Paradise Lanes News

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: January 25, 2007

League standing sheets are now online for the Winter 2007 season, and will be updated as the league progresses (usually the following day). Check your league scores here.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: December 15, 2006

League standing sheets are now online for the Fall 2006 season. Check them out here.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: February 24, 2006

PARADISE LANES CONTINUES SUCCESS WITH NEW LEAGUES

Paradise Lanes has had a revival of sorts this year, filling all of its existing leagues, forming two new leagues, and now adding two more that support the family profile of San Juan Island.

The bowling center was first successful in filling its highly touted Merchant Leagues, where companies sponsor teams of employees where both teams and sponsors have a chance to win prize money. Then the lanes embarked on two new leagues – a Trio-Team Happy Hour League on Fridays that has proved to be well received, and Thursday “Bantams” – a junior league for ages 6-12 after school that was oversubscribed.

Because of the success of the first Bantam League ever offered at the bowling center, Paradise Lanes is offering a second one that starts on Tuesday after school (3:00). Parents are calling in reservations as this new league only has six spots remaining in it.

If that weren’t enough, Paradise Lanes is trying an “industry first”: offering a family league where team size doesn’t matter. Dubbed the Family Fun League, the bowling center is offering families the opportunity to play against each other, but will use “blind scores” to equalize the competition and allow for different sized families to compete.

“Our Advisory Board thought this might be a great way to let families bowl without having to have a finite number of people on a team,” said Mike Best, Promotions Director at Paradise Lanes. “For example, if we have a family of two adults and two kids compete against a family with four children, we simply give two blind scores to the smaller family to equalize the scoring. This way, families can have an enjoyable experience and not be concerned about how many to sport on a team. We pitch Paradise Lanes as a ‘family fun center’ and this will prove it: now families can come and have a great time together enjoying a recreation, ordering a dinner meal from Jimmy’s Paradise Café and meeting with other friends and families in a non-competitive, social atmosphere.”

“This is the first time we have ever offered something like this and we think the ‘flexible team size’ concept might be the first time this has ever been tried in the bowling industry. We like making firsts, and this should be highly popular,” he added.

The league is slated for 4:15 pm on Sundays, beginning March 5th. “We are doing it late afternoon on a Sunday so that any youngsters playing competitive sports off-island on the weekend will be back on-island in time for the league, and families will finish in time to either have dinner together, or for the children to do homework and get to bed at a reasonable hour.”

The pricing has also been made attractive. “We want families to be able to afford this, so we are pricing league games at about half our normal weekend rates, and have struck a deal for meal specials with Jimmy’s Paradise Café. Families will have the option of paying one set price for both food and bowling, if they want to make dinner out of it.”

Best expects the league to fill quickly. “We only have eight lanes, and therefore can only accommodate eight families. The Advisory Board has vetted the concept of a “family fun league” around the community and we have had an overwhelmingly positive response.”

Just so those that are new to bowling don’t feel intimidated, the bowling center is offering an instructional clinic for beginners on Saturday, March 4 at 10:30 am. Bowlers will learn the 4-Step Delivery and how to aim for spares. Cost is $12 and includes three games of bowling.

To reserve for a league or the instructional clinic, either drop by Paradise Lanes to fill out a sign-up sheet, email bowl@ParadiseLanes.net or call 370-5667 ext 1.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: February 17, 2006

PARADISE LANES OFFERS FIRST-EVER ‘FLEXIBLE’ FAMILY LEAGUE


In what appears to be an industry first, Paradise Lanes is offering a family league where team size doesn’t matter. Dubbed the Family Fun League, Paradise Lanes is offering families the opportunity to play against each other, but will use “blind scores” to equalize the competition and allow for different sized families to compete.

“Our Advisory Board thought this might be a great way to let families bowl without having to have a finite number of people on a team,” said Mike Best, Promotions Director at Paradise Lanes. “For example, if we have a family of two adults and two kids compete against a family with four children, we simply give two blind scores to the smaller family to equalize the scoring. This way, families can have an enjoyable experience and not be concerned about how many to sport on a team. We pitch Paradise Lanes as a ‘family fun center’ and this will prove it: now families can come and have a great time together enjoying a recreation, ordering a dinner meal from Jimmy’s Paradise Café and meeting with other friends and families in a non-competitive, social atmosphere.”

