Nevaeh Williams, ‘25, first picked up a bowling ball when she was just six years old. Now, as a junior, she is setting the world of bowling on fire at WHHS.
Williams’ interest in bowling was initially sparked by her grandfather’s love for it, who is now the assistant coach of the WHHS bowling team
“When I was younger, he would always take me to the bowling alley, because I lived with him, [and] he didn’t want me to be home alone. I loved watching him bowl with his friends,” Williams said.
Williams spent much of her adolescence in the bowling alley. Over time, she fell in love with the sport and the people she met in it.
“[My favorite part of bowling is] the community for sure,” Williams said. “I haven’t really met any mean people. It’s a very welcoming community and it’s really fun.”
Williams has dedicated a great amount of time to bowling but has not gained a lot of recognition from her peers for her hard work.
“We don’t get much recognition, [and] people kind of don’t qualify bowling as a sport for some reason,” Williams said.
When athletes dedicate countless hours toward perfecting their skills, it can be frustrating to not get the accolades that they deserve.
“I don’t know why, but it’s definitely different than football because everybody knows football. [Bowling] just doesn’t get as much recognition, which I guess is okay, but I feel like we deserve a little more because we do a lot [of work].”
Despite the lack of student support, Williams continues to put forth her best effort, regardless of who comes to cheer her on.
“This year has probably been my best year for bowling,” Williams said. “I broke the record that I held from my freshman year, I had my highest average [ever] and I’m bowler of the year again.”
Bowling can be a large time commitment with practices ranging from two to three days a week.
“This year, especially, it was a bit more of a time commitment than I expected,” Williams said. We had a lot more matches than last year, and it kind of stressed me out because my grades started to falter a little, but I’m back on it now.”
Ultimately, being a part of bowling has not only provided a sense of community for Williams, but it has also helped to enhance and better her time at WHHS.
“It’s made my experience [at WHHS] a lot better to be a part of something that I actually feel a part of,” Wiliams said. “There’s a few other things that I do, but bowling is definitely something that I feel l fit into, so it’s really nice.”