EVERETT, Wash. — Bowlers in Snohomish, Pierce, and King Counties gathered outside local bowling alleys Saturday to raise awareness about pandemic restrictions surrounding their favorite sport.
They haven’t been allowed to throw strikes or score a spare since March and frustration is growing now that it appears reopening is even further away.
Governor Jay Inslee recently reclassified bowling alleys in his 'Safe Start' reopening plan, placing them in Phase 4, which is the least restrictive phase.
It’s disheartening news for Bob Kocik who has been bowling at Everett’s Evergreen Lanes for more than 30 years.
"I think it's crazy, 45 other states have bowling that's open why can't we?" Kocik asked.
Some bowling alleys have closed permanently.
Crowds also gathered outside popular bowling alleys in Puyallup, Federal Way, and Burien on Saturday.
Jason Hoff said they have a safety plan that would make opening his business safe.
"Social distancing is easy in a bowling center because the buildings are bigger than you might think," Hoff said. "Being a non-contact sport and one that's not terribly aerobic you're not going to have all the huffing and puffing and wearing a mask is perfectly easy."
Hoff said they already sanitize shoes and could work out a system to sanitize balls and assign balls to one per bowler, cleaning them between customers. Plus, many regular bowlers have their own gear.
Hoff said if they have to wait until next year for Phase 4 he believes about 90% of the bowling alleys will go under, including his.
Families at Saturday's event talked about what bowling means for their children. Some participate in junior leagues and have earned money for college. They represent different ages and backgrounds but seem to share a similar feeling about bowling.
"It's been rough, I miss it,” Kocik said. "Sitting out five months and not bowling, that's hard."
People can learn more about the effort to bring bowling back sooner, here.
