The PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Tournament of Champions is coming to Orange Bowl Lanes in Lakeland, Fla. Aug. 26-30. A major stop on the PBA50 professional bowlers tour, the tournament kicks off with a “Bowl with PBA50 Legends” event, in which members of the bowling public can bowl with the best bowlers in the world.
The “Bowl with the PBA50 Legends” event, which is open to both juniors and adults, will take place Saturday, Aug. 26, with two squads beginning at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The $75 entry fee includes a generous donation made in the participant’s honor to the Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL), the industry’s oldest charity, to benefit local programs for veterans.
“We are proud to bring the PBA50 tour to Orange Bowl Lanes. We are excited to give our customers the opportunity to bowl with the world’s best bowlers and to demonstrate our commitment to growing competitive and league bowling at Orange Bowl Lanes,” said Joe LaSpina, Vice President of Maple Family Centers, a three-generation family business that purchased Orange Bowl Lanes two years ago.
Over the years, Maple Family Centers has generously supported BVL, raising more than $600,000 for the charity. Maple Family Centers President John LaSpina, who is Joe’s father, has chaired BVL since 2014. John was instrumental in growing BVL into an industry-wide charity by encouraging proprietors and manufacturers to become actively involved. BVL supports America’s veteran and active-duty service men and women by raising money for and funding recreational therapy programs and other services to speed recuperation and boost morale. Since 1942, BVL has raised more than $57 million for this cause. On August 12, John LaSpina appeared on the national Fox News network to present $1.25 million to veterans’ organizations on behalf of BVL.
The upcoming tournament was named in honor of Johnny Petraglia, a professional bowler who grew up bowling with John LaSpina at the original Maple Lanes in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
“For the last 50 years, Johnny has been the voice of BVL; he’s visited the wounded, he’s spoken to bowling and veteran’s groups about BVL and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for his fellow veterans. He is indeed our hero!” John LaSpina said. “We thought naming the tournament after him would be a way to honor his 50 years of commitment to BVL.”