Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 31, 1992 TAG: 9203310183
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Not surprising, considering they had just bowled for 24 hours straight at Triangle Lanes.
But it wasn't for nothing. They raised about $3,000 for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters' fund-raiser, Bowl for Kids' Sake.
The 10 bowlers, regulars at Triangle Lanes, started at noon Saturday and continued through the night, finishing at noon Sunday.
"I am tired and I am sore," said Pam Eavey on Sunday. She had decided to join the bowlathon at the last minute.
Eavey said she was glad she participated, but doesn't plan to do it again. She will continue to participate in the Bowl for Kids' Sake annual fund-raiser, she said.
Eavey works in the Food Science and Technology Department at Virginia Tech and bowls in the Womens League. "I will not experience this again," she said with a smile. "It was good, but once is enough for me."
The bowlers played 25 games in 24 hours. Their scores started and ended much the same, between 150 and 200. They all peaked around the 10th game with scores reaching 250.
Matt McCoy scored the highest with 267 out of a possible 300. Chris Crawford scored the lowest with 99, but that was in the 24th game.
"It was worth raising the money, but it was hard getting money out of the New River Valley," said McCoy, who spent a week calling and visiting about 40 businesses. One company gave him $10 after he completed an application for the donation, he said.
But McCoy, whose father ownes M&M Tire Co., conceded that sometimes it is difficult for businesses to find money to donate. However, it was the smaller companies that were more willing to give, he said.
Terry Stike, manager of the bowling alley and organizer of the bowl-a-thon, wants to make it an annual event. He also is a board member of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, an organization that pairs adults with kids who need a caring friend.
Bowler Debbie Brown, who works at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, admitted she was crazy for participating, but "I think it's a very good cause." She said a lot of youngsters in the area need programs like Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Brown works with the junior league at Triangle Lanes.
Robbie Dalton, a New River Community College student and part-time worker at the lanes, couldn't hide the exhaustion from his face Sunday morning.
Dalton had been up late Friday night and was in to work at 9 a.m. Saturday, he said.
Would he do it again?
"Nope." he said glancing at Stike, who frowned back at him. "Yeah, I might. It depends," Dalton said with a grin.
In the meantime, his thumb, blistered and swollen, wouldn't fit in the bowling ball anymore.
Everyone had taken an hour break to eat. Another break was taken in the early hours of Sunday morning, but it was cut short because some of the players were getting stiff, Eavey said.
"We bowled and we endured," Eavey said. And when it was over she wanted "a nice hot shower and [to] go to bed."
Other participants were Danny and Ann Crawford and Roy Holt.
Throughout Saturday afternoon more than 100 teams bowled for kids' sake raising money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The total amount raised was $21,000, which fell short of the $27,500 goal mostly because of the economy, said Director Susan Gibas.
Banks, churches, police departments, fraternities and many more organizations from throughout the New River Valley made up the 374 record number of bowlers.
"It's gotten to be an annual thing people look forward to," said Kent Bond, vice president of the board of directors. Bond has been a big brother for four years.
The fund-raiser started in the early 1970s in Canada and came to the New River Valley in 1985.
When it started it was known as "Bowl for Millions," Bond said. The name was changed because people thought it was bowling for money, he said. About 300 agencies across the nation hold the fund-raiser.
by CNB