MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Suburban Lanes will begin fall league action starting the week of Aug. 26, and there are still spots open for competitors.
The local bowling center offers multiple team leagues for the fall season, catering to different skill levels. According to manager Justin Malik, interested bowlers can contact Suburban Lanes for more info.
“We just want people to come out, have fun and enjoy bowling. You’ll see really good competition,” he said.
Two leagues offer rather large prize payouts. The John Howard Motors and FluHarty DentalLab Don Varner Memorial Men’s League on Tuesday night pays $5,000 to the first-place team, and the Farmer, Kline and Campbell Scratch League on Thursday night offers a $60,000 prize fund awarded over 36 weeks.
“It keeps you really sharp, especially if you bowl a lot of competitive tournaments,” said Suburban Lanes pro shop head Kyle Davy, who participates in the Scratch league. “It keeps you on top of your game.”
Of course, there are reasons other than the competition and prize money to join a league. For local bowler David Varner, the variety of leagues offers diversity while he attempts to stay involved in the game as much as possible. The Don Varner Memorial — named after his uncle — also provides a chance to play the sport he loves in honor of his beloved family member.
“The diversity of it is appealing,” Varner said. “I bowl in three different leagues here, all different levels of competitiveness. It’s nice being able to go from a relaxed environment bowling with your family to competing at a high level for prize money.
“It is a privilege to be able to bowl in a league named after my uncle. He passed away of cancer about 20 years ago, and that was Suburban Lanes’ way of honoring someone who was influential at this center.”
And for new bowlers like Jarred Rawfon, it’s a chance to sharpen his game and learn from upper-tier competition in a more laid-back environment.
“It’s a big help to be out here and see and compete against good competition this league attracts, and not worry about how I’m going to perform. It makes me want to better myself,” he said.
However for some, the atmosphere Suburban Lanes provides is enough to bring them out every week.
“I just love to bowl, and Suburban Lanes provides a great atmosphere for that,” David Taylor said.
