Bowler Finds Himself On A Roll Ex-Ferris High Athlete Looks Ahead To Pro Career

When Alex Lee stepped aboard the plane that would take him to Reno, Nev., he was filled with the usual excitement and anxieties.

After all, it was the first time the 20-year-old had traveled on an airplane. It also was the first time this bowler of 16 years would be entering a major tournament as an adult competitor. And the event was the prestigious American Bowling Congress Tournament. He was prepared for the competition, the sights and sounds of a new town, and the trip away from mom.

But there was one thing he didn’t anticipate.

In Lee’s second game of singles competition, he rolled a perfect 300 and became the youngest bowler to do so in the tournament’s 92-year history.

According to Lee, the formula for success was provided by his best friend, Shawn Schilliam, who kept him loose by making fun of him.

“He kept me calm and he challenged me,” said Lee. “He made me feel at home on the lanes.”

Laughter has been part of the winning formula for both Lee and Schilliam, who bowled on the Ferris High School team. In 1992, at the state championships in Seattle, their Ferris team was the first to take home both the championship and sportsmanship trophies.

In fact, it was camaraderie among the bowlers that most impressed Lee at the ABC Tournament.

“Everyone was rooting and clapping for my 300 game,” said Lee. “We all got along, and everyone was supportive of each other.”

Lee, who was born and raised in Spokane, was 19 when he bowled his first 300 at Silver Lanes. He later rolled perfect games in the NFL League and during Monte Carlo bowling, also at Silver Lanes.

Despite these marks, Lee remains humble, noting that perfect games “are not normal. It’s really hard to roll a 300. You need a little luck, too.”

Lee first picked up a bowling ball at the age of 4. He was aided by his mother, Carol Smith, a coach in the junior league at North Bowl. After finding success, in the junior leagues and tournaments, he focused on bowling throughout junior high and high school, abandoning other interests to excel in his favorite sport.

“He gave up band, basketball, track, and football for bowling,” Smith said.

In her home, she displays more than a hundred of her son’s trophies and plaques, including one for his perfect game in Reno.

Smith recalls a time when Lee injured an opposing player making a tackle as an eighth-grade football player at Libby Middle School.

“I will never forget it,” said Smith. “He looked up at me and said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to play football anymore.’ He’s a good bowler, but he’s a great kid.”

Lee also receives emotional support from his father, a steelworker, although he said his dad’s not much of a bowling fan. “He’d rather be watching me out on some football field,” Lee said.

Lee also credits Silver Lanes proprietor David Montecucco with a technical helping hand.

Lee, who practices five days a week for 5 to 6 hours at a time, admits it was difficult balancing bowling and the inevitable pressures associated with being a teenager.

“It was hard to stay dedicated to practices; I couldn’t party or do the things most high school kids do,” he said.

Lee failed to cash in the ABC tournament, but hopes to turn pro within three years, although he admits he still has a lot to learn. One of his goals is to coach those who appreciate the sport as much as he does.

“I had a dream and I’m going for it,” Lee said. “I want to help others with their dreams or goals.”