Tuesday, July 31, 2012

New Record for a Female Using Sip-and-Puff!

My friend and fellow Quad Squad member Rhonda Reese set a new record for dynamic-style wheelchair bowling by a female driving her wheelchair by sip-and-puff. Rhonda bowled a very impressive 195 -- beating her previous best by whopping 25 pins!

Rhonda & I have been friends since long before the IKAN Bowler was invented, and I know she loves having upped the record to a lofty 195. I also know that she has wanted to beat me for the afternoon's high score for quite some time (I think she beat me once previously, but she doesn't recall doing so).

But she'll certainly remember the outcomes from Quad Squad Bowling on July 14th, 2012 (she has the scoresheets to prove it). Yes, she beat me. Technically, she beat me twice that afternoon (although highest overall game is what we go by).

Brenda, Lilian, Melissa, Aaron, Rhonda and I were the IKAN-style bowlers that day, and while everyone had fun, the high score competition would come down to Rhonda and me. I started with a solid game of 157, which Rhonda promptly topped with a 159. In hindsight, that appears to have been a harbinger of what was to come.

So I knew I had to at least beat 159 in order to have the afternoon's top score, and in my second game, I bowled a 194. That's not exactly shabby. I looked over at Rhonda, who was still finishing her second game, and (though I should've waited) I said, "Sorry, Rhonda" for beating her 159 by a good bit and taking over the high score.

Then I proceeded to watch Rhonda bowl a strike in the 9th frame, which gave her the possibility of catching me with another strike (at least) in the tenth frame. She got it. And with her second ball in the tenth, she knocked down 7 pins, giving her 195 regardless of what she did with her bonus ball -- and securing a likely victory over me and our Quad Squad friends on the afternoon (I managed a 184 in my third and final game of the day, which obviously fell short of her 195).

On a day of excellent bowling for Rhonda, the only "bad" news is that she was left to try to pickup a nasty 4-7-10 split with her last ball of her record game. That spare attempt, for us IKAN Users, is makeable probably one-percent of the time, if that. Rhonda went for it but missed. If Rhonda had an easier three pins remaining, she would've had a much better chance to break 200 (the three pins would've been added to her strike, essentially counting double, and would've given her 201), which she lamented later.

Nonetheless, Rhonda was (and is still) quite pleased with her 195, her new record, and with beating me (by one pin!:). And, though I'm quite competitive and don't like to lose, I'm quite happy for Rhonda too.

Click HERE for Rhonda's scoresheet.

CONGRATULATIONS RHONDA! :-)

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net