“This is the first time we have ever offered something like this and we think the ‘flexible team size’ concept might be the first time this has ever been tried in the bowling industry. We like making firsts, and this should be highly popular,” he added.

The league is slated for 4:15 pm on Sundays, beginning March 5th. “We are doing it late afternoon on a Sunday so that any youngsters playing competitive sports off-island on the weekend will be back on-island in time for the league, and families will finish in time to either have dinner together, or for the children to do homework and get to bed at a reasonable hour.”

The pricing has also been made attractive. “We want families to be able to afford this, so we are pricing league games at about half our normal weekend rates, and have struck a deal for meal specials with Jimmy’s Paradise Café. Families will have the option of paying one set price for both food and bowling, if they want to make dinner out of it.”

Best expects the league to fill quickly. “We only have eight lanes, and therefore can only accommodate eight families. The Advisory Board has vetted the concept of a “family fun league” around the community and we have had an overwhelmingly positive response.”

To reserve your spot, either drop by Paradise Lanes to fill out a sign-up sheet, check out the website signup form or call 370-5667 x1. The league is expected to be filled by March 1st for its March 5th start.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: February 5, 2006

SAN JUAN’S MIKE HOGAN ROLLS 289 GAME

Thursday nights seem to be special at Friday Harbor’s Paradise Lanes. Just before the New Year, Scott Olinger rolled a near-perfect 290 game in the Thursday Mixed Foursome League, setting a new high game record for three-year-old Paradise Lanes. Now right on his heels, San Juan Islander Mike Hogan rolled a 289 game in the same league.

Hogan found the lanes to his liking – even with the extensive noise from the hammering next door as Paradise Lanes was in the middle of renovating its Games Arcade. Hogan threw nine pocket strikes to open the game. As he entered the tenth frame, in which one must bowl three more strikes for a perfect game, all fell silent as other league bowlers stopped their bowling and began to watch. Un-phased, Mike managed another pocket strike for ten in a row. Some started to look at the 300 Game Award board where advertisers such as Wells Fargo Bank, M&W Car Stereo, Radio Shack, China Pearl, Island Concrete, Carquest, San Juan Propane, Peppermill, IslandersBank, Best Western, Jimmy’s Paradise Cafe and Rocky Bay Café have pledged over $3600 in cash and prizes for a perfect score. Hogan ignored the crowd and kept his focus, addressing the pins with his eleventh shot. He made a good release, but the ball came in a little high on the headpin, leaving a lone six-pin. Sparing it, he finished with a 289 score.

This is the closest Hogan has ever come to a perfect game and he set a personal best for both high game and series, finishing the evening with a 658 series. He is also sporting his highest-ever average now, with a 186.

Before Paradise Lanes, Hogan bowled briefly for a couple of years a decade ago when he and his wife Karen lived in Texas where they owned a real estate development company. He averaged 158 back then but had to quit since his business was taking up too much time. The couple retired to San Juan Island three years ago and decided to take up bowling again since it seemed like a fun recreation. In two years of bowling here, both have improved their averages. Mike said, “We are having a great time bowling in leagues here as we get to meet new friends and the leagues are fun. Along with other bowlers, we’ve noticed the lane conditions are now very consistent and much improved, too. At least I like them,” he added with a smile…

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: January 13, 2006

Paradise Lanes Closes Successful Fall Campaign for Wolverine Sports

When was the last time you were at Paradise Lanes? If you are a Friday Harbor High School Wolverine sports fan, you’ve likely been there recently! Paradise Lanes began to sponsor Friday Harbor High School events in December, and held three fundraisers for the sports programs at the lanes. They supported the football team before the playoffs by filling one wall with the player roster and game results. Then league bowlers were invited to sign messages of good wishes to the team members as they entered the playoffs. And every time someone bowled on a Sunday between 1 and 5 pm, Paradise Lanes gave 50c/game to the Purple and Gold.

