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Sunday, November 10, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

When Chris Oliver looked through a gaping hole in the roof of the North Versailles Bowling Center in May, he saw a silver lining in the clouds above.

"I wasn't depressed at all," said Oliver, a native of North Versailles who became the owner in the summer. "I was fully insured and looked at it as a blessing. It gave me the ability to do all the remodeling at once without interrupting our business over the next five years."

Wind storms May 14 and 31 ripped off huge sections of the roof and forced Oliver to close the building for five months to repair the damage and remodel. At a cost between $1.5- $2 million, Oliver gave the place a major facelift.

"You wouldn't recognize the place," said Oliver, who owned a car dealership in Manhattan Beach near Los Angeles before returning to Western Pennsylvania. "My goal was to have people walk in here and say 'Wow!' "

He opened for business last month, but the official grand re-opening will be Tuesday.

"Everything is new with the exception of the 40 lanes," he said. "We took out 33 dumpsters worth of outdated equipment and stuff. This will do it."

The offices have been moved around, the video and pool table rooms were made smaller, there are four banquet rooms available for parties and there's new black carpeting with red, yellow, blue, orange and green colors in a confetti pattern throughout. The first eight lanes are painted red, with the next eight yellow, then blue, then orange and then green.

"Everything will glow in the dark," Oliver said. "The bowling balls, the carpeting, the lanes."

Oliver's first job as a teenager was sweeping floors at the old North Versailles Bowling Center in 1971. Debbie Pompilio, now the general manager, worked at the counter. Pompolio introduced Oliver to her girlfriend, Sharon, one day at the center. Chris and Sharon have been married for 28 years.

"This place means a lot of us," Chris Oliver said. "It doesn't get any better than this."

Perfectos

Mike Popovich Jr. rolled a 300 game during the CFU tournament for the first perfect game since the remodeled North Versailles Bowling Center opened last month.

Cliff Crevar threw a 300 in the Thompson Club League at Brunswick Playmor Bowl.

Rick Hines had a 300 in the Lounge League at South Hills Bowl.

The tournament trail

Don Hipkiss Jr. (Wellsburg, W.Va.) defeated Bruce Moffo (Rayland, Ohio) in the final, 243-202, to win the Head-to-Head tournament at All American Lanes in Steubenville. He averaged 224.

Rick Schukert (New Castle) picked up $1,000 by winning a Pittsburgh Bowlers Tour-sponsored scratch event at Plaza Lanes. He defeated Kevin Gaffey (St. Mary's, Pa.) in the two-game finals, 437-407.

John Kleist III defeated Dave Mackowiak, 216-200, to win Week 5 of the Miller Lite Head-to-Head tournament at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes.

Traveling along

Sheffield's Popovich (279, 922 four-game series), Nesbits' Ed Lundy (268/922), Pines Plaza's Harley Schultz (278/918) and Brunswick Playmor's John Buskoske (269/901) were the headliners in the Pgh. Area Scratch Travel League at Brunswick Playmor Lanes. They will be at Lokay Lanes next Sunday.

On a roll

Tim Jackson's 279/778 and Jeffrey Tomanio's 279/755 topped the charts in the Thursday Coors Light Classic League at Miracle Lanes in Monroeville.

John Lagnese's 279/782 and Doug Smith's 289/761 headlined the Coors Light League at New Great Valley Lanes.

Frank Dodds had games of 237, 248 and 275 for a 760 series in the Coors Light Players League at AMF Noble Manor Lanes.

Buss Barkefelt's 288/790 led the Levelgreen Fire Men at Miracle Lanes.

What's happening

The Kick-Off tournament in the Western Pennsylvania Duckpins Tournament Association series will be 1 p.m. Saturday at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. There will be another tournament in December, and the regular season begins Jan. 4, 2003. For more information, call 412-391-3700.

The Pittsburgh Bowlers Tour will sponsor a handicap tournament today at Lokay Lanes in Monroeville, with $500 for first place. Entry fee is $30. There will be a handicap tournament next Sunday at West Pike Bowl, with $1,000 to the winner. For more information, go to http://www.bowlthis.com.