It all started back in 1965. The Kitchener Waterloo Record decided to stop publishing the daily 5 pin bowling results. The move triggered an abundance of mail from bowlers demanded the new policy be rescinded. Many threatened to cancel their newspaper subscription if the scores didn’t reappear. However, the Record stuck to its decision but it didn’t turn its back completely on the keglers.

Sportswriter, Ray Alviano was given the task of producing a weekly column which, while including some scores was also to comment on interesting events in the bowling world. This was the beginning of a long and happy relationship between Alviano and bowling.

Alviano’s first encounter with 5 pin bowling was as a pin boy in his native city of Guelph where he worked at both Royal City and Guelph Lanes in the late 1940’s. After finishing school, he started in the newspaper business in 1956 working for the Guelph Mercury as a reporter- photographer and part-time sportswriter. When the opportunity appeared for a position as a full time sportswriter with the K-W Record in 1959, Alviano quickly accepted.

While he never became a high average bowler, he did become an avid follower of the sport. He bowled in a couple of winter fun leagues at Waterloo Lanes, where Bob Totzke was the manager.

Alviano holds the distinction of being one of the first newspaper men to cover the Ontario 5 Pin Championships. The late Bob Totzke convinced the then managing editor of the Record, Cully Schmidt, that Alviano should be on the scene of the Championships in North Bay, on Easter weekend. In those days, the event was run under the banner of the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of Ontario although now it is organized by the Ontario 5 Pin Bowlers’ Association. That particular Championship sticks out in Alviano’s remembrances. It seemed that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Even the weatherman failed to co-operate as the temperatures fell below zero. The scheduling went askew. Slated to finish around 6 pm Saturday night, with the banquet following at 7 pm.- it was midnight before everyone sat down to eat.

The following year, Bob Totzke was successful in getting the Canadian Championships in Kitchener. The best of the East were to meet the best of the West. However, there was a major problem- no bowling centre in the twin cities area had enough room to accommodate spectators. After some searching, it was decided to install lanes in the Kitchener Auditorium Annex. Ray Alviano, along with Totzke and the late Orv Bauman approached the Brunswick Corporation who agreed to install four lanes. While the anticipated large crowds did not materialize, it marked a major step forward in the presentation of 5 Pin Bowling.

That year also saw the formation of the K-W 5 Pin Bowling Association ( now the Conestoga 5 Pin Association) and Alviano was involved in its’ formation along with Bauman, Totzke, Don Walker of Victoria Bowlerama, Kitchener and June Gregg.

Ray Alviano became the sports editor of the Kitchener Waterloo Record and is a member of the Ontario Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. He held the Presidency of this organization for three years and served on the Committee which organizes the annual Sports Celebrity Dinner on behalf of handicapped children. This dinner is held annually in Toronto and has raised over a quarter million dollars for this worthy cause.

A charter member of the Canadian Bowling Writers Association, Alviano also served as an executive of this organization for several years. For the past 4 years, Ray has been involved with minor hockey and is presently manager of an All Star Team of 9 year olds. Ray has lived in the twin cities area since 1959 with his wife, Lucille. He is the father of four boys; Rick 19, Joe 18, Geoff 15 and Mike 12. Ray Aalviano’s interest and support for bowling has been a major factor in the growth and development of the game in this area. The fact that bowling is held in such high esteem, is in good part, due to the publicity and recognition that it has received through the sports pages of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Ray has helped make bowlers feel proud that they are involved in the sport of bowling.