This is just the start,” says Mike Best, Promotions Director for Paradise Lanes. “We now have listed on our walls the rosters and schedules for all winter sports – boys and girls basketball and wrestling – and we are planning “Team Fun Days” for all team members at the wrap-up of their seasons. We will continue with the five spring term sports teams in March. And to get caught up, we are currently planning Team Fun Days for the fall term soccer teams, boys tennis, girls volleyball and cheerleaders, too. We hope to have the fall sports teams in to bowl at special times during the month of January.”

“The Team Fun Days have free game prizes, for students that beat their coaches in a head-to-head competition, or roll a strike when a rack has a “Wolverine Gold” headpin. We will continue to support Wolverine Sports with further fundraisers, too,” he concluded.

In addition to supporting the sports teams, Paradise Lanes is also giving a free game of bowling to all FHHS students that made the academic honor roll during the Fall Term. “We want to congratulate and honor those that worked to achieve good grades,” Best said. “They deserve a pat on the back.” Best is working with both Marilyn Luckman, Principal of the High School and Ann Spratt, Principal of the Middle School, to extend this offer to students in both schools.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: January 7, 2006

Paradise Lanes Ties Into FHHS Arts and Independent Study Programs

Paradise Lanes is changing its Games Arcade, and using Friday Harbor High School students to do it.

The bowling center in Friday Harbor has announced its intention to completely renovate its Games Arcade. Paradise Lanes says it will work with Larry Whyte, who coordinates independent study projects in the community for students, and with Pat Speer, Director of the FHHS Arts Program, to form an all-student advisory board to help determine how to re-design the Arcade. Students will be given ‘real world’ experience with lectures that will range from budget planning to market studies and industry trend analysis. In each case, the lecturers will be experts in their field, including an accountant, a sports marketing MBA and a video games industry chief. Students will further be given several market and budget constraints to consider in their deliberations.

The Advisory Board will be formed from students doing independent project studies during the shortened seven-week Winter Term. After they come up with a plan of action, their recommendations will be turned over to Pat Speer and her Spring Term Art and Graphic Design classes that start in March.

Mike Best, Promotions Director for Paradise Lanes, said, “Students know what students like best; that’s why we want their input. We want to show the community how resourceful and creative our students can be and this will certainly be a showcase that will do just that.” Best says he wants them to be creative, and not just slap some different colors of paint on the wall. “We expect them to create ‘an environment’ – think of Disneyland, or Star Wars….we are looking for the “wow” factor! We want them to be inspired,” he said.

PRESS RELEASE
DATE: Friday, January 06, 2006

SCOTT OLINGER BOWLS 290 GAME

Lots of excitement was afoot at Paradise Lanes during the holidays as local tradesman Scott Olinger rolled a near-perfect 290 game to finish out the Thursday Mixed Foursome league’s fall season on December 29th. This set a new high game record for the three-year-old Paradise Lanes and with eleven strikes out of twelve, was as close to a perfect game as one can get.

Even though sponsors such as IslanderBank, Wells Fargo Bank, M&W Car Stereo, Radio Shack, China Pearl, Island Concrete, Carquest, San Juan Propane, Peppermill and Rocky Bay Café had over $2800 in cash and prizes on the line for a perfect score, they were never really in danger of losing all those pledges because Olinger’s 290 score came with a spare in the first frame.

“Unfortunately, out of a perfect 12 strikes that were needed, the one miss came in the first frame, so that made it quite anti-climatic,” said Mike Best, Promotions Director at Paradise Lanes. “Scott would never have been thinking of a 300 since he left a 10-pin in the first frame, so it wasn’t possible to get a 300 after that. But it was closer to a 300 than one might realize since Scott’s miss in the first frame was solidly in the pocket and he stuck a lone 10-pin. Had that pin fallen, we might be telling a different story!!”

Olinger’s family has been in the bowling industry for some years and he used to rep for one of the major suppliers in the business. He currently carries the highest average at Paradise Lanes, so he isn’t a newcomer to this kind of pressure or high scores. “I think we would all like to see Scott reach that pinnacle (of a 300 game) because he is very deserving. He is a great bowler,” Best added.

Best is intending to secure further sponsorships for a perfect 300 game, so that total cash and prizes will exceed $3,000. “That offers some pretty good incentive to our bowlers for the day we have a perfect 300 game bowled at Paradise Lanes,” he said.