I treated the night like a regular league night, so I arrived about the time I usually would for winter league. Before bowling, I caught up with someone from my bowling past: Wayne Webber, who is now AWBA president. Wayne was working in the pro shop at the time I first broke into league bowling and had drilled my first bowling balls, so it really was a pleasure for me to see him again.
For the tournament, I was teamed with the Spotts, Dan and Lorretta, from Colorado Springs. Dan was the wheelchair bowler on the team, and it turned out he was a former national champion, having won the A division handicap championship in 2004, the cloth for which was proudly displayed on the back of his wheelchair. The team didn’t do so well, and I had started out slowly, changing to my Tropical Breeze for the second game, which I had to run into the pro shop between frames to address a fit issue. I found a good line near the end looking around 15; part of my problem is usually trying to swing the ball too much and getting the ball to the dry on the outside too soon. Dan was consistently in the 170s and 180s, and Lorretta, after a poor start, was in the 200s in her other two games; I contributed a 588 no-tap scratch score for a 2060 score with handicap, which I didn’t think would cash, so I left early.
While I was bowling, I was observing the wheelchair bowlers around me, and noticed that many of them could hook it at least a little, which has given me new appreciation for disabled athletes. If I get results for the no-tap event, I will post them. Also, although the AWBA has a website, it hasn’t been updated for a while, so I may have to rely on on-site results for the national tournament, which started today.
Good luck to all of the wheelchair bowlers this week. š
The Tenth Board 