Dear Editor,
Bowling is one of the world’s most popular sports, and it is a sport for the whole family. There are a lot of advantages to the sport, but with the good comes the bad. Bowling is a fun sport, but it requires a lot of attention and extra expenses. If, however, people could be focused on the task at hand and stop paying for unnecessary expenses in the community, a lot more would get done.
To start, bowling is an all age sport. Therefore, everyone can participate. Because the age of participants do not matter, everyone is able to stay healthy and fit— all while having fun. Although it may not seem like it, when someone is participating in this sport they are getting a lot of exercise. They could be walking up to three- fifths of a mile in one game.
Everyone in the community can participate, bringing even the smallest of towns together. “Malco Rolls 50+ years of bowling experiences into family entertainment,” a story printed in Film Journal International in November of 2014, stated that, “Bowling alleys are popular for birthdays. People like to bowl or play for a while, and then have a separate place to cut the cake and where they can set the kids loose.”
Kids can share and start memories they would never forget if there was a bowling alley close enough for them to play at whenever they want. All in all, if there is a bowling alley, then there can be a lot of health improvements and community improvements as well.
Everybody thinks the idea of getting a bowling alley would be fun, but one must be committed to paying the price to have one. For just one lane it would cost a total of $81,900, and for two lanes it would cost $117,900. In 1997, an article titled “High cost in bowling alleys repairs,” stated that, “All the upgrades required to comply with city codes had been factored in, the final estimate hit $756,000.” That was for equipment, along with a foundation and construction of the building.
If there was already a foundation and building in existence, it would cut the cost down. Luckily for Newcastle, Wyoming there is already a bowling alley set up, so it would not cost as much. In the end, there is a lot of money to be put into this project and one would really have to commit to pay all the money for it, but finding a pre-built alley is an easy way to save a bit.
In a small community people are constantly trying to pay for everything at one time, but it is important to focus on one task at a time. Newcastle is extremely focused on a number of things that need to be paid for. The senior center’s roof and the soccer fields are some expensive projects that the community is trying to pay for, but not all of these things can be paid for at one time. Picking one and paying for all of it before moving to the next project is a good way to focus on one task. The soccer fields do not need to be expanded, and Newcastle does not necessarily need to get a bowling alley. They just need to pick one project and fix it, then move to the next. But only pick one project! Communities need to decide what is best for them, and work towards that one goal.
Bowling is an extremely fun sport full of laughter and family, where everyone can be who they are and still have the time of their lives. Bowling could really bring a family together, just like a community. There is a lot of money required for this project, but by cutting back on unnecessary expenses and focusing on this one goal it can be achieved. Bowling could really help a community find something everyone likes to do, and if we just pick a single project this could be a possibility.
—Emily Rushton