The Blue Mountain 5-Pin Bowling Association is hoping to pin down more members as it heads into the 2024/25 season.
The Blue Mountain 5-Pin Bowling Association is kicking off their new season starting the week of Labour Day, and is looking for a few good bowlers to join their ranks and perhaps make some new friends along the way. Run out of Georgian Bowl in Collingwood, there are five evening leagues and two senior day leagues that could use some new blood.
“It’s super fulfilling. You become part of this family,” said Sarah Cook, treasurer and publicity chair for the association. “As adults, it’s harder to make friends. (You can) meet people in a relaxed environment.”
The Blue Mountain 5-Pin Bowling Association is a member of the governing Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers Association.
The Ontario association is split into zones, with Huronia being the overarching geographic area, however, Blue Mountain split off into its own association in 1980 under first president Bruce Montgomery so Collingwood and area bowlers wouldn’t have to travel regularly to Barrie or Midland for tournaments.
In 2023, the Blue Mountain association won several provincial awards at the Ontario AGM, including most improved decentralized association of the year and Proprietors of the Year for Georgian Bowl.
Bowlers of all skill levels are welcome, and the association employs a handicap system when bowlers of different skill levels bowl together.
“A number of us are registered coaches through the provincial association. It’s a super friendly environment and if someone is interested...there’s a lot of coaching within the bowlers happening each night,” said Cook.
League fees vary depending on the league, but all come in at less than $30 annually. Last year, the organization touted 304 registered bowlers. Cook hopes to exceed that number this year.
“We lost quite a few memberships through COVID. The bowling alley wasn’t able to operate,” she said. “We’re trying to get back to where we were, which was closer to 400 members.”
Cook said there are some chapters across the province that have had to fold since COVID-19.
“We want to help sustain the sport. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen to us,” she said.
For more information on the Blue Mountain 5-Pin Bowling Association, click here.
