Service men and women, military family members and military retirees from Schofield Barracks competed against teams representing U.S. Marines, Air Force and Navy during the All-Services Bowling Tournament held at several military bases on Oahu, April 4-9.
The U.S. Army team welcomed talented military bowlers from the other services on-island to Schofield Barracks, April 8, to test their talents for bragging rights and several prizes.
Representing the Active Army on Schofield Barracks were Soldiers from the 25th Special Troops Battalion's Headquarters Support Company, including Sgt. 1st Class Ken Andreas, the HSC operations non-commissioned officer, and Sgt. 1st Class Brian Ash, an equal opportunity representative for the STB.
"I'm proud to be able to represent our company and the Army," said Andreas. "Through this competition we get the opportunity to see other sides of the military and meet some of their best service members and bowlers."
As part of the five-day tournament, competitors toured several bowling centers at Oahu military bases including Kaneohe Bay, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks. Each of these posts provided teams with the opportunity to perform at their "home field."
"Many of the bowlers here feel the lanes at Schofield are some of the better lanes on the island," said Andreas. "But every service has a chance to bowl at one of their service's military posts."
For members of the Army Team, the goal of the tournament was to win, but the most rewarding aspect was the opportunity to compete with such a diverse pool of multi-service bowlers.
"We're bowling to win, of course," said Andreas. "But we all want to have fun and improve by meeting and playing against bowlers from the other services."
Bowlers were scored by their performance across the five-day tournament by the category of competition and gender. Among the categories of competition were singles competition, doubles competition, mixed doubles competition, and total pin-fall count.
"I didn't join the tournament expecting to be perfect," said Jiovanna Morley, a military spouse and point leader among females going into the singles competition at Schofield.
"The other bowlers are really competitive, but we all see the tournament as an opportunity to improve."
As the competition at came to a close, the feeling of camaraderie amongst all teams present was palpable for some spectators of the event. Bowlers competing against one another laughed, cheered, and playfully teased each other between pin strikes. This, according to Andreas, was the reward all bowlers took home at the end of the day.
"In the beginning of the tournament, some people were more serious in their attitudes, but since then the tournament has become more about having fun," said Morley. "We're all here to have a good time," said Andreas. "We're enjoying the competition and helping each other out."
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