For family entertainment centers and bowling alleys, like Boomers! and Irvine Lanes in Irvine, moving into the less restrictive orange and yellow tiers of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy means lifting many of the state-mandated restrictions that have kept their operations shut down for more than a year.

However, while many businesses – like bars, restaurants and gyms – have found ways to keep business moving, Beck Sigmond, marketing director for Irvine Lanes, said the pandemic created a hard stop for bowling alleys last March. 

Even after making modifications to reopen in summer, Sigmond said the state’s guidelines continued to hamper the ability for places like Irvine Lanes to reopen.  

On Monday, April 12, bowling returned to Irvine Lanes. While capacity will be limited at first, Sigmond said she has been looking forward to this day longer than she would like to admit.

“It’s been very difficult because we fell into the colored tier system, as different even from restaurants – even when indoor restaurants could actually open or do patio service, we couldn’t really do anything,” Sigmond said. “We were family entertainment centers, and bowling centers were on that list that couldn’t open.”

In an interview with Irvine Weekly, Sigmond, who has worked with Irvine Lanes for more than a decade, said after initially closing in March of last year, she hoped the closures would only last for a few months, only to be shut down by regulations within the state’s Blueprint for A Safer Economy.  

“We closed March 14 last year, and then we actually retrofitted everything to reopen July 1,” Sigmond explained. “We brought back all the full-time employees and most of our part-timer, we got plexiglass, we did all the safety modifications that they required, and on July 1 we opened at 10:00 a.m. That was the day Gov. Newsom went on and basically shut everything down. By December it looked really bleak, like, ‘When’s this going to end?'”  

While the last year of shutdowns has undoubtedly eliminated a business model for Irvine Lanes, it has also displaced league bowlers like Irvine resident and bowling coach Rob Barring. Barring said prior to the pandemic he was bowling twice a week exclusively at Irvine Lanes.

Barring added that while he understands the need to keep everyone safe, as a lifelong bowler, he said he does not understand the thought process behind keeping bowling alleys closed for more than a year, while professional sporting events are allowing fans inside indoor arenas. 

“For bowlers, who have their own equipment, their own gear, there doesn’t have to be a lot of contact – I think it could have continued in some capacity,” Barring said. “Most states already have bowling centers open except for California.” 

Barring, who has been bowling at Irvine Lanes since 1998, said many local bowlers are planning to attend the USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas this May. Barring, who will be representing Irvine, said he along with other local bowlers have lost valuable practice time.  

“I haven’t had a chance to practice – we haven’t had the facilities to practice. If you don’t use it, you lose it, just like anything else,” Barring said. “I think bowling centers could have made adjustments to even removing the house equipment, which would have done a couple things – it would have revitalized the bowling market, as far as buying equipment.” 

Regardless of restrictions, Barring, who also coaches the Junior Bowling League at Irvine Lanes, said the effects of the last year have been most impactful on the children and scholastic bowlers seeking scholarships for bowling. 

“The fact that they let fans back into sporting arenas before opening bowling alleys – is just ridiculous,” he said. “I think bowling alleys were grouped into a category where they didn’t belong.”   

As Irvine Lanes reopens its doors, Barring said he looks forward to spending time with friends while bowling, like he has for so many years. 

“For some people, that bowling circle is ‘your circle’ – that’s where your friends are – and to take that away from some people it will affect them greatly,” he said. “It’s been too long.” 

However, while Sigmond is grateful for the ability to reopen, she said another hurdle is finding personnel willing to staff the bowling alley. Adding that the amount of time bowling alleys have been shut down, she fears the job pool is shallow. 

Prior to the pandemic, Sigmond said Irvine Lanes had about 50 employees, most of which were students at UC Irvine. However, now with campuses currently closed and students utilizing remote learning, Sigmond is already feeling a need to fill the void.

“Our biggest struggle right now, and Boomers! is kind of in the same boat, is finding employees,” she said. “A lot of our employees, at this point, have found a new job, moved to other states or moved out of the area – a lot of our employees are from UCI, and with them remote remotely learning – some have decided not to work at all.” 

Now in the Orange Tier, the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy gives bowling alleys in Orange County, like Irvine Lanes, the ability to reopen for indoor and outdoor activities at 25% capacity.

But in order to clarify statements made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, regarding the elimination of the state’s Blueprint on June 15, Sigmond said she has spoken with the city to ensure Irvine Lanes is operating correctly.

“We contacted the city after his speech, because one of the first questions that came back was, ‘What do we do after Yellow,’” she said. “We’ll follow whatever the city says. We’re so excited to be open, any sort of mandate that they put onto us to be open and continue to be open, we’re going to do as best we can and stay in business.” 

With a capacity of 1,200 people inside the 40-lane bowling alley, with an additional 4,000 square foot conference center and banquet facility on the second floor, Irvine Lanes is a massive facility.

Yet, even with reopening protocol, Sigmond says the first weeks will be limited in capacity. 

For now, Sigmond suggests Friday, Saturday or Sunday, are ideal for casual bowlers looking for some lane time, adding that Irvine Lanes Kids Play Free Program will be starting on May 17. 

“If you register online, anyone 15 and younger can get two free games, per day,” Sigmond explained. “The only thing you’d need to pay for is renting shoes.”

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