VCU students light up lanes at AMF Sunset 45

With the help of VCU’s recreational sports program, Kevin Counts and AMF Sunset Lanes have tapped into the VCU market.

“I’ve been trying to get into the VCU area for a while,” said Counts, center manager for Sunset Lanes at 6540 W. Broad St. “A great number of people at VCU are unaware of how close they are to Richmond’s favorite bowling center.”

No one knows exactly how many VCU students know about Sunset Lanes, but every Monday from Sept. 27 through Nov. 22 they bowl there as members of the nine-week league.

“Being that this is the first time we did it, I’m really satisfied with the number of participants we have,” said Constantine Alexakos, coordinator of informal recreational special events at VCU. Counts concurs, saying, “It’s going very well for a first-time league.”

While Alexakos remains satisfied with the number of participants, some members of the league would like to see more student participation.

“It definitely would be more fun if we had more people out here,” said Alana Kucharski, a sophomore graphic-design major and a member of the team IV League.

David Imbt, a senior biology major and a member of Top Gun team, suggested recruiting more students for the league.

“It’s nice to be able to go out and meet new people and have a good time,” he said.

With the league set for its second season come spring semester, Alexakos remains confident that student participation will grow. Regardless of the number of participants, the students in the league still show up regularly.

“It gives you something to look forward to every week and helps you out in meeting new people that you might not get a chance to meet otherwise,” said James Baldwin, a first-year graduate student and a member of the Pin Heads team.

To Maura Murphy, the bowling league becomes a way for VCU students to have a good time.

“It’s something different. Not all kids like to do the athletic things that we provide, so we try to switch it up a little bit.”

Murphy, an intern for recreational sports, proctors the league every week. Her responsibilities include ensuring that everyone pays their fees and get their stat sheets so they know where they stand in the league as a team and individually.

Counts said he is pleased that VCU students are bowling at Sunset Lanes as the nine-week league approaches its Nov. 22 conclusion.

“We’re very gratified at the response and turnout so far,” said Counts. “I think everybody’s having a good time and I would also like to say that there’s some pretty good bowlers out of VCU.”

For more recreational sports information check out http://www.students.vcu.edu/recsports/index.html