Community Corner
Bowling in Bolingbrook: A Custom Fit Career Choice
Ever hear of a Bowling Management and Technology degree? Neither have we. But Bolingbrook's AMF manager has one and is putting it to good use.
Adam Resop grew up an alley rat and might be the only Bolingbrook resident with a Bowling Management and Technology degree.
Resop, manager of Bolingbrook's , said he spent as much time as he could in the bowling alley—so much so that he “literally lived there,” he said.
After high school, it only seemed logical to take his obsession to the next level when he bowled collegiately at Vincennes University, the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana and only school in the nation that offers a degree in Bowling Management and Technology.
Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Last summer, Resop "cut his teeth" in the bowling industry after being offered an internship with AMF Bowling Center. Now, Resop is running his own center and loving every minute of it.
Resop said the community has been great since he started his new position two months ago. The company is also giving him leeway to plan unique and innovative promotions to engage customers.
Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"As a kid I loved being in my local bowling alley, so one of the things I started doing was putting as much effort in working with childrens groups as I do adult groups," he said.
The result?
Kids have been able to bowl two games daily for only the shoe rental fee throughout the summer. Resop is also offering discounted rates to youth groups in an effort to bring kids in out of the extreme heat.
, a youth supervisor with the DuPage Township, said he would recommend using the facility to any group looking to plan an event.
"He offers reasonable prices and the kids have a great time,” he said. “If your kids are having fun that’s all that really matters."
The Bolingbrook Bowling Youth Association was founded 20 years ago and is another group that works to introduce kids to bowling.
Kathleen Jewel, a volunteer coach with the association, said the BBYA’s goal is to teach kids the fundamentals of the game and is open to kids ages 4-21.
"Everyone plays … this sport has no bench warmers," she said.
The BBYA season begins the second week of August and continues through April. The group meets at 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings at the AMF Bolingbrook Center, where 20 certified coaches will be on-hand to work with each bowler.
"People should know that all the funds go back to the kids in the form of scholarships, holiday parties and trophies and we pay for all tournaments," Jewel said.
For more information about the BBYA, contact Jewel at benjkathym@sbcglobal.net. To find out about programs offered at AMF Bowling Center, contact Resop at 630-759-7490.
