Anchorage bowlers get fun and friendships rolling again after alley shutdowns

Nearly every weekday night, you can find 75-year-old Fred Risch at an Anchorage bowling alley.

“I’m a chiropractor by day and a bowler by night,” he said with a laugh while waiting for his turn to compete during a Monday league meet at Jewel Lake Bowl.

But as the pandemic hit in March, bowling alleys and other indoor recreation centers in Anchorage were shuttered alongside restaurants and bars during several monthlong “hunker down” orders.

Risch, president of the Alaska section of the United States Bowling Congress, said the closures rearranged the league’s normal season and forced cancellation of some competitions. But the real hardship, he said, came in not seeing familiar faces every day.

“It’s like going to church,” Risch said. “You miss it. You miss your friends, you miss the competition, you miss the fun.”

He’s been bowling in Anchorage since he was 13 and can remember when there were lanes across town. Most of the alleys eventually closed, but Risch said many of the bowlers have remained. Risch said he’s made lifelong friends through bowling, not only in Anchorage but in the Lower 48 while competing in national tournaments.

Now that the alleys have reopened with pandemic precautions, Risch said he is eager to get back in the game. He acts as secretary for five bowling leagues, he said.

On a Monday night, he cheered as 30-year-old Chelsea Conley turned around after knocking down all 10 pins — her first strike of the night.

“It’s my first time bowling since the shutdowns,” she said. “But it comes back just like riding a bike.”

Conley has been bowling for about 15 years. For her, the sport is a way to connect with her dad. He taught her to bowl, just as his father taught him.

“I love doing it with my dad,” she said. “That’s like the one thing that we really bond over.”

Conley’s two daughters also bowl in a league now -- they’re the sixth generation to carry on the tradition. She’s proud of the tournaments her children have won and she’s happy to have a hobby they can all do together -- the alley feels like a second home now, she said.

Every lane of the Jewel Lake alley used to be packed daily, Conley said. While many were still busy on a recent Monday, bowlers were fewer than before the pandemic. And things look different too -- a sign on the door asks customers to wear masks, although Risch said many players take theirs off when they reach their own section of the alley with teammates.

During the pandemic, about three teams, or a dozen bowlers, took time away from the league, Risch said.

The leagues also started late this year because of the August shutdown and will skip a few games to avoid spilling into summer.

“We have our short summers up here, and this is mostly a winter and fall sport,” he said. “That’s when we want to be inside and do that.”

Some of the leagues also have changed how they bowl -- one team bowls early in a near-empty alley to better allow for social distancing, Risch said.

Other indoor entertainment businesses have also suffered from shutdowns. Theaters, bingo halls, arcades, bowling alleys, trampoline parks, escape rooms and ax throwing were included in the entertainment category of businesses subject to full closures during the last hunker-down order. This month, they were allowed to reopen with capacity restrictions.

Nearly every movie theater in Anchorage closed its doors near the end of summer, although the Century 16 theater in Midtown has reopened with COVID-19 precautions. Regal Cinemas is keeping its theaters closed across the country, including three locations in Anchorage. The Bear Tooth Theatrepub is offering virtual screenings during the pandemic.

One bingo hall switched to curbside games, while others closed during the shutdowns. They remain subject to reduced-capacity rules.

Gyms reduced their capacity during the shutdown, and indoor sports competitions were halted.

The bowling tournament in Anchorage is canceled this year, Risch said, but the state tournament is still scheduled for March. He looks forward to the competition every year because he loves to compete, but it also is an opportunity to cheer on many of the children he coaches in a youth league.

Risch is eager to catch up and get the ball rolling again -- his scores qualified him for the 2020 national competition and he hopes he can qualify by the end of this season to make it to the 2021 tournament.

As bowling alleys and other businesses have reopened, Risch is hopeful things will get back to normal. Alaska received the coronavirus vaccine starting in mid-December and infection counts have come down the past few weeks.

“We just want to keep bowling and finish the season,” he said.