AboutWarren Friedl Expertise 20 Years Pro Shop Owner/Operator, 17 Years Bowling Center Operator (Manager/General Manager), Certified Coach since National Bowling Council and YABA days. Also Dick Ritger and USA Bowling Bronze certified. International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) Charter member, IBPSIA Certified, IBPSIA "On Lanes" Certified, 2 Time Member of the IBPSIA Board of Directors and Past Secretary/Treasurer, Small Shop columnist "Pro Shop Operator" Magazine, contributor to "Bowlers Journal International" magazine, editor of IBPSIA NET NEWS weekly e-newsletter, editor of "The Bowling Tree" blog and webmaster of www.revbowl.com.
Experience 20 Years operating Revolutions Pro Shops in 2nd Largest bowling ball market in the country, Chicagoland.
17 Years in Center operations as Marketing Director, Asst. Manager or General Manager, becoming GM in every Center I worked.
Organizations American Bowling Congress/USBC Member since 1976, bowling 50 years.
International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) Charter and continuing member (18 years), 2 time member of IBPSIA Board of Directors, former Secretary/Treasurer.
US Bowling Coaches Association (Bronze Coach)
Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA)
Publications “Bowlers Journal International” and “Pro Shop Operator” Magazines.
Chicago Bowler, Windy City Bowling News, Centennial Lanes.com, The Bowling Tree Blog, IBPSIA.com and IBPSIA Net News (e-newsletter).
Education/Credentials IBPSIA Technically Certified. Multiple Seminars from AMF, Brunswick, Columbia, Circle, Ebonite, Hammer, Mo-Rich, Storm, Track, Dexter, Etonic, and others. Kaploe and Davis Bowling Marketing training.
Certified with the Young America Bowling Alliance (YABA) and the National Bowling Council (NBC) as a coach in 1982. Other coaching credentials include: Dick Ritger Level One, Dick Ritger Coaching Coaches, and USA Bowling Bronze Level.
Awards and Honors Created and executed Promotions highlighted in Bowlers Journal Magazine and included in the “150 Promotions for Bowling Centers” organized by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA).
First Pro Shop featured in Bowling Industry magazine, for customer service and merchandising, October 1996.
Identified “One of the best ball fitters in the country” by then Track, Inc. President Del Warren, September 2005.
Tournament Promotions lead to top performance in center, or for center hosted events including: Chicago City Championships, US Open Qualifiers, Amateur Bowlers Tour.
Past/Present Clients Presenter at the IBPSIA National Convention.
Presenter at Bowling Proprietors Association Management School
Question This may sound like a silly question but it is a serious one
to me. The local facility where I bowl is an AMF center.
They keep the temperature set at 75 degrees which is
comfortable for the desk personnel and those that are in the
audience but for those of us that are bowling that is too
warm. I remember reading somewhere that temperature has a
big effect on lane condition even more than oil. If that is
so what is supposed to be the ideal temp? Or is there one?
Thanks for your time.
Sweating when I bowl,
Charles
Answer Charles,
I feel your sweat.
I always tried to keep the centers I ran at 70 degrees in the spring and summer. It's much easier to do in the fall and winter and often it was a cooler, the body heat (from a full house) raised the temp.
Same thing happens in the spring/summer, but the AC typically can't keep up if the centers busy.
The dilemma, if you don't know what to expect, as far as the business for an evening, trying to save on energy costs is sometimes helpful. But, if the center gets busy, and customers get warm, they leave and won't soon be back, because of the bad experience.
If you are a business owner and can't afford the expense of waiting for (sometimes more profitable) open play bowlers, then build some leagues and they will help you afford the AC and heat.
Charles, get some signatures from your fellow bowlers, request that the air be lowered about an hour to an hour and a half before league, and cranked to 75 about a half hour before league ends. A defined schedule should be doable for the center, and a reasonable compromise.
Many centers have multiple zones. Have the center manager or owner agree to keep one end of the center cooler for your league. It's not necessary to cool the entire place to a workable temp for the athletes bowling, just the area the league is in.
Thanks for your question. Suggest that if you sweat and it get's on the approach and players start to stick, someone may go down and sue!
