Villa Lanes to host USBC Senior Championship
A tournament that brings together thousands of competitive bowlers from around Indiana every year is coming to Decatur. Villa Lanes will finally cash in on a bid put into the United States Bowling Congress to host the statewide competition. They were originally awarded the right to host the competition a few years ago, but the pandemic threw the original plans for a whirl and pushed the schedule back. Now, every weekend from March 18th through May 7th (excluding Easter Sunday) will see visitors rotating through Adams County on their quest for a bowling title.
“The impact for the city is going to be huge,” said Villa Lanes owner Dave Vitatoe. “Quality Inn will feel the impact as people stay there after traveling from all over. With them staying overnight, restaurants and lodges are going to really feel the impact as well. We need to showcase Decatur and let them know there are great things to do.”
The owner continued to explain the long process that went into bidding for the location. The bowling alley compiled a document of about 15 pages that gave an in-depth description on the facilities. This includes the pins they use, the lanes, and the restrooms. The bowling alley also had to provide letters of recommendation from members of the community, which they received from Police Chief Leonard Corral and Attorney Scott Ainsworth. It is estimated that Villa Lanes was chosen over seven other Indiana locations.
“It means a lot that we are able to host this,” acknowledged Vitatoe. “It is a chance to showcase our bowling center, which I truly believe is one of the nicest bowling centers around. Of course we can upgrade some things, but we have a great total look. We are excited to show it off to the state of Indiana. I am beyond stoked and excited for this to take place.”
The bowling alley, which is named after Villanova University, was at one point owned by Vitatoe’s father. When his family sold it, the new owners decided to hire Vitatoe back on as the bowling alley’s manager. About four years ago those new owners decided that they too were going to sell it, at which point Vitatoe made the decision to bring the business back into the family.
The biggest challenge that awaits the alley is the amount of volunteers needed to pull the competition off. The owner explained that they will need people to complete various tasks, which includes monitoring lanes, selling merchandise, and greeting people and facilitating the competition.
They already have registered over 700 bowlers that will take part in the event.
To participate in the 50th occurrence of the Seniors Championship Tournament, the participants must be a sanctioned member of a bowling league and they must be over the age of 50 years old.
The competition will cost $29 for all bowlers and the competition will be organized into singles, doubles and teams. There will be six age groups that can be competed in. There will be multiple rounds to the tournament with a final grand champion round that can punch somebody’s ticket as the Indiana representative to the National Senior Championship Tournament.
Prospective bowlers must mail their entries to Tony Peterson at 1013 Woodmere Drive, Lafayette, Indiana. More information regarding the competition is available at indianastateusbc.org. If interested in volunteering, or have any other questions regarding Villa Lanes involvement in the Tournament, contact (260) 724-3660.