Ironically, as your writer begins his 29th bowling season covering the sport for this newspaper, I am finding the words tough to come up with this day.
This has been such a tough time for people and that certainly includes the bowling industry in this state. COVID and the resulting financial decisions and devastating hurricanes have resulted in doors being shut in some cases and in other cases, bowling facilities having no doors to shut any more.
And on top of all that, at a time we were going to talk about a Labor Day Weekend tournament that he was for years heavily involved in that helped make it a big deal, we must report that All-Star Baton Rouge general manager Mike LaCroix died Friday after a battle with cancer.
LaCroix had been at All-Star for some 15-plus years and really found the balance between taking care of his league bowlers while also making the space for the open play bowlers, the birthday parties and those that just wanted to gather as a group to have a fun evening at the lanes.
One of the most overlooked things might have been the way he led the center’s staff effort to help the league bowlers displaced when Circle Bowl closed in April. Sure, it benefitted All-Star to help, but he helped leagues move in with no interruption to not only finish their seasons but continue with a new season this fall.
In remembering Mike, I’ll think about when I walked in on Saturdays and saw the large group of youth bowlers all with coaches and using formats that have made leagues keep the bowlers’ attention. When All-Star hosted LHSAA events, LaCroix was right there looking for new ways to present the product and to make the bowlers experience that much better.
Then there was the League Appreciation Tournament. Oh, my goodness. Bowlers by the hundreds with it seemed as many prizes. It’s been missing for a couple of years because of COVID and that’s a shame.
Happily, this past May, LeCroix was inducted into the Greater Baton Rouge Bowling Hall of Fame at a time when he could enjoy the event. I’ll also remember our conversations about possible topics for this column and his opinions that sometimes made a lot more sense than positions I believed in.
Our condolences to his wife, Chris, and all his family and especially the family at All-Star Lanes BR. The city’s bowling community is a better place because of Mike LaCroix.
Bowling Centers
It is amazing that in the past 12 months two centers — Petro Lanes in Lake Charles and Bowl South in Houma — have been severely damaged by the hurricanes. If you have seen the Bowl South building on New Orleans television or on Facebook, it is hard to see what the future will be for this family-owned center that has been around for more than 40 years
Whether it can be resurrected like Petro remains to be seen. I was told Saturday that a smaller version of the Lake Charles center hopes to open in mid-October which is great news.
Also, two older bowling centers — Circle Bowl in Baton Rouge (April 1) and Lafayette Lanes in Lafayette (Aug. 26) — have also been closed as expenses to keep older bowling centers alive in the multi-entertainment age have just proven too much for the corporate headquarters.
Unlike in Baton Rouge, the other remaining house is smaller at 32 lanes and just doesn’t have a lot of room for more Lafayette league bowlers.
From reports we received, Creole Lanes in Houma may have some roof damage while the New Orleans centers seem to have made it through OK with maybe just some water damage and power needs. Initial reports are that Hammond’s Tangi Lanes has made it through fine. All-Star here in Baton Rouge has been open since Wednesday when power was restored and Premier Lanes in Gonzales reopened Saturday.
Bowling lanes might seem minor in the grand scheme of things when people’s lives have been turned upside down in another devastating hurricane. But for an industry in a little distress these days, every center that isn’t open anymore by either a business decision or unexpected circumstance is a gut punch to the bowling community.
With all that has happened, I will take a good look around and a deep breath when I walk in All-Star on Thursday night for league. And I will think of Mike LaCroix. Until Sept. 21, good luck and good bowling.
