February of 2000
Chris Barnes Made Live Appearance on America Online
2/8/2000 - by Steve Mermelstein
1998 PBA Rookie of the Year Chris Barnes made a personal, live appearance in an America Online Enhanced Conference Room on Monday, February 7th, 2000.
With over 125 individuals attending the chat it became the largest turnout on record for any Bowling Chat. For over an hour and a half Chris answered questions submitted by the audience and discussed a variety of subjects including his broken toe, and life as a married superstar.
BowlingFans.com Exclusive: If you missed the chat, don't feel bad. You can read the Chat Log here at BowlingFans.com!
AMF to Offer Non-Smoking Lanes
2/7/2000 - AMF
AMF Bowling, Inc. announced today that it will offer some non-smoking lanes at its centers during certain times, particularly at peak open play periods.
"I've asked our field management team to look at the demand for non-smoking lanes in all our operating regions across the country and to designate smoke-free lanes at various times based on that demand," said John Watkins, AMF's President, U.S. Bowling Centers. "We're a customer-driven company, and many customers -- particularly open play customers who come in on weekends -- are telling us that they want a non-smoking area. That's a simple and common request to honor."
Watkins said that the policy will be instituted on a center-by-center basis. "We want to do our best to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers alike," he added. "We want all our customers to feel they can come to our centers to relax and have fun."
As the world's largest bowling company, AMF owns and operates 539 bowling centers throughout the world, with 417 centers in the U.S. and 122 centers in 10 other countries (including 15 joint venture centers in China, Brazil and Argentina). The company is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling products, directly or indirectly supplying over 10,000 bowling centers worldwide.