Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall has been transformed into a full-fledged bowling alley to host a teen bowling championship this week.
Bowling a strike can mean big money, as eight of the best teen bowlers in the country are competing for $100,000 total in scholarship money.
Gabriella Mayfield, a 17-year-old from California, bowled her way through a series of regional and national matches to make it to the final rounds in New York City.
"I never would have thought in 1,000 years that I would be here doing this right now," said Mayfield. "It's absolutely unbelievable."
Mayfield has been knocking down the pins since she was 13, and hopes to use the potential scholarship money towards her education at the University of Central Missouri.
Commuters, tourists and parents all stopped to watch the bowling event that took over the major transit hub.
Doug Smith has a daughter who competed in the tournament and is happy to see so many people paying attention to bowling.
"So many people think of bowling as a little recreation thing to do, Friday or Saturday night, but this is a good push to show that you have kids in high school who are getting to a level of achievement in the sport that follows them to the next level and beyond," said Smith.
Grand Central is becoming more and more of an entertainment destination for many commuters and tourists, with an Apple store and Shake Shack projected to open in the space in the future.
But a bowling alley will not be taking over Grand Central anytime soon -- this is just temporary.
Having the tournament in Grand Central definitely got busy commuters to stop and watch.
"Once people hear that bowling ball hit the pins, the noise and the cheering, they're going to stop and they're all going to want to know what's going on," said Smith. "This is tremendous for the sport. The exposure, especially in New York, is huge."
The series of matches continue Thursday and are open to the public to watch.
