Bolera Caribe facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Recreation |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Barrio Coto Laurel, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Bolera Caribe is a popular bowling center located in the Coto Laurel area of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It's a special place because it was chosen to host the bowling competitions for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. You can find it easily where two main roads, PR-506 and PR-52, meet. Bolera Caribe is owned by a private company with the same name. The bowling center first opened its doors in November 2004.
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A Look Back: The Old Bowling Alley
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Before it was called Bolera Caribe, this bowling alley was known as Bolera de Ponce. It first opened way back in the mid-1950s in a part of Ponce called Mariani.
As the years went by, especially in the 1990s, the neighborhood around the old Bolera started to look a bit run down. This was a problem for the company. They wanted to attract families and people looking for a nice place to have fun. The old area didn't quite fit that image anymore.
Parking also became a big headache. There wasn't enough space for everyone. People often had to park across the street in a shopping center's lot. Sadly, this led to some cars being broken into. This gave the Bolera a bad reputation. The company tried to sell the building and move, but they couldn't find a buyer. For several years, the business lost money. Eventually, the old bowling alley had to close down in the late 1990s. The building was left empty.
A Fresh Start: New Building and Name
In 2007, the company finally found a perfect new spot for its bowling center. It was at the crossing of routes PR-506 and PR-52. This location was great because it was easy for people from Ponce and nearby towns to get to. This meant more people could visit!
With its new location, the Bolera was no longer just for Ponce residents. It became a place for people from a wider area to enjoy. Because of this, its name changed from Bolera de Ponce to Bolera Caribe. "Caribe" means Caribbean in Spanish. This new name was a good fit because Ponce and all the towns around it are on the Caribbean coast. The new bowling center was part of a plan by the Mayor of Ponce, known as Churumba, to create fun places in that part of the city. Today, Bolera Caribe is the only bowling center on the entire Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico!
The Building Itself
The new Bolera Caribe was designed by a famous Puerto Rican architecture company called CMA Architects & Engineers LLP. This same company has designed other important buildings in Puerto Rico. The bowling center building is quite large, covering about 2,500 square meters of space.
What You'll Find Inside
Bolera Caribe has lots of cool features for visitors:
- Twenty-four modern bowling lanes with special Brunswick GSX equipment.
- A tournament area where up to 300 people can watch the games.
- A room just for playing billiards (pool).
- A fun game room with various arcade games.
- A cafeteria where you can grab snacks and drinks.
- A private meeting room that can hold up to 25 people.
- A restaurant called Café Caribe Restaurant-Bar & Grill.
How It Helps the Economy
Building the new Bolera Caribe cost about $6 million. It helps the local economy by providing a place for entertainment and jobs. The Bolera is also home to the Ponce Bowling Club Bowling League and other bowling groups.
Hosting the Central American and Caribbean Games
Bolera Caribe was chosen as the official place for the bowling competitions during the 21st 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. These Games are a big sports event for countries in Central America and the Caribbean.
The bowling center meets all the rules set by the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA). This helped it get approved as "the official stage" for the Games. The Games took place from July 17 to August 1, 2010, in Mayagüez. The schedule showed exactly when the bowling games were played at the Bolera. The center could hold 300 spectators for the Games. The Mayor of Ponce, María Meléndez, offered the facilities to the Games' organizers in April 2010. She said that canoeing, rowing, and bowling events would happen in Ponce, with bowling at Bolera Caribe.
See also
- Caribbean Cinemas
