Any additional games will be charged at the special “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Bowling” rate ($1.50). 

The first time the student uses their card, we will register them for our free Birthday Club and “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Bowling” Club. “Club” members will be eligible for prize drawings and will be invited to participate in many exciting group events and activities.

Say No to Drugs...In addition to the free bowling feature of the program, we will also periodically host special Law Enforcement safety awareness presentations.   Club members will be informed of any scheduled events of this nature.
Bowling — a lifetime sport...
Bowling is the perfect sport. Everyone can play it and no one sits the bench. Size and strength are not a factor. We have bumper bowling for children as young as two years and facilities for disabled bowlers. Bowling is a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. We will also be offering free bowling instruction to our kids. 

Bowling — a wonderful group activity...Bowling is a great group activity. We encourage students and youth leaders to participate in the “Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Bowling” program as a group function. We will be happy to reserve lanes for your group or organization’s party or fundraiser. 
We look forward to seeing you this summer... Our staff is eagerly awaiting your first visit. Please take a moment to introduce yourself when you get here. We pride ourselves on our exceptional customer service and attention to customer satisfaction. We’ll see you soon.

Summer League Bowling

How about one night a week where you don’t have to cook, where you can get  away from mosquitoes and relax in air conditioned comfort while you enjoy  some fun with friends and family?

 Its Summer Bowling Where You can Knock Down 10 Pins, Just Kick back and

 enjoy the FUN!

We have 10 week bowling sessions for competitive bowlers, social  bowlers, kids and adults, baby boomers, programs for rookies and programs  where you get to go to Seabreeze Amusement Park or get a new bowling  ball.  Just click here Summer Leagues to see our schedule and then call us to reserve your spot or to ask us any  questions.  Please call us at 585-427-7250 or email us at bowlarol@rochester.rr.com.  

 It’s Your One Night A Week Chance To Escape The Mosquitoes  and Enjoy The Fun, Fun, Fun!!!!!

Summer Bowling Leagues

Looking for something to do this summer? Why not join one of our amazingly fun summer bowling leagues? Choose which one best suits you, and get signed up today!  Joining a summer league can be a great opportunity whether you are a beginner or a novice wanting to step up your game.  Leagues are forming now, so get a move on.  There are many benefits from joining a summer bowling league.

Summer League Benefits:

• Shorter season
• Less competitive
• Less expensive
• Cool atmosphere
• Smaller teams
• Improve your bowling average 

Click here to view or Summer League offerings:

List of Bowling Leagues

Faqcebook Contest Winner

Congratulations Justin Jennings

Justin Jennings from the Tuesday Night Commercial Bowling League was the lucky winner in the Bowl-A-Roll Lanes Facebook page promotion.  Justin and nine (9) of his friends have won a two (2) hour bowling party at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes.  Thanks Justin for participating in the monthly contest.

Spring Leagues Are Now Forming

Joining a summer league can be a great opportunity whether you are a beginner or a novice wanting to step up your game. Leagues are forming now, so get a move on. There are many benefits from joining a summer bowling league. Here is a list of some of the advantages:

• Summer league bowlers practice all summer for FREE with your VIB card
• All Adult Summer league bowlers will be eligible to win $50,000 in our Safe Cracker promotion
• 10 short weeks of FUN
• End of season party
• Bowl with your friends and make new ones

Hey, kids and parents, Bowl-A-Roll Lanes has a deal for everyone this summer with a short 10 for 10 league that includes a free bowling ball.  The charge is only $10 per week for 10 weeks (hence the name); it includes two games each week. Bowl with your friends and meet new ones.  You will have a choice of nine different, cool, colored bowling ball designs.  The league begins on Saturday, May 17TH, 2014 at 1:00 pm.

For more information please feel free to contact us at
585-427-7250 or by email at bowlarol@rochester.rr.com.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpyYou will have a choice of nine different, cool, colored bowling ball designs,

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpyThe charge is only $8 per week for eight weeks (hence the name); it includes two games each week. Bowl with your friends and meet new ones.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/22/3064777/hey-kid-want-a-free-bowling-ball.html#storylink=cpy

Spring Leagues Now Forming

Spring Leagues are now Forming!

Q.  Do I have to be a good bowler?

A.  No! Bowling leagues are a social experience. You’re here to have fun.

Q.  Do I need a team formed in order to join a league?

A.  No. You can sign up with a team, a friend or two, or even by yourself. We help build a full team for you. Remember, bowling leagues are a great way to meet people and make new friends!

