2B COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JULY 12, 2017
Creating community through bowling
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
While the Cottage Bowl, the only bowling al-
ley in the city, is home to avid bowlers it has also
hosted a proposal, a wedding and even a funeral.
To many it is just as much a bowling alley as it is
a central living room for the bowling population.
A welcoming place where life happens and also
some bowling.
“I love being here. I would rather be here than
at home,“ said Butch Cardoza who has owned
the bowling center since 2009. “I laugh because
at night you have people… at home and they say
let’s go to the bowling alley. They come down and
sit down just to say hi.”
This warm acceptance and togetherness is not
just strangers but is rooted in a family tie. While
Butch is the owner, you can not go far without
seeing his daughter Natalie who also works there
seven days a week with her dad. Together the pair
have created an atmosphere at the bowling center
that is more reminiscent of a living room than an
athletic venue.
“You are here experiencing everything. You’re
here watching the news because a bad event hap-
pened or an earthquake or some sort of crazy
thing. Everyone is here and talking about it and
gathering,” said Natalie.
For countless big events, the Cardoza family
is at the bowling alley when it happens and they
take in the event and share the experience with
those around them. From their favorite team the
San Francisco Giants winning the World Series to
the 2016 election and everything in between, they
are there for it all.
“When bad things or good things have hap-
pened you’re sitting here with a group of people
that come together as a community to relate to
things,” said Natalie.
But at the core of it all is bowling. And before
the Cardozas had created a vibrant bowling com-
munity, it started with their family. Butch’s par-
ents bowled. He bowled. He met his wife bowl-
ing. Natalie bowled nearly as soon as she could
walk. She bowled on scholarship in college. She
met her husband bowling. Everything seems to
revolve around bowling.
It was because of this deep passion for the
sport that compelled Butch to follow his life long
dream of owning a bowling center. With the help
of some family friends he was put in a position to
become the owner of this 12-lane center that fi rst
opened its doors in 1959.
What started as a familial bond, grew to some-
thing that now encompasses all who enter the
door. Another member of this bowling commu-
nity is Vince Fiattarone who coached bowling at
Cottage Grove High School.
“It is a big family here,” said Fiattarone. “Ev-
erybody knows everybody and it’s a safe place to
be; to bowl.”
Hailing from New York and then California, Fi-
attarone has seen bowling all around the country
but this is where he has become most comfort-
able. It is not just playing that makes it this way
but being able to coach bowlers of all ages and
abilities. There was a six year old who grew fond
of him and once they got past the “tears and frus-
tration” they were able to get to a positive place.
And with the high schoolers, he was able to fi nd
the key to unlocking their full potential.
“We found ice cream is a big encourager,” said
Fiattarone. “We will devote a whole hour and a
half of practice to picking up the seven and the
ten pins in the same frame to get an ice cream,
without knocking over other pins. But at the end
of it they all get ice cream anyway.”
The high school students and those young-
er than them represent not just a fun time at the
bowling alley but the future of the sport. With
more options in both sports and entertainment
than ever available to kids, bowling centers across
the country are grappling with how to make sure
that the sport continues to grow and thrive.
“There are so many activities for those kids to
do nowadays, you’ve got so many other things
that they are involved in and so they can’t just fo-
cus on bowling,” said Butch Cardoza.
As youth numbers are down 25% at this bowl-
ing center, they still have a core of bowlers young
and old that comes back time and time again that
make things work. What gives the Cardoza’s hope
for the future is in the quality of the product they
are serving. Because at the end of the day, bowl-
ing is what they love.
“We have families who come into bowl and
they are hootin and hollerin and laughing,” said
Butch. “And we are watching them and having
just as much fun as they are.”
The Bowlers of Cottage Grove
A look at some the different bowlers who occupy the bowling lanes in Cottage Grove
Name: Sandra Hanie
Name: Bryan Varela
Name: Meagan McNary
Age: 76
Age: 27
Age: 21 years
Years Bowling: 55 years
Years Bowling: 3 years
Years Bowling: 8 years
Best Game: 206
Best Game: 259
Best Game: 279
Why do you bowl?
Why do you bowl?
Why do you bowl?
"Because I love it and it
keeps me moving and go-
ing and that kind of stuff.
"A buddy of mine, a broth-
er from another mother,
got me into it and it keeps
me out of trouble."
"I was kind of forced into
it to help my cousin fi nish
out her senior year. Then I
fell in love with it."
Name: Zach Thomason
Name: Pat Fitting
Name: Jeff Williams
Age: 20
Age: 84
Age: 50
Years Bowling: 6 years
Years Bowling: 67 years
Years Bowling: 20 years
Best Game: 289
Best Game: 222
Best Game: 298
Why do you bowl?
Why do you bowl?
Why do you bowl?
"It is a challenge that you
get to do over and over;
it’s something to keep
striving for."
"The people and the com-
petition and the anxiety
when you are close. And
then you get a little money
back when you win."
"The people. It's more
about fun and just hanging
out with people and hav-
ing a good time."
*Scores out of 300
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