It’s rare to find someone who hasn’t been bowling at least once, but Brian Madaski wants to make sure everyone has had the chance to knock over a few pins. The owner of Port Coquitlam Bowl is turning British Columbians into bowlers, one resident at a time, starting with the young ones. Every year, he opens the doors to his bowling alley to elementary school kids and lets them bowl for free.
“They come in for an afternoon or a morning of bowling,” says Brian, “and it’s a way for principals to reward their kids that need rewarding. We break it up; we spread it out over a couple of months and they choose a time that works for them, and then they come in and do their thing.”
Brian supplies the students with shoes and lanes entirely free of charge on their designated days and in return, he only asks that the kids have fun. It’s as simple as that, and underscores the philosophy at Port Coquitlam Bowl that bowling is a safe, fun and easy game to play.