FUN leagues are back for spring!  Our FUN leagues are non-competitive 10 week bowling leagues with teams of two, three and four people. The structure is very easy and it's a great way to socialize with family, friends, coworkers or soon-to-be friends! Bowl-A-Roll Lanes has a night that works for every group, for instance: Sundays are great for families and Mondays are perfect for hospitality workers. Signing up is simple and fast.

Joining a summer league can be a great opportunity whether you are a beginner or a novice wanting to step up your game. Leagues are forming now, so get a move on. There are many benefits from joining a summer bowling league. Here is a list of some:  Join one of our Spring Leagues and practice ALL Summer for FREE; End of Season Banquet with Trophies; Discounted Food and Beverages at the Snack Bar; and All Adult Spring League Bowlers are eligible to win $50,000 in our Safe Cracker Promotion.

For more information please contact us at 585-427-7250 or email us at bowlarol@rochester.rr.com.  Flyer will be posted on our website in the very near future.  You can visit our website at www.bowl-a-roll. com.  Thanks and enjoy.

Bowling's Greatest Trick Shot Artist

Turner Classic Movies airs classic shorts from the golden age of moviegoing when for less than a dollar you got two movies, a serial, a cartoon, a newsreel and, yes, a short subject, non-animated. One of these shorts is titled Strikes and Spares and, I kid you now, shows a man tossing a bowling ball down the lane so that it curves all the way from the right side over to the left side AND THEN curves back to the right side to knock over the 10 pin standing all alone. And that was only one of the amazing feats of precision bowling that Andy Varipapa could do. Even if you aren't a bowler, and I'm not though I do prefer to wear the shirts and shoes of the sport, you can't help but be mesmerized by what Varipapa could do with a bowling ball.
If Andy Varipapa were around today he would no doubt be hosting some kind of trick bowling reality show. As it is, he was the unofficial Ambassador of the Lanes, making the eyes of audience members both young and old, novice and experience, nearly burst forth from their eye sockets. And if those eyeballs had shot out, I have little doubt but Andy Varipapa could have tossed them down the bowling lane and knocked over any individual pin he so desired. Andy Varipapa is an example of how this country thrives based on immigration; it has been said that Varipapa converted more non-bowlers to the sport than any other human being. He came to America as a young boy and spared no time in striking out to learn all he could. This passion for knowledge eventually led him to become the icon of trick bowling (which he preferred to call precision bowling), though he could play straight as well. He set a world record of 68 perfect games over his career. But it was his trick bowling that really set him apart and made a name for himself. You might say he was a precursor to the modern athlete who gets more famous than his talented peers by showboating; except, of course, that Andy Varipapa was more talented than his peers as well. (Lesson to be learned, Terrell Owens.)
What also sets Varipapa apart from second-tier showboaters of today is that he basically had to learn trick bowling in order to make a living. Despite the popularity of bowling across the United States, there just wasn't much money in tournaments. But people paid well to see things like Varipapa sending two balls down the lane ambidextrously, having them cross over the paths of each other, and knock down the 7 and 10 pins simultaneously. He was also a showman. One of his tricks involved about a dozen bathing beauties lined up diagonally down the lane, standing astride with just enough room for his curving ball to smoothly glide between their ankles and knock down a pin at the end. In fact, Andy Varipapa didn't even need his hand to make a bowling ball curve ridiculously down the lane; one of his most popular trick bowling shots involved pushing the ball off with his foot and still managing to get a wicked curve.
Andy Varipapa was such a talented and popular trick bowler that he didn't even need to knock over any pins at all. One of his showstopper tricks involved sending the black orb veeeerrrrryyyy sssssllllllooooowwwwwlllllyyyy down the lane, where it momentarily stopped just before it reached the pins, and then came rolling right back to a waiting Varipapa! Another big hit involved three pins set up on two lanes. Andy would roll the ball down the left lane where it would hit a pin set to the right about halfway down the lane, causing the pin to fly across over to the right lane where it would knock down another pin, while at the same time the ball would begin to curve over and knock down the last pin on the left side.
Click on this link to take you to a YouTube video where you can watch many of the trick shots I write about in this article.

Short Season Bowling League

We will be offering a Every-Other-Week Short Season Bowling League starting on Sunday, February 16th starting at 6:30 pm.  The league is Co-Ed and is comprised of four (4) adult bowlers any combination of Men, Women or Mixed.  For more information please contact Bowl-A-Roll Lanes at 585-427-7250 or email us bowlarol@rochester.rr.com.