Grand Central hosts bowling championship

The ricocheting sound of bowling pins isn't an illusion for rush-hour commuters at Grand Central Terminal Thursday, where dozens of teens from across the country are competing for a $64,000 college scholarship.

Grand Central is home this year to the Teen Masters 14th annual championship, which is being played in Vanderbilt Hall for the first time. Vanderbilt Hall is just off the main concourse. A regulation bowling alley and benches for several hundred spectators were installed this week just for the competition.

"One hundred and fifty thousand people come through here every day -- what better audience is there for our young bowlers than right here in New York City," said Gary Beck, founder of the tournament, which qualifies 1,000 high school students a year. Beck said he wants to make Grand Central the tournament's permanent championship home.

Eight high school-age boys and girls are competing for the championship, with the final match beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday. The winner will receive the $64,000 college scholarship.

"This is unbelievable," said Tommy Genova, 17, a semifinalist from Elmont who will be a senior at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park. "This place is huge."

Genova, who has been bowling since he was 3, said the sport has been "a family tradition, starting with my grandpa who played in the 1950s." He said he bowls at Herrill Lanes in New Hyde Park and has grown passionate about the game. Last year, his school average was 213.4. "It's competitive but not in a physical way -- more with yourself."

Semifinalist Melanie Hannon, 15, of Cheektowaga, near Buffalo, said she started bowling when she was 5 and plays about two hours daily.

"I like the competition," she said. "Bowling is very popular with a lot of people where I live. It's just a fun sport. I made so many friends." She won $15,000 earlier this year in a Las Vegas competition.

Rachel Vaughn, 16, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., said she's competing in her first championship. "I grew up bowling," she said. "My parents play and I wanted to give it a shot. It's both competitive and challenging."