Some days it's all strikes and some days it's all gutter balls. Either way, there are few certainties in bowling.
Except perhaps for the Las Vegas League at Rainbow Lanes in Weedsport where the bowlers know one thing for certain - at the end of the season, no matter how they've bowled, they are going to Vegas.
Ron and Kay Rizzo, owners of Rainbow Lanes, hit on the idea about 15 years ago to do something a little different than the regular leagues.
“We thought it would be something we'd like to try,” Rizzo said. “When we started out we thought players could put in $20 or $25 a week and at the end we could take a trip. We looked around and for the first few years we took bus trips to Atlantic City and it just grew from there.”
It didn't take too long for the league to start expanding beyond the confines of Atlantic City. As word got out interest and participation in the league grew, drawing more people and making bigger trips possible.
Through the league, bowlers have been able to do a lot of traveling and see a lot of varied destinations, from casinos to sandy beaches.
“We started working with Liberty Travel,” Rizzo said. “So we went to Las Vegas for five or six years in a row. Then we took two cruises and then we went back to Vegas and Atlantic City a couple of times. We've also been to Aruba and Cancun.”
After all this traveling, Rainbow Lanes skipped a year with the league.
“A lot of the people who play in the league have kids,” Rizzo said. “So they were graduating and there were weddings and things like that so we decided to take a break.”
But this year the league has made a strong comeback.
“A bunch of us were talking one night,” Rizzo said. “And the idea came up that it would be fun to do something like that again, so we decided this year we should give it a try and see how it worked out.”
In its first year back, the league attracted 40 players, divided into ten teams that have gathered at Rainbow for the past 30 weeks.
The league provides a laid-back approach to the game, which Rizzo said not only brought back a lot of faithful members, but also a lot of new bowlers looking for something different.
“Teams can be all guys, all girls, any combination,” Rizzo said. “The idea is just to have a lot of fun. We do no-tap and red pin and all that kind of stuff. There is no pressure and nobody is worried about the points, because they don't count for anything anyway. Everybody knows they are going to Vegas, so they can just kick back and enjoy playing the game.”
On May 15, all league members will head out to Rochester Airport for five days at the New York, New York casino in Vegas, carrying on the camaraderie that has been established all season long.
“We all go as a group,” Rizzo said. “It is a really fun league and it is nice to have people to go with and not just be there by yourself. We do a lot together, like once a month everyone will bring a dish to pass, things like that. So we all get to know each other really well and taking the trip together is just another part of all of that.”
With the next Las Vegas League set to begin in October, Rizzo said he hopes to see things continue to grow.
“It would be nice to have 48 people,” Rizzo said. “Then we'd have a full league. But as long as we have people that want to have a good time we'll have this league.”
Ron and Kay Rizzo, owners of Rainbow Lanes, hit on the idea about 15 years ago to do something a little different than the regular leagues.
“We thought it would be something we'd like to try,” Rizzo said. “When we started out we thought players could put in $20 or $25 a week and at the end we could take a trip. We looked around and for the first few years we took bus trips to Atlantic City and it just grew from there.”
It didn't take too long for the league to start expanding beyond the confines of Atlantic City. As word got out interest and participation in the league grew, drawing more people and making bigger trips possible.
Through the league, bowlers have been able to do a lot of traveling and see a lot of varied destinations, from casinos to sandy beaches.
“We started working with Liberty Travel,” Rizzo said. “So we went to Las Vegas for five or six years in a row. Then we took two cruises and then we went back to Vegas and Atlantic City a couple of times. We've also been to Aruba and Cancun.”
After all this traveling, Rainbow Lanes skipped a year with the league.
“A lot of the people who play in the league have kids,” Rizzo said. “So they were graduating and there were weddings and things like that so we decided to take a break.”
But this year the league has made a strong comeback.
“A bunch of us were talking one night,” Rizzo said. “And the idea came up that it would be fun to do something like that again, so we decided this year we should give it a try and see how it worked out.”
In its first year back, the league attracted 40 players, divided into ten teams that have gathered at Rainbow for the past 30 weeks.
The league provides a laid-back approach to the game, which Rizzo said not only brought back a lot of faithful members, but also a lot of new bowlers looking for something different.
“Teams can be all guys, all girls, any combination,” Rizzo said. “The idea is just to have a lot of fun. We do no-tap and red pin and all that kind of stuff. There is no pressure and nobody is worried about the points, because they don't count for anything anyway. Everybody knows they are going to Vegas, so they can just kick back and enjoy playing the game.”
On May 15, all league members will head out to Rochester Airport for five days at the New York, New York casino in Vegas, carrying on the camaraderie that has been established all season long.
“We all go as a group,” Rizzo said. “It is a really fun league and it is nice to have people to go with and not just be there by yourself. We do a lot together, like once a month everyone will bring a dish to pass, things like that. So we all get to know each other really well and taking the trip together is just another part of all of that.”
With the next Las Vegas League set to begin in October, Rizzo said he hopes to see things continue to grow.
“It would be nice to have 48 people,” Rizzo said. “Then we'd have a full league. But as long as we have people that want to have a good time we'll have this league.”
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