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Youth bowlers shine in summer league

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ANDREA GALABINSKI Very young bowlers include 4-year-old Vayden Smith and 6-year-old Amber Jacobs.
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Youth bowlers at All Star Lanes include Sarah and Brianna Pridmore, Tyler and Kayla Cheslosky, Sabrina Gonzalez, Gregory Hinderliter, Xiomara Gonzalez, Ashlee Peppenelli, Austin Welch, Morgan Boxwell, Jose Gonzalez Jr. and John Blair.

All Star Lanes in North Fort Myers is now hosting Youth Bowling Leagues, something program director Sally Gartner said involves more than just bowling.

“Bowling is a sport that can give self esteem and confidence, plus it is a family-oriented sport. It can benefit youths that are unable to do contact sports, and this can provide a way for them to do their personal best and obtain an opportunity to earn scholarships,” she said.

They end the current Summer Youth League in August, but are now looking to build the league for the fall.

“These are held Saturdays at 10 a.m., and we start Sept. 5,” Gartner said. “Each coach that is coaching the kids is a certified registered volunteer. That mean they’ve all had a background check and they’ve also taken classes to teach them to bowl like a pro.”

The leagues are for kids ages 2 to 18.

Very young bowlers recently at the lanes included 4-year-old Vayden Smith and 6-year-old Amber Jacobs.

“We do start at two but usually they are four before they can bowl,” she said.

Of the younger ones, Gartner said, “He [Smith] loves to bowl fast. Amber likes to get strikes.”

The cost is $9.50 per week for the youth leagues.

“We have a bowling party and every child receives a trophy at the end,” Gartner continued. “That builds self-esteem.”

She also talked about the popular Family Tournaments at the lanes.

“There is an awesome International Family Tournament, where if you win out of the state of Florida, they fly you expense paid to Dallas, Texas for the finals,” she said.

Last year, All Star Lanes had first place winners out of the state of Florida and ended up earning $3,000 in scholarships. They pay out scholarships at all levels.

“When my daughter was 8 years old, we won first in the state of Florida and they flew us to Texas, expense paid, it was awesome,” she said. “She won a $1,000 scholarship for college. It actually rolled over in interest every year until she used it as well.”

Each “house” runs a tournament to quality.

“We qualify in February of every year,” she said.

It starts with the youth bowlers.

“It’s a two-person team to qualify,” she said. “In February we get hold of people that have qualified. It has to be a youth and an adult.”

If you enroll kids in the fall league, the kids can still bowl toward that goal of making the Internationals.

Gartner also noted that there is a CD available called “Bowlopolis” that is a continuing story about a cartoon family and their bowling.

“Please contact us on obtaining this CD and go to Bowlopolis.com for bowling games,” she said.

NASCAR League

and Cruise Bowling

You can bowl in August for tickets to Homestead for the weekend of November 2010.

“We are bowling and the money goes toward obtaining the tickets,” Gartner said. “It’s like a savings account, and then the monies go for the three-day pass. That includes going into the pits.”

This league is for adults on Tuesday nights starting Aug. 25, at 6:30 p.m.

“Start roaring your engines by registering now,” Gradner said, Cruise bowling is for both kids and adults.

“A weekly fee of $20 per person will include your bowling every week for 37 weeks and that will totally pay for your bowling and your cruise. It’s a savings account again,” she said. “Last year we bowled for Grand Cayman and Cozumel. This year we’re going to the other side, the Eastern side.”

Officials are still working on the schedules.

Those leagues will start Aug. 23 and continue 37 Sunday nights at 6 p.m.

For information, call Gartner at 995-2138. All Star Lanes is located at 2818 N. Tamiami Trail.