Cookie Basurto
Silver Medal Honoree
- July 30,
2005
Roll of Fame Honoree – Cookie Basurto
Sacramento, Ca
In 1974, the
Chicano-American Bowling League was formed in
Sacramento. The initial league was made up of 8
teams of family and close friends. The league
bowled on Friday nights at Cardinal Lanes in
North Sacramento. Cardinals Lanes was an 8 lane
house.
Cookie Basurto
was instrumental in forming the league. She is
the type of person that prefers to work in the
background and help guide the officers and team
captains with her expertise.
In order for
the league to grow they moved to Alhambra Bowl
and the league immediately doubled in size, from
8 teams to 16. However, Alhambra being a 16 lane
house had no room for the league on Friday
nights so they changed their bowling night to
Saturday.
Cookie and her
husband, Mando, also joined the Friday Night
Mexican-American Bowling League at this time.
In time,
Alhambra Bowl also closed down so both leagues,
the Friday Mexican-American and the Saturday
Chicano-American Bowling Leagues moved to South
Bowl. It was at this time that Cookie became the
tournament director for the Chicano-American
League and hosted their first bowling
tournament.
Cookie has
served on one committee or another and has been
the tournament director for both leagues. The
Chicano-American league eventually folded and
Cookie is still the tournament director for the
Mexican-American league hosting the annual Cinco
de Mayo tournament in Sacramento. Of course
South Bowl also closed. We have a knack for
closing bowling centers. The league bowled at El
Rancho Bowl for about three years and is now
bowling out of Land Park Bowl.
Cookie has
been blessed with a bowling family. She bowled
with her mom and dad, brothers and sister,
uncles, cousins and husband and daughter and
in-laws. There was nothing more wonderful then
being able to do that. She credits the family
and her board of directors for the success of
the league and the annual tournament.
She says they
started bowling for fun and just to be with
family. But over the years and being tournament
director she has been able to meet a lot of neat
people and have made some great friends.
Congratulations to Vivian “Cookie” Basurto, A
Silver Medal Honoree.
