BOSS bowling night equals a strikeout

By Amber Avalona-Butler
Paraglide

	Photo by Amber Avalona-Butler/Paraglide Miguel Liberio, preventive medicine, Company A, Womack Army Medical Center, entertains the crowd with his version of the one-legged bowl. Liberio enjoyed his first outing with BOSS.

If bowling with the Family is an activity, bowling with Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers is a production. Fort Bragg’s singles packed into Dragon Lanes last Friday night, turning the facility’s 24 lanes into a blur of bowling balls and flying pins.

The event, which lasted from 8 p.m. to midnight, attracted more than 80 Soldiers and single-parent Families.
“The best part is the environment,” said Kevin Thomas, an avid bowler and information technology specialist with 206th Signal Company. “It’s friendly and comfortable — you just come out and bowl and have fun with everybody.”

For the price of a chain restaurant meal ($10), Soldiers enjoyed unlimited bowling, rental shoes and a buffet spread of pizza, buffalo wings, soda and other party food.
One lucky Soldier won the top prize: four tickets to the Atlanta Braves/Florida Marlins game, set for Aug. 28, and a sporting event parking pass donated by Dragon Lanes manager, Ruby Bonapart.

“We make activities on post that keep Soldiers here,” said James Soto, Installation BOSS President at Fort Bragg. “It’s a pay weekend so there’s the tendency to go out and spend a lot of money. This is that alternative.”

More than 29,000 single and unaccompanied Soldiers call Fort Bragg home. BOSS gives them a “unified voice” and the opportunity to be part of the larger Army Family.

According to BOSS’ mission statement, the program “supports the chain of command by identifying quality of life issues and concerns” for single Soldiers, much like the Family Readiness Group will step in for Families.

So what can we expect from BOSS in the future? Plan for sand volleyball, a canoe race and water toys at the summer beach party, tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27. Cookout food and free cabins await the outdoorsy type and prizes are sure to enliven the event.

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