- Leah Gericke,
senior journalism student
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ISU student Jackie DeNardo, senior health information major, shoots a game of pool at the BBC Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13. (Photo by Leah Gericke / Staff Photographer) |
With a solemn look on his face, Josh Polk anxiously flips his wallet in the air as he discusses the struggles he must face as a college student living on a relatively low budget. Polk, senior fitness education major, is only one of many who are forced to lead a somewhat frugal lifestyle in order to get by.
“The most difficult part is budgeting. Trying to figure out how much food I can buy and how often I can drive my car is difficult enough,” said Polk. “Plus having money to spend on the weekends… it’s just hard to stay on top of sometimes.”
An employee at Subway, Polk does have a somewhat steady source of income to rely on. This being said, the minimum hourly rate at which he is works sometimes just is not enough to make ends meet. He explained that he is sometimes forced to borrow money from roommates, or worse, from his parents who also are facing their own set of challenges as they attempt to support two students through college.
Since putting food on the table and gas in the tank is already difficult enough, taking part in entertainment-related activities is sometimes forced to go by the wayside. When it is in the cards however, Polk enjoys seeing movies at Starplex Cinemas or heading to the Bowling and Billiards Center to get in a few frames. These pastimes are not only affordable, but can provide hours of fun for a surprisingly low cost.
The BBC, located next to Milner Library and the Bone Student Center, understands that students do not always have extra cash to throw around and therefore offer their services at a very affordable price. And let’s be honest, who does not enjoy bowling every once and a while? It is one of those activities that nearly everyone can have fun doing regardless of their skill level.
“It’s something to do that’s affordable,” said Polk. “Plus it’s fun to compete with your friends and laugh at how bad they are… or you are, either way.”
Leah Gericke, senior journalism student and employee at the BBC, further commented on some of the things that students can take advantage of at the facility.
“I think that people should come visit the BBC because it's a great way to blow off steam and we have the best bowling and billiards rates in town,” Gericke said. “We have a student league on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. every semester. It is a lot of fun and you make a lot of great friends.”
A single game of bowling will cost $1.75 plus the rental of shoes, which carries an additional $1.25 fee. However, the center offers $1.00 bowling every Thursday from noon until 6 p.m. as well as Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon. Even a student on the tightest of budgets can afford to take part in this amusing activity.
Aside from the affordable price, the center offers numerous programs that students can take advantage of. Additionally, they have a student staff that is enthusiastic about their work and are more than happy to cater to your every need.
“Another program that we offer that not many people know about is the Reggie Ride program. Throughout the year, with the exception of winter, we have bikes that we rent to people on a daily basis for free,” Gericke went on to say. “The BBC is really a fun place to hang out, and most of the employees are pretty cool as well.”
Despite the many great things that the BBC has to offer guests, some students have yet to take advantage of the facility. This can sometimes be attributed to the fact that some simply don’t even know that the Illinois State campus features a bowling alley. The relatively small size of the building combined with its somewhat hidden location makes it easy to overlook.
“I think that sometimes people do take advantage of the BBC, but sometimes they don't,” Gericke finished by saying. “We get quite a few student organizations that make reservations on weeknights. Otherwise, there aren't too many people that just come in to bowl or play pool during the week.”
When all is said and done, entertaining ones’ self without spending too much money is sometimes a difficult task to achieve. It seems that nowadays affordable activities are becoming more and more of a rarity. Luckily for ISU students, facilities such as the BBC are here to help.