Bowling Center with Gay Games connections closes

15 April marked the last day of business after 51 years for Serra Bowl in Colma, CA, just outside San Francisco. Serra Bowl was the site of the annual gay tournament, the Golden Gate Classic, and was also the home of some large LGBT bowling leagues. For nearly the past year, the General Manager of Serra Bowl was Gay Games co-founder and Honorary Life Member Sara Waddell Lewinstein. When Sara received the prestigious Tom Waddell Award at the 2010 Gay Games, the formal presentation of the trophy was made to her on the lanes at Serra Bowl. In our photo, Sara is flanked by Honorary Life Member Derek Liecty (on the left) and FGG Officer of Marketing Doug Litwin (on the right).

The San Francisco Chronicle ran a great article about the final day of Serra Bowl on its web site, including 8 photos and a three-minute video that is mostly an interview with Sara Waddell Lewinstein. You can read the article HERE.

This was a sad day for the local bowling community and continues a trend that has seen a number of local bowling centers close in recent years. Among these are Japantown Bowl and Park Bowl on Haight Street, the site of bowling during Gay Games I and II. LGBT bowling leagues are still alive and well in the San Francisco area, but one of the major local destinations for this sport has closed.