Bowling’s back but alleys restricted

MANILA, Philippines — Four-time World Cup bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno said yesterday only four alleys have reopened under strict safety and health protocols but he’s hopeful the sport will continue to thrive when the pandemic is over.

“Bowling was just recently allowed in certain cities like Quezon City where there is a Paeng’s Eastwood Bowl on the fourth floor of the Eastwood Citywalk 2 mall,” said Nepomuceno. “Of course, we follow the usual protocols of wearing a mask and face shield while in the premises. Also, only two persons are allowed per lane and social distancing must be observed at all times. We also impose distance seating. We have marked the settee of the bowlers area for them.  All the bowling balls and shoes are sanitized after every use.”

Nepomuceno, 63, said the Puyat Sports Bowling Center in Q Plaza, Cainta, has also reopened. Other alleys back in business are the Astrobowl B in Alabang and the Puyat Sports Bowling in Baguio. As a senior citizen, Nepomuceno said he follows IATF guidelines strictly and leaves home only for exercise within his village or when it’s absolutely necessary. “I haven’t bowled for 10 months,” he said. “To stay in shape, I work out with an adjustable dumbbell set which I bought online and a workout bench which can exercise all body parts. I do dumbbells for muscle strength four times a week. For cardio, I ride a bicycle around the village or do brisk walking with a mask on. I’ve produced a home workout video which I made in the early part of the pandemic and shared it with our kababayans, applicable for all walks of life with the use of any weighted object. My wife Pinky and I have become prayerful, too. We hear mass on TV every night.”

Last year, Nepomuceno did the virtually impossible by surging to the National Finals before losing to Merwin Tan, who is 42 years younger, in a bold bid to represent the country in the World Cup once more. Nepomuceno survived a series of eliminations involving 115 contenders to force a faceoff with Tan. He completed three years of service as national coach then decided to compete again “just for fun” in July last year. In a startling comeback, Nepomuceno won his 133th championship at the Playdium Tenpin Bowling Association Open championships and earned a ticket to the National Finals. The win marked his fourth Guinness World Record for the most tenpin titles ever. His other records are for becoming the youngest World Cup champion at 19 in 1976, winning four World Cup titles in 1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996 and for bagging the most tenpin titles at 118 in 2007 (since surpassed by Nepomuceno himself).

“I’m very happy that Guinness recently informed me that my record has been updated and I beat my own record for most titles which I first established in 2007,” he said. “I’m very happy because I was able to give honor and deliver good news to our country in my own little way despite the pandemic.”