Chinook Bowladrome Chinook Centre

The Chinook Bowladrome has been a fixture in the Chinook Centre since 1960. It was owned by the mall for decades until it was sold privately in 2004. Through much of that time Cathy Heinrich helped run the Bowladrome. When the owners decided to sell in 2013, Cathy and her husband, Rick, stepped up and bought it. Their lifelong passion to bowling set them up to be business owners. “The previous owners wanted to offer it to the staff. They wanted people who had put their blood, sweat and tears into it,” says Cathy. “There are so many things I love about bowling. I love the atmosphere. I love the people because they are very much down to earth. So it’s the people that keep me coming back.”

The Chinook Bowladrome is the second largest centre in western Canada with almost 24,000 square feet of space and 32 lanes. The centre boasts 1,800 league members and countless tournaments, both local and national. The game itself hasn’t changed much over the decades and Cathy wanted to make sure it’s still accessible to anyone looking for a fun experience. “I see it as a blue collar worker’s evening out,” says Cathy. “It’s not massively expensive. Pretty much everyone can afford to go bowling. It’s not the old school of drinking beers, smoking and bowling. Bowling isn’t like that anymore. It’s definitely a more sought after sport.”