Central Bowling Club stranded after bowling alley closure

Central+Bowling+Club+stranded+after+bowling+alley+closure

Jonathan Glover, Assistant Scene Editor

For the past three quarters, the Central Bowling Club (CBC) has been stranded with no bowling alley to play in.

Following the closure of the Ellensburg bowling alley where the club met and practiced, the club decided to disband.
In October 2013, Rodeo Bowl  closed its doors indefinitely. Originally stated as a temporary closure on the business’ Facebook page, word of its permanent closure came following rumors of unpaid taxes.
According to a Daily Record story, Rodeo Bowl closed after tax warrants from the State Department of Revenue, totaling between $7,611 and $8,014, were levied against the owner, James Kirkham.
On a review posted to Yelp, user Chuck D. said a personal friend of his, who worked for Rodeo Bowl, was unable to cash their last paycheck.
He also cited the state of the bowling as being less than favorable overall.
Since Rodeo Bowl’s closing, the bowling club has taken a lengthy hiatus. John Jordan, club president and junior finance major, said there were plans to play in Yakima, but those have all fallen through.
“I had something starting to set up with one of the owners over at Nob Hill,” Jordan said. “When I was talking to somebody in [Cory Sinclair]’s office, they said to not, because of liability reasons.”
Steve Smith, manager of Nob Hill Bowling, has worked for the company for the past 23 years, 15 of those as the general manager.
He said, following Rodeo Bowl’s closure, only a few leagues have moved from Ellensburg.
“We have some kids from Ellensburg that have come down for quite some time,” Smith said. “The senior league has moved as well. We were having issues with our slots so we couldn’t pick up too much for leagues.”
Before Rodeo Bowl closed its doors, the bowling club enjoyed  a large membership and bolstered a talented roster of professional quality bowlers.
The club’s traveling team used to make long trips to compete in tournament play with other collegiate clubs.
“We would usually drive to Nevada, which was our closest games,” Jordan said. “We drove down to Arizona one long weekend.”
Included in the traveling team was Thomas Nute, club treasurer and junior finance major.
Nute and Jordan are accomplished bowlers, both having recorded impressively high scores.
“We’ve both bowled perfect games before,” Nute said. “Our favorite part of bowling club was the travelling team and being able to compete.”
“It was fun to be competitive with friends,” Jordan said. “When I took over last year, I was trying to get more people into it because it had died down the past few years. I guess it didn’t really matter anyways.”
Neither Nute nor Jordan have any plans to join other clubs at this time.
While the bowling club no longer meets or plays together, previous club members can enjoy playing in Yakima or back home when they get the time.
As for the state of the club, Jordan said there aren’t any plans to continue club business, especially since they are unable to play at Nob Hill.
“Maybe next year I’ll try to move the club play to Yakima to see if it works,” Jordan said. “It really depends on when or if the bowling alley here opens. But, as of right now, there’s nothing. I don’t have anything planned.”