RECREATION : Bowlers Spare No Effort in Trying to Strike It Rich : Tournament: Ninety competitors mingle, make their marks at Canoga Park event.

Lauren Takahashi tosses aside her briefcase every Tuesday night, reaches for her bowling bag and heads for the Canoga Park Bowl to vie for a $2,000 prize. Although she holds an average comparable to that of a bowler on the Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour, the financial consultant is content to compete locally.

For Dan Natarelli, Rick Bates and Ken Wolcott, Tuesday night marks a step toward a professional career that Takahashi eschews--as well as a shot at the men’s $2,000 prize. The trio hopes it can continue its rivalry on the Pro Bowlers Tour.

But for now, the four are bidding to win the West Coast Eliminations Tournament at Canoga Park Bowl. A couple of hundred spectators often turn out to see 90 high rollers, half of them women, aim for the prize money.

Since the tournament began May 15, fans have come to the alley with the hopes of witnessing a 300 game, which happens nearly every week. The building is filled with a nervous, vibrant fervor as fans move about the lanes trying to catch the most spectacular game of the week. It is the spirited crowd, along with the bowlers, that makes the tournament--using the current format for the 10th consecutive year--the Valley’s most popular and most competitive bowling event.

“It is almost an institution,” Takahashi said. “At the beginning of spring, everybody starts talking about it, asking, ‘Who are you going to bowl with?’ It is the thing to bowl over the summer.”

The excitement might have peaked early this year when James Pery of Santa Monica rolled back-to-back 300 games June 5. Pery missed equaling Glenn Allison’s world record of three consecutive 300 games, but perfect games aren’t necessary for bowlers and spectators to enjoy themselves. The bowlers enjoy mingling; the tournament is a time for alley cats to prowl.

“Quite a few people come out to the matches, and having them there makes you want to do better,” said Hobo Boothe, who will be inducted into the Los Angeles Bowling Assn. Hall of Fame on Saturday for his outstanding career in the L. A. area. “For mixed doubles, this is the best tournament around. It is very important to me to go up against the better quality bowlers and that brings people out. The people who come are quite supportive and it is a good crowd to bowl with. That is the nicest part of this tournament.”

That is the popular sentiment now, but when the qualifying rounds end July 31 and match play begins, a competitive atmosphere will dominate.

“These people come down here with only one thought on their minds--to win their matches,” said Gene Giegoldt, vice president and general manager of Canoga Park Bowl. “When they get here, they are very cordial to each other. But when it gets down to competition, it is total dedication. They are just here for that one purpose and it shows throughout the facility.”

The Elims, as the tournament is called, begin at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday from May 15-Sept. 4. Employees clear the lanes as participants file in about 8:30. For Takahashi, preparation includes wrapping her right wrist, which has tendinitis. Bates, Natarelli and Wolcott get into a competitive mood by throwing darts in the alley’s bar.

“When the crowd starts to come in, the entire bowling center gets swept up into this fever pitch,” Giegoldt said. “The employees take it up a notch, the bowlers take it up a notch, and everybody is totally dedicated when those people take the lanes.”

The overhead computerized score sheets are cleared, the lights are turned on and conversation gives way to the sound of pins crashing. Talk centers on scores and who will be playing for the big bucks in the final weeks. Takahashi, Natarelli and Bates are mentioned frequently.

Takahashi, whose 203 average leads all women, bowls once a month with the Western Women’s Professional Bowlers--a sort of minor league Ladies Professional Bowlers Tour. She can’t afford to give up her salary from working for a financial information services company and bowl professionally full time.

The West Coast Elims are a worthy substitute. She and partner Bart Mills currently lead mixed doubles qualifiers with a combined 407 average, eight pins higher than the next closest pair.

Natarelli, 22, winner of the last two men’s singles titles, believes he is ready to step up and take his game on the tour. Natarelli and Takahashi illustrate the different goals of bowlers in the Elims.

“This is a steppingstone for some,” Giegoldt said. “Most people come looking for something more than just your average challenge, just a league challenge. They are looking for top competition.”

If anyone in the West Coast Elims stands out, it is Natarelli. Yet as he readies himself for the professional tour, he is not looking past this year’s Elims.

“This is my tournament,” Natarelli said. “This is the last year I’ll be in this tournament for a while, maybe four or five years. This could be the last one, so I want to win all the more. This is much more important than the first or the second one.”

Crowds gather at Natarelli’s matches, and with each frame fans’ voices dip an octave and the back legs of their chairs come off the ground as they strain to see what makes Natarelli stand out. He thrives on interaction with the audience and thinks that will help him in the pros.

“It is easier to deal with crowds now, especially when people root for you,” Natarelli said. “They are really fun. They are also really supportive. They are some of the nicest people. They are not always loud, but they are always supportive.”

Natarelli and Bates bowl on the same lane each week and the fans have recognized their friendly but spirited rivalry. Bates, 24, leads all bowlers with a 219.5 average and Natarelli is third at 217.4. Wolcott (217.6) is second and Boothe (213.5) is fourth.

“There is some dissension among the crowd, you can feel it,” Bates said. “Dan and I don’t let the dissension get in the way of our friendship, for now. During the match play, we’ll get a bit more heated up, because we are playing for prestige. Everybody wants that, especially when you have big egos. Dan and I both have big egos.”

Most of the bowlers at the Elims are regulars in the tournament, who return to visit with friends, as well as to make a good showing.

Twenty-eight men average more than 200 and the low average in the tournament is 187. The field might be tougher when qualifying play ends, and match play begins.

“There is a friendly atmosphere during the qualifying rounds,” Takahashi said. “It is more intense in the match-play rounds. You have to be on your toes, you can’t sit on the lead.”