HomeSPORTSPlaydium Finding Success With College Nights

Playdium Finding Success With College Nights

By JOSH HELLER
Staff Writer

Inside Playdium Bowling Center, standing in the same spot for over 80 years, what stands out the most might be the demographic of the majority of customers: college students.
While Playdium Bowling Center has stood in its spot at 363 Ontario St. since 1940, Neil Luther has owned the establishment since 1983.
Luther walks around the alley, wearing his red Playdium polo, labeled “Bossman,” taking a look at the young adults, enjoying a good evening with their friends and celebrating with each other after a good shot.
“What we realized was that we have a lot of college students in the area,” Luther said. “Some have been here for years and didn’t even know that the Playdium was here. With that in mind, we started to promote some college nights.”
College Nights now run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to midnight. This is a change from earlier this year, when the Center offered College Nights on Mondays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“A lot of the students are busy on Mondays,” said Luther. “We have our Mid-Week Madness on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so we figured we’d combine the [college] offer with that. They have three days of flexibility; if they can’t come one night, they might be able to make the next night.”
The Madness promotion includes unlimited bowling plus a free shoe rental for $9, but thanks to College Nights, students with a college ID from an area college pay just $7.
Playdium promotes its location to nearby colleges, as well as their College Night-pricing, and that’s what draws a lot of students in for a fun night.
“I choose Playdium because it’s local and has fair prices,” said Kiessence Polk, a student at Hudson Valley Community College. “I have used my college ID for discounts, and this was an awesome discount. It gives college students like me something to do that’s fun, but also affordable.”
The atmosphere at Playdium is very relaxed and provides a stress-free zone for college students to unwind after class.
“I think it’s an awesome environment,” said Travis Pyke, a Siena College student. “I really like the songs. The atmosphere is really relaxed, and it’s a fun thing to do at night. The environment is very calm, so I feel coming back here would be a good thing for after finals or before finals to relax.”
Along with reduced prices for bowling, the Center also offers discounts in the snack bar on College Nights, which means plenty of hungry college kids are bound to end up in the snack bar at some point during the night.
“On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays our prices go down at 9 o’clock, and that’s called our dollar menu,” said Irene Ray, who works as a cook and bartender, and waitress when needed. “So we try to make it alright, and it does draw in a good college crowd.”
Some may think that a bowling alley full of college kids at night could cause some trouble, but not according to Ray, who is known around Playdium as “Pumpkin.”
“My college kids are great,” said Ray. “They’re very polite, patient, not rude at all. I haven’t had any problems yet with my college children.”
Bowling at Playdium not only gives lifelong bowlers a chance to refine their craft, but also a chance for college students who had never bowled before to experience a new sport.
“I rarely bowled prior to college, if at all,” said Keith Pero, a student at the College of Saint Rose. “But I would now say I go bowling about once a week or so. Bowling has been something fun that I started and I continue to improve on. I could definitely see myself continuing to play beyond college. I think it’s a sport you can play most of your life.”
The bowling alley offers students something different to do for the night, and to possibly try something new.
“Bowling is a participation sport. A lot of people haven’t tried it. It gives them something to do, and they can practice more, and they might enjoy it. It’s a good night out.”
As College Nights have become more popular, Luther and his Center are trying to spread word of their facility to as many people as they can, and try to improve business even more.
“It’s been pretty steady,” saids Luther. “You have your ups and downs during your exams and vacations. The ones that know that we’re here frequent the place quite often, and we’re trying to reach out to the people that don’t know we’re here.”
Luther even has a plan come summertime to offer a couple of nights a week for college student specials, even while most classes are not in session.
Bowling is a sport that anyone can play for the rest of your life, and Luther, a lifetime bowler, takes pride in that.
“As long as you’ve got legs underneath you, you can keep going.”

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