“I decided that before I retire, I want to make the All-Army Bowling Team,” said Lopez.
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – Smash! Clack! Clatter! These familiar sounds reverberate across the room as a mechanical arm sweeps away 10 more fallen pins. The enticing aromas of pub fare, hints of shoe deodorizer, and the grease and oil that make a bowling alley function saturate the air through which novice and aspiring pro bowlers alike hurl balls down lane after lane. These sites and sounds are hallmarks of Sgt. 1st Class Clemencia Lopez’s happy place.
However, as fun as bowling is, Lopez is focused and on a mission. Gone are the days when she was a young Air Force brat pushing balls down the lane; she is now vying for a position on the All-Army Bowling Team at the end of the month. Lopez shows that one can pursue their passions in and out of uniform.
Lopez, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command’s sustainment automation support management office, has been bowling since she was about 7 years old when her parents, then in the Air Force, would take her and her siblings to the alley on weekends in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At that time, it was typically glow-in-the-dark bowling – far from the style she enjoys now. But it all had to start somewhere.
“As a kid, I loved bowling, you know, … never thought about doing anything outside of that, you know, just having fun,” said Lopez. “But I remember when I was stationed at Fort Lee; I was an AIT (advanced individual training) instructor. My first sergeant took the senior class out for a fun night.”
Then Fort Lee, Virginia, now Fort Gregg-Adams, is where Lopez, then a sergeant, taught new Soldiers how to be automated logistical specialists. Though the outing was intended to give the students a break and reward them for their work, it was Lopez who got the most out of that night eight years ago, thanks to now retired 1st Sgt. Gerald L. Napper.
“When I see Soldiers who are keenly focused and have a desire to commit to learning a new skill set, I know that bowling will help them hone in and focus,” said Napper, now a youth coordinator for an afterschool program in Hopewell, Virginia. “Bowling techniques translate into life lessons that can be applied daily, such as mental toughness, situational awareness, and most of all, a commitment to excellence.”
Napper passed this mindset and skill set down to Soldiers and youths since it was passed to him over 25 years ago in Vilseck, Germany, where he volunteered at a bowling alley from time to time. There, a senior NCO took him under his wing.
“There was another volunteer there that was a sergeant first class, and I looked up to him due to his bowling prowess and acumen,” said Napper. “He began training me on how bowling relaxes the mind and allows you to focus during critical moments in time. This was right up my alley. No pun intended.”
Napper continued to bowl and years later found himself as a first sergeant at Fort Lee, where a reserved Lopez was one of his instructors. Napper described Lopez as a bit shy, but a competent leader, with a unique passion and talent for the sport of bowling.
“She used to get so excited the first time she scored 100,” said Napper. “During a training meeting, I asked her, ‘Hey how was bowling?’ and she stated, ‘I scored my first 100 on league night.’ The smile, pride, and sense of accomplishment on her face was priceless. I knew I had made a great decision. She was finally breaking out of her quiet shell. Once again, life lessons.”
Lopez may have used bowling to break out of her shell, but she also used it to break the stereotype that Army life only entails regimented soldiering. Lopez recalls Napper showing her the ropes and pushing her to bowl in a recreational league, which she did. More than eight years later, Lopez’s skills are more refined, recently scoring over 260 points out of 300. Her life goals have also evolved.
“I decided that before I retire, I want to make the All-Army Bowling Team,” said Lopez.
Lopez has five years until she is eligible for retirement, and she is using that as her target to make the Army team. However, Lopez is not wasting any time or opportunity. Army team tryouts are taking place April 23-25 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and her tickets are booked. If Lopez makes the team, she will compete in the Armed Forces Bowling Championship the following three days.
If Lopez doesn’t make the team this time, she will continue honing her skills and inevitably pop up at the next tryout. What keeps her going through all of this – in addition to her love for the sport – are the people.
“At the end of the day, it’s such an amazing world,” said Lopez. What makes bowling so much fun “are the people, honestly, the camaraderie being around different people.”
The people Lopez refers to are not just other Soldiers, though they do join her from time to time. She has built lasting relationships throughout the Hawaiian community, and everywhere she’s lived previously, thanks to bowling.
“What I see is camaraderie and friendship,” said Lopez. “I say that because you form bonds bowling … Some of the people from that first league, I am still Facebook friends with them and message them sometimes to check on them and see how they're doing.”
Bowling has brought Lopez renewed energy and focus, much like Napper intended. It has also brought her lasting friendships. Lopez wants to continue building those relationships while she knocks down pin after pin on her journey to making the All-Army Bowling Team.
Napper intended to provide Lopez with a skill that stretches beyond the bowling alley, and Lopez has made him proud, as she has done exactly that.
“She is caring and models the behavior of our core values,” said Napper. “Anyone who encounters her clings to her attention to detail and her ability to encourage others to be greater than expected. I couldn't be more proud.”
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