The walls echo with the thunder of balls and the loud clattering of pins. The player grasps his bowling ball through the holes and sends it rolling towards an inevitable meeting with the pins. It’s a strike!

The place is Falls Church Bowl America. Here every Saturday, as many as 63 people from ages five to 21 gather to participate in a Youth Bowling league. Since the bowling alley opened 46 years ago, children have played here. Several of them come from McLean. Freshman Neil Cobert is in his second year of the bowling program.

“I used to come bowl here during the summer with my family, and my mom decided I needed to get into some activities, so she signed me up for a season and I have been playing since then,” Cobert said.

Cobert is part of the junior league, with teens 11 to 14. Next year he will move into the senior league, which is ages 15 and up. This is when most of the participants begin to get serious and where senior bowler Alex Heinz plays. With hair hanging past his shoulders and heavy chains dangling from his pants, he does not look the part of the stereotypical bowler.

“I’ve always liked bowling and I’d often come here with my family, so I thought, ‘What the heck, I am not doing anything else on Saturday’, and I joined up,” Heinz said.

Most of the bowlers in the league are led here by their parents, who are fans of the sport. The league suffers from lack of exposure, decreasing the chances of those new to the sport from joining.

“We wish more people were involved with [bowling]. When I tell people my son is into bowling they go ‘Oh! Really?’” parent and League treasurer Sue Owen said.

The center is also a host to many separate tournaments for adolescents to compete in.

“All the area centers take part in tournaments; some are open to everyone and some have skill limits,” League president Becky Fine said.

The Falls Church Bowl America also hosts adult leagues, where parents can join their children.