Bowling Center at Wide World of Sports

[wdwluv]

I just read something that said Wide World of Sports is getting a bowling center? Isn't that strange to build one at DTD and WWoS???

[DizneyFreak2002]

I thought the bowling cnter in WWoS was delayed??? if the project is on again, then the one in WWoS will be pro bowling regulation and used for pro bowling tours and events... probably not open to the public on most days... the one in DTD is owned by a 3rd party bowling alley company and will be for DTD and WDW guests...

So, not really strange in my opinion... WWoS is being geared to such events since it really isn't a park with anything to do for vacationing Disney guests....

[KylesMom]

Believe it or not, the original announcement to build a Bowling Center at Disney's Wide World of Sports was made in June of 2008 . . . for the US Open and other pro events to begin in 2011. This was originally to be a joint venture between the USBC and the Central Florida Sports Commission. Disney was going to "make their land available", but it was to be a privately funded venture. So much has changed at Disney in recent years, including the name change at WWoS that I figured this was DEAD. Other than the rumor of a new center at DTD recently, I haven't heard anything else.

Here's the original thread from 2008 . . . New Bowling Center (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=135418&highlight=New+Bowling+Center)

The venture caused quite a buzz in the USBC community for awhile, and then it quietly disappeared.

[missymouseworld]

We would be interested in any information on this recently. My son is on his high school team and they were NJ State Champs for a couple years. Awhile back, I remember posting about a bowling center onsite at WDW and received the same info that the plans were on hold or something like that. It would be great if they built a center and the high school teams got a chance to bowl there just like the Pop Warner football and the cheerleaders compete at Disney World.
:bowl:

[missymouseworld]

I found this online dated today and the paperwork filed was dated June 6, 2011. I guess the plans are on again.......


Disney filed paperwork with the water department today to expand the Wide World of Sports complex to add a large bowling center.

This project was thought to have been discarded when Disney announced the Splitsville bowling complex being added to Downtown Disney West Side. Apparently it is alive and well and coming in the near future. The big difference is that while the Splitsville complex would be a recreational bowling area, the one at the Wide World of Sports would have a starker competition and league setup.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I found this online dated today and the paperwork filed was dated June 6, 2011. I guess the plans are on again.......

Nice find!!! Well, looks like the project may be back on again after all... Again, I wouldn't suspect this to be a bowling alley the general public could use... instead, as KyliesMom pointed out, the alley would be used for pro bowling tours and other such bowling events... Splitsville will be for the general public...

[brad817]

Some clarifications and corrections.....I'm a Disney junkie and a bowler, so I know quite a bit about this and already travel annually to the USBC Open Championships Tournament that will/would be held in Orlando.

The US Open is an annual PBA event just like the US Open in golf or tennis etc. It's a one week event. This is NOT the featured event that would come to the new 100 lane Disney facility.

The USBC Open Championships and USBC Women's Championships would be the featured events coming to Orlando. The USBC is the governing body of bowling and bowling leagues are sanctioned through the USBC. So these events are basically the annual national championship tournaments for league bowlers. The Open Championships (men's tournament) is larger than the women's tournament, with anywhere from 60,000-90,000 bowlers. The tournament usually runs from early February through early to late July. The women's tournament is in a similar timeframe, but with maybe half of the participants. So bringing these events to Orlando would have a 5 month stream of bowlers coming and going just for this tournament.

The National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada was built in 1995 specifically for these two events and they continue to visit Reno at least every 3 years (more frequently in recent years). The events are a huge economic boom to Reno and Reno has aggressively continued to court the USBC tournaments and have them there more frequently.

When the original "Disney project" was announced in 2008, it certainly did create a lot of buzz in the bowling community. The first Open Championships tournament in Orlando was to be held in 2011 and the Women's Championships in 2013, with each coming back every 3rd year. Note: Reno is/was on the same 3 year rotation, so Reno and Orlando would be "permanent" places for the event and the tournaments traveling to other cities around the country in the non Reno/Orlando years. The recession happened and the project was postponed, but yes, there are rumors that it could happen again. The Open Championships sites are set through 2014. But the 2015 site has not been announced yet and the finalists are San Antonio, El Paso, Syracuse and a 4th unnamed city. The rumor, of course, is the 4th city is Orlando and would be contingent on this project getting off the ground again. The USBC is supposed to announce the site of the 2015 Open Championships in September. If Orlando is chosen, then it means this project is back on and I'm sure it will be a big deal again in both Disney and bowling circles.

Again, these two events would be the largest and featured events at the new Disney site, but it's very likely there will be other tournaments that will be brought there as well. We'll have to wait and see. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be bowling there in 2015.

[Janmac]

This is exciting news for league bowlers who also like to try their skill (and luck) at "Nationals". I remember how thrilling it was to be at Reno, that first year that the women bowled there (before everyone merged to the USBC).

Those ball returns were phenominally fast.

I stopped bowling a few years ago (nearest bowling center closed) but my sister is still active and bowled in Syracuse this year. She will be overjoyed to hear this news.

Jan

[meldan98]

I'm also one of the those avid Disney fans and now a former avid bowler.

When the 100 lane center was announced several years ago, I joked with my husband that we should start bowling again so we could at least go to Disneyworld every few years.

I really hope that if the large bowling center is constructed, that they do a much better job of bringing in other events in the off years to keep the bowling center going. The Reno stadium has doing very poorly financially over the years because of the lack of events at the center. I know that centers have been closing all over Northern California and Nevada due to the lack of participants and Junior programs are truely suffering. Disneyworld would be a wonderful location, I just hope that they do it right and better than Reno.

[brad817]

meldan, what is your source for the comment that the National Bowling Stadium is doing poorly?

That's hard to believe because there are a lot of events held there and the city of Reno is making very lucrative offers to the USBC to keep the tournaments there including doing a big upgrade/facelift to the Stadium.