Walter Ray Williams Jr. Interview conducted by email on April 24, 1998.

15 Questions I ask Walter Ray!

1.)Question From Gary who signed the guestbook.The application form for the PBA says you must have signatures of three PBA members in good standing, who were the three PBA members who signed your application and how did you go about asking them?

WR. "Gary, I don't remember who the 3 PBA members were, but they may have been a few of the members who I knew at the time. If I were you, I would ask a member who has seen you bowl. I have been asked by quite a few people to endorse them, but I have declined most of the requests since I have never seen them bowl. Good luck."

2.)Question from John Albrecht lives in Ellijay Georgia. How do you go about adjusting to the lanes so quickly as they change?"

WR "John, adjusting to lanes quickly is something that comes from experience and lots of tournament play. To be competitive, you need to make these adjustments quickly. I would suggest playing in lots of tournaments so that you get experience in playing in different conditions. You also need to know when you make a good shot or not"

3.)Tsuyoshi Kawasaki (Ryuuou) from Japan ask. You come to Japan every year for the Japan Cup.(My house is near the Tokyo Port Bowl) How much does it mean to you?

WR. "Tsuyoshi, I really enjoy going to Japan and competing against the Japanese professionals. I also like some of the food in Japan. I am also proud to have competed in all of the Japan Cup's and hope to continue to participate. The Japanese are such gracious hosts and the fans treat us U. S. players great. See you in September!"

4.)I know you have stated before that you enjoy horseshoes probably more than bowling,but bowling pays the bills! Which sport do you enjoy the most, and what similarities are they in the two?

WR. " I have been playing horseshoes since I was 9 years old. I was introduced to bowling from someone who played horseshoes. Horseshoes is my first love, but I also love to bowl. I think that the underhand swing is very similar in both sports and the fact that you need to be accurate in both sports make them similar."

5.).Allot of people bowl well on medium to heavy oil,but struggle on real dry lanes (me included) How do you play lanes that are "bone" dry?

WR. "You may need to find a ball that will skid more. Maybe even a shiny plastic ball is what you may need. You may want to get more speed on your ball. Maybe a lighter ball (1 to 2 lbs lighter) may help you generate more speed. Practicing at a house which hooks a lot should help."

6.)Your goal is to have more 1st place finishes than 2nds before you step down from the tour.You now have 26 titles and 30 2nds. How many more years do you see yourself touring?

WR. " I don't really have goals, but the media is always wanting to have some so the PBA media guys kind of suggested it. I would like to have more firsts than seconds, but I if for some reason I don't make it, I won't consider my career a failure. I can see touring for at least another 5 years."

7.) .You won the ESPN "ESPY" Award for bowler of the year.While attending the show in New York,did you meet any athletes from other sports that enjoys the game of bowling? What did they say to you?

WR. " I did meet a few other athletes, but didn't really talk to them that much."

8.) You are a fairly quite guy.What is the biggest misconception about Walter Ray Williams Jr.?

WR. " Most people think I grew up on a farm. I have never lived on a farm and I have ridden a horse once or twice. They would probably be surprised to know that I prefer hard rock and roll including the new music."

9.)Paige has told me a few stories about yourself on tour.Is there any interesting stories you would like to share with your fans?

WR. " The most 'famous' is when Paige left me at a rest stop on the turnpike when we were traveling to a tournament. She thought I was in the back of the van asleep when I had actually gone to the restroom. She finally came back for me 5 hours later after she was asked by the turnpike official if someone was missing and she called her mother. I made a bunch of phone calls that day!"

10.).Bowling as many games as you do ever year, along with all the shoes you pitch.Do you have any wrist/elbow problems? If so, what do you do to treat them?

WR. " I really don't have any major problems, but my shoulder and neck does get sore."

11.).As you know, bowling is NOT an Olympic sport. But we have events in the Olympics that are not even what I would consider "sports".For anyone reading this interview.Give your opinion of why Bowling should be an Olympic event?

WR. " I believe that bowling is played by enough different nations, but it is all politics. When bowling does get into the Olympics, the PBA members will be able to play!"

12.)In ASB.They are always arguing lefties Vs. righties and who has the advantage.On tour, is there any advantage to being left handed?

WR. " I don't think that on tour there is any advantage to being left handed because that is one of the main reason why we have lane men. It is probably tougher for left handers on tour because typical lane conditions do seem to favor left handers quite a bit, and the lanes on tour are much tougher than lefties will find in most houses."

13.).How do you manage to bowl at such a high intensity week in and week out, after all the driving you do from tournament to tournament?

WR. " Usually there is about one day for travel (on the average). That gives a day or two to get over the drive."

14.)Your rookie season.Did you bowl anyone person that had you saying "Wow,I'm bowling ???" ?

WR. "When I first bowled in some of the tournaments I remember being in awe of the name players, but I knew I needed to not worry about them and bowl the best that I could."

15.).As of 4/24/98 you have 26 titles,30 2nds,48 PBA tour 300's,most money in a career, and so many other accomplishments.What one game / match / memory stands out in your mind more than any other?

WR. "Unfortunately my memory is kind of fuzzy on a lot of that. I would guess that the 299 game I had on TV stands out about the most."