FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 17, 2015) -- What started out as a way to get closer to girls during his adolescence has evolved into something of a calling for a U.S. Army garrison employee.
Albert Williams, chief, Housing Division, Directorate of Public Works, tells the story of his introduction to bowling with his trademark wide grin, slightly tinged with suggestions of mischief.
"I got started in bowling in 1976-77; I was still in high school," said the retired Army sergeant major, husband and father of three. "One of my friends said, 'Hey, basketball season is over with. They're kicking off this new bowling program after school … there's a whole bunch of girls down there and only a few boys.
"Let's get in on this thing!'"
The short of it is, Williams was moved by romantic aspirations but grew to love the game of frames. Over the years, the volunteer coach and mentor developed a desire to share it with others, helping to provide hundreds of Fort Lee youth and their families with opportunities to "get in on this thing" of bowling. He said his motivation for doing so is rooted in the very first and most precious moments of achievement.
"I just enjoy the smiles on kids' faces when they knock down their first strike, the first spare or when they need to get a big enough score to help their team win in the 10th frame," said Williams. "Or when they come off the lane and they're excited about participating, and they want to please their mom and dad."
Williams, who grew up in the Houston inner city and was dismissive of bowling because it wasn't popular, wound up earning a bowling scholarship at Texas Southern University. When he joined the military in 1981, he continued to bowl competitively for a short time. His participation waned due to the demands of family life and military duties.
More than 14 years later, Williams returned to the lanes in a substantial way while stationed in Geissen, Germany. Assigned to a non-tactical unit affording him more off-duty time, he began league bowling once again. A fellow bowler wanted his children to participate, but there was no youth bowling league. After some deliberation, they began one for six children.
"That grew to about 10 kids," he said. "We mentored them and just helped them become better bowlers."
When he arrived at Fort Lee in 2003, Williams' son Albert Jr. was a seasoned bowler who had previously competed in leagues and tournaments in the Fort Lewis, Wash., area. He desired to join a league and became good friends with the Fort Lee Bowling Center manager's son. "They hit it off and decided to be on a team together," recalled Williams. "That's really when we started building the program we have today."
With the help of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation staff and dedicated volunteers over the years, the youth bowling leagues here went from about 20 bowlers in 2003 to "about 30, then 40 then 80" bowlers, said Williams, who has served as the league secretary, treasurer and fundraising chairperson but has always been known as "coach." "The next thing you know we had 160." The program hit its peak during 2008-09 when roughly 190 youths participated in three different divisions, added Williams.
Chip Wikan, the Fort Lee Bowling Center's business manager who has known Williams for about 12 years, said his leadership and team-building skills, love for the sport and interpersonal acumen have all contributed to a strong youth program.
"This program doesn't exist in its present form without him," he said.
Bowling Center employee Frank Carrington has similar sentiments. He has seen Williams perform a myriad of duties over the years in support of the leagues. One thing is evident, he said:
"He loves what he does," said Carrington.
So much so that Williams almost downplays the program's growth in favor of promoting its substance. The access bowling provides -- there are no roster limits and physical ability is less of a factor compared to other sports -- and the potential for achievement is what excites him. Williams said he is proud of the fact that at least one former league bowler earned a spot on a NCAA Division I team and several have recorded perfect games. In fact, he likes to recall the day Albert Jr. and his teammates -- Brandon and Blake Cox and Trey Hicks -- set a four-person national youth scratch record in 2009 with a 1065 score.
"I remember watching it like it was yesterday," he said, beaming at the recollection. "They threw something like 20 strikes in a row during that game. It was just phenomenal."
Accolades aside, Williams said the program's true merit rests with the opportunities it presents to community youth in support their collegiate ambitions. The league's trophies are essentially scholarships.
"We're almost at the $40,000 mark," said Williams of the scholarship money distributed since 2008.
The earnings gained from league bowling, Williams reasoned, is a better alternative than sending kids off to multi-day local and state tournaments where the expenses are steep and returns miniscule.
"Here at Fort Lee, we give them a chance to compete without traveling and they get a chance to earn the same monetary awards," he said.
The cost to bowl in the Fort Lee youth leagues is $21. No bowling ball or shoes are needed and competitors get a uniform and water bottle. After that, "They never have to pay another dime," said Williams, noting corporate sponsorships make it all possible.
Williams is also proud of the family atmosphere the leagues have cultivated over the years. Saturday mornings, he said, are full of energy at the bowling center with parents at their leisure and kids of all ages milling around, chatting and just being kids. In the midst of it all is Williams, calling the play-by-play over the public address system and just being a friendly voice.
"It's a good time," he said.
Considering the opportunities the leagues provide for families to bond, its low cost and scholarship offerings, Williams said those are not the things that makes him most proud. That place in his heart and mind belongs to those who have shared his charitable vision along the way.
"The volunteers -- the men and women who stepped up and said, 'Coach Al, what do you need? Or what can I do for you to make this thing operate?''' he said.
Williams has seen and achieved much over the years since first arriving at Fort Lee. It's been long enough to see 6-year-olds grow to be high school and college students and long enough to witness the installation's massive expansion as a result of Base Realignment and Closure.
With all of that change, however, the teenager who first got into bowling to meet girls rests comfortably in his niche, proud to be a contributor to the sport of bowling and the community at large.
"I love it when the little kids grab me by the leg and give me a big hug," said Williams. "I love it when they see me in the mall, years later and say, 'Thank you, coach.'
"I love it when they call me 'coach.'"
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