By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — Despite bowling most of the 2023-24 season with pain in his right shoulder, 64-year-old Canton Township left-hander still participated in four leagues a year ago — the most he has done in his career.
But the shoulder pain was too much to overcome, causing the Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co. retiree to have surgery in April 2024.
“The right shoulder pain did affect me, even though I throw left-handed,” Williams said. “When you throw the ball, you still raise your right arm for counterbalance. But when I moved it, it would catch and It would just linger, like a toothache.
“It got to the point where I threw without raising it, trying to keep it down. It forced me to change my delivery.”
Because of the shoulder surgery, Williams took the summer off from bowling for the first time. He didn’t attempt to even throw a ball until about two weeks before fall-winter leagues began in September.
“I’ve been throwing the ball basically with one hand dropped at my side for about 40-plus years now,” Williams said. “When I came back in August, there was still a little twinge there (in the right shoulder), but not what it was like before the surgery.
“This time, it would go away after a while where before it would ache.”
But still bowling in three leagues at Park Centre, subbing in another and participating in the Ellsworth Auto Body Senior Traveling League, Williams did not slow down, although he had to get both his timing and delivery back to normal.
It all paid off last week when Williams had games of 258, 268 and 290 for an 816 series in the Hosner Carpet Senior Trio at Park Centre — his 14th 800 series to go along with 30 300 games..
“This felt really good. I didn’t know if I would ever get there again,” said Williams, who averages between 216 and 226 in his four leagues. “I’ve been in the 780s and 790s this season and it was like, damn, I can’t get over that hump.”
Williams, the only lefty on the pair in the trio league, left 10-pin and 7-pin spares for his lone non-strikes in Games 1 and 2, with six-strike strings in both. The final game, he started with a 7-pin spare and then ran strikes the rest of the way.
He used a Storm Ion Pro he purchased during a ball demo at Kent Lanes in October for the milestone. The fact that he used the same ball for all three games was different.
“I’ve pretty much started with that ball here since got it. But a lot of times after a game or a game-and-a-half, I have to get out of it because it becomes too much,” Williams said. “Usually, I have to start moving and, when I do that, I start leaving 7-pins.
“But being the only one on my side helped. It all came down to carry.”
Williams admitted to some nerves in the 10th frame with the 800 on the line.
“I knew I needed the second one,” Williams said. “I did tug it a little and it went a bit high, but it carried.”
Williams becomes the ninth 60-or-older bowler to roll 800 series so far this season. Does he have a guess as to why the run for seniors has occurred?
“I think a lot of it is we’re more controlled and not throwing as much speed as the younger guys. Consistency, accuracy … whatever you want to call it,” said Williams, who regularly still throws the ball between 15 and 16 mph. “Some of it too is the bowling balls themselves and the technology and cores.
“I don’t really understand all the layouts and what they do with that stuff. Les Mann (Bowlers Sanctuary at Kent Lanes) drilled this ball and I talked to him about it and he watched me throw. It all worked out.”
Williams took the summer off after his surgery. He admits he is throwing the ball well. Would he think about skipping summer again?
“You know, I thought about that,” Williams said. “Maybe I’ll do it again and chase the little white ball around (golf) versus throwing one. It seemed to work.”