Vent-Dependent Quadriplegic Bowls 10th 200+ Game

I, Bill Miller, am paralyzed from my neck down and ventilator-dependent, yet I recently bowled my 10th legitimate game of 200 or better. I state that not to brag, but to help drive home the point that ANY WHEELCHAIR USER -- who can safely operate his/her wheelchair -- CAN BOWL in dynamic fashion with the IKAN ("I can") Bowler®.

I've now bowled a 200, four 201s, two 202s, a 203, 206, and 221, which is my personal record and the current record for a male who drives his chair via sip-and-puff. What makes the scores legitimate?

The IKAN Bowler® was sanctioned for league and tournament play -- any league or tournament any where, bowling with and/or against able-bodied bowlers or fellow IKAN Users -- by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).

The USBC sanctioned the IKAN Bowler® because IKAN Users emulate the able-bodied bowling process, i.e. setup, then physically approach and release the ball while stopping short of the foul line. This is considered "dynamic" bowling because executing each shot involves the moving wheelchair. We state this to distinguish dynamic wheelchair bowling from stationary-ramp bowling.

There's nothing wrong with stationary-ramp bowling (and the IKAN Bowler® is great for stationary-ramp bowling) but that's essentially a different sport than dynamic wheelchair bowling, which is equivalent to traditional, able-bodied bowling.

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My most recent 200+ game was my 4th 201.

I started off well with a spare, then a strike, and three more spares. Then came a turkey (three consecutive strikes) over my 6th, 7th, and 8th frames, followed by a spare in the 9th.

At this point, I had 184 plus whatever I bowl with my first ball in the 10th. So with a decent/good count (for example 8 pins) with my first ball, I'd have 192 in the 9th, and 200 in the 10th -- PLUS the opportunity for a spare (two more points) and an additional ball (likely 7-10 more points). Therefore, if all that happened, I most likely would've added an additional 17-20 points to my 9th frame score (so with the hypothetical 192, I was looking at potentially scoring 209-212).

The hypothetical 8 pins became 8 real pins and I had 192 in the 9th.

The problem is I was left with a nasty 4-10 split, which is extremely difficult to pickup. I tried, but got only the 4-pin and thus finished with a 201. I was really hoping I'd bowl a score I hadn't before (something in the range of 209-212, like I mentioned above) but it wasn't meant to be. No worries.

ANY score of 200 or better is something to be quite happy about -- and I am! :-)

The scoresheet for my 4th 201 and 10th 200+ game is HERE.

If you're curious, my 221 story & scoresheet are HERE.

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 221 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.blogspot.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Two Videos and a Slideshow on Power Wheelchair Bowling! :-)

Greetings! :-)

At the links below are videos showing two different Quad Squad Bowling outings, one of which is accompanied by a picture slideshow. We currently have about 8 Central Florida Quad Squad members who get together and bowl generally twice a month (contact me for more info if you want to check us out and/or join us!:). We generally have 3-4 wheelchair users bowling, and it just so happens that the same three are in the two videos below.

Video one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4i6DaLYmic
Video two: http://www.wftv.com/video/13470876/index.html
Slideshow: http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/13471076/detail.html

Video one above is very well done; it has tastefully appropriate music throughout, so I'm going to provide some commentary if you're interested:)...

That's me at the beginning having the Universal Mount and IKAN Bowler arm attached to my chair. I've been a C1-2 quadriplegic for almost 10 years, after dislocating two vertebrae in my neck in a freak fall that actually occurred in my off-campus apartment when I was a student at the University of Florida (I'm back in school at UF via their online business program). I'm bowling with the Blue ball and controlling my chair via sip-and-puff.

My friend Jeff is bowling with the Orange & Black ball (which he got because he likes Tony Stewart -- I joke and say that Tony Stewart ball is holding his game back!:). Jeff has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and bowls via joystick. Our friend Melissa, she has Cerebral Palsy, she's bowling on the other side of Jeff and she uses a head array to control her chair. The videographer / editor was trying to get good shots from everyone, and to keep it relatively short. The lanes were pretty dry that day and I think we all struggled bowling a little bit. My ball wasn't breaking nearly as much as normal, with my strike setup.

Where the ball's finger holes are positioned, determines the shape of the shot. With my ball, when all the finger holes are on the left, it curves left, and when they're all on the right, it curves right. If the holes straddle the top, it goes straight. I usually use a straight ball setup when attempting spares.

Video two and the accompanying slideshow were done (very well:) by the Central Florida ABC News affiliate. Both have narration accompanying them, so I won't elaborate here.

If you want to see the record scores for multiple categories of wheelchair users, checkout our message board and feel free to register & post! Here are the links:

Main forum: http://www.ikanbowler.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
Bowling records: http://www.ikanbowler.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3

For more of the basics and details about power wheelchair bowling, see my introduction to this blog, scroll way down or click HERE! :-)

Sincerely,

Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 202 High Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
Business website: http://www.IkanBowler.com
Personal website: http://www.LookMomNoHands.net