Ambassadors help sell the sport of bowling in Havasu

Steve Shirley is a recent convert to the joys of bowling. And he’s willing to share the good word.

Shirley and his wife Vicky are part of a group of about a dozen volunteers that make up the Havasu Lanes Ambassadors, bowlers that love the sport and want to help others enjoy it as well.

“I’m new to the game,” Shirley said Thursday during the Elks League games. “I moved here six years ago and started bowling then. I’d never bowled before and now it’s my favorite hobby.”

That love of the sport is one of the reasons Rusty Hanna, the director of marketing and operations for Havasu Lanes, started the Ambassador program in Lake Havasu City about five weeks ago.

“And the response has been very positive. To the point of people asking to be a part of it. I just had three people ask to be ambassadors last night,” Hanna said.

There are 13 leagues currently playing at the local bowling center – six Senior Leagues in the morning s and afternoons, two Day Leagues and five Night Leagues – plus five Junior Leagues for children will play on Saturdays starting in January. The ambassadors were formed to help new members to league bowling, attract former members back to the sport and organize special tournaments and fundraisers.

“Bowling participation is down and the economy is a factor to a small degree. But even with the economy people still need to get away and relax,” Hanna said. “Bowling is still one of the cheapest forms of entertainment for a family.”

Hanna also acknowledged miscues by Havasu Lanes staff, where customer service wasn’t a priority.

“To a great degree participation being down was self-inflicted. But we’re focusing on customer service, with staff going through a four-hour course. And the ambassadors will be a big part of that,” he said. “Every bowling center I’ve ever been affiliated with has been a focal point of the community and it’s essential we make that happen here.”

To Shirley, that customer service means being on hand to help new bowlers understand the rules and etiquette of league bowler, tips to be better at the sport and being there to answer questions.

“I could be here four or five nights a week,” Shirley said.

He’s also, along with fellow Ambassador Dan Blair, an instructor for the Beginning Bowlers youth program, currently running at 4 p.m. on Mondays. About 50 community children learn how to enjoy the sport.

“I thought my contribution would be coaching the children. Then the Havasu Lanes Ambassador program came up and I thought, ‘what else can I do?’ I’m all for this program,” Shirley said.

Todd Belote, chairman of the Havasu Lanes Ambassadors, said the group’s first biog event gets underway next month.

“We’re staging the Tournament of Champions and Cellar Dwellers Tournament on Dec. 12,” Belote said Wednesday during the ambassadors meeting. “This will be the first time we’ve had this tournament in four or five years. It will feature all of the best bowlers from the last year. And all the last place finishers.”

To learn more about league bowling, call 855-2695.

You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.