issue 3// vol 47 life & style // no. 17

Half the game, twice the fun

» The death of five-pin bowling has been exaggerated

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

I August, Burnaby Now printed a story
about the closure of the Old Orchard’s
Five-Pin Bowling Centre, and the last
five-pin bowling alley in Burnaby. This
follows another article they did six years
prior about the decline of frve-pin bowling.
However, to close the coffin on five-pin
bowling—the uniquely Canadian game
played with half the pins and a smaller
ball—may be premature, as there are

still locations in the Lower Mainland
championing the five-pin game. One of
those locations resides in Port Coquitlam,
where Poco Bowl has been thundering
balls down their 14-lane facility since 1950. I
spoke with co-owner Angela Madaski about
the five-pin game, how her business is
adapting to COVID-19, and how her

alley plans to continue to be part of the
community for years to come.

Madaski inherited the alley from her
grandfather and great grandmother who
took over the alley on McAllister Avenue
located right across from Port Coquitlam
City Hall in 1959. Over the years the alley
has hosted tournaments, youth bowling
leagues, senior leagues, women’s leagues,
and customers of all ages while keeping the
lanes exclusively for frve-pin bowling.
Madaski and her siblings now run the
bowling alley and they all share a strong

  

Photos by Craig Allan

passion for the game as their parents and and easier to manage. That doesnot mean _ to roll a ball that only took down one pin says that they have had “reduced
grandparents did before them. that the game is in any way less difficult. because the pins were spaced out. This business,” especially with their older
Madaski mentioned that five-pin In writing this story, I went down to the led to a far more challenging game than I customers who are still wary about going
bowling is “more accessible” than the alley to test out the frve-pin game and expected, and a better appreciation of this to possibly crowded indoor facilities. But
ten-pin version, because while ten-pin found that it proves to be even more of uniquely Canadian game. as the summer went on, they started to
bowling balls can be heavy, and therefore a challenge than its counterpart. This is The alley, like many businesses this see people returning. One promotion that
not suitable for children and older people, because when you hit a pin in ten-pin, the year, was not spared from the ravages of has helped with this is a “kids bow] free”
the five-pin ball is much smaller, lighter, pins can knock other pins down, but in COVID-19; they had to close for three program, which has no doubt given parents
five-pin I found it quite common for myself | months due to the pandemic. Madaski with limited activities for their children

a place of refuge and fun in these often
bleak times.

Though the alley is a beloved
institution in the Port Coquitlam
downtown, and even survived a devastating
fire four years ago that destroyed a well-
known bakery, there are worries on the
horizon as a new development for the site
of the former bakery has been proposed
that could expand into the space of
the bowling alley. Madaski is confident
that this will not happen though, as the
development has some initial plans in
place to include a bowling alley in the new
building. “We are very supported by the
city of Port Coquitlam,” said Madanski.

I contacted the city of Port Coquitlam
planning office, and while they told me
that the vacant lot left by the bakery will be
developed soon, the plan does not include
tearing down the bowling alley.

The future of five-pin bowling may
be up in the air but dedicated curators of
the game, like Angela Madaski and her
family, are determined to keep the game
alive for future generations. To do that
though, the sport needs to attract more
people. For my experience, I was surprised
at how challenging the game proved to be.
I definitely want to play again and see if I
can get higher than a 40 for my score. I may
have hit the gutters more than the pins, but
for the Madaski family, the gutter ball for
five-pin bowling is still a long way off as the
Poco Bowl is dedicated to rolling strikes in
Port Coquitlam for a long time to come.

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