Quad Squad Bowling – Things to Know…

We have a local (central Florida) Quad Squad group of friends who get together and bowl regularly. A similar Quad Squad group is being formed in Washington state.

FORMATION OF A QUAD SQUAD: Quad Squad is kind of a generic term for a group of us power wheelchair users. Most power wheelchair users function like or as quadriplegics (i.e. people with impairment in all four limbs) but any wheelchair user is welcome – whether it's CP, MD, ALS, SCI, or some other condition that is the reason for wheelchair use… it does not matter. The IKAN Bowler® makes it possible for any wheelchair user to bowl. And a bowl-a-thon is a pretty easy way to equip a group of wheelchair users with an IKAN Bowler® for each.

CADDIES TO PLACE THE BALL: we have a local nonprofit group called LovExtension, which provides volunteers to caddie for us here in central Florida. It is certainly nice to have LovExtension's help, but for other folks reading this, one good thing about quadriplegics is we generally require a caregiver, who can caddie if needed.

FRIENDLY AND LEGIT COMPETITION: friends, family, caregivers, etc.… the bigger the entourage, the more fun. Able-bodied folks can try to beat us; the IKAN Bowler® is sanctioned for legit play (including USBC leagues and tournaments). Each wheelchair user generally has their own lane when we bowl, but it's easy for an able-bodied competitor to share the lane (multiple IKAN Bowler® users can share a lane, but it's easier to bowl next to each other).

OUR BOWLING SCHEDULE: our central Florida Quad Squad group bowls twice a month. Typically, the second Saturday of each month is at AMF Leesburg Lanes, and the fourth Saturday is at Break Point Alley in Tavares. Times are almost always from roughly 4-6 PM. In November and December, we switch from the second & fourth Saturday of each month to the first & third Saturday of each month, to reduce conflicts with the holidays.

It is a fun, social, friendly competition we engage in twice a month. We usually bowl "straight up" (i.e. regular scoring rules) but occasionally we do "8 pin no tap" which means if the bowler gets 8 or more pins with the first ball, it's recorded as a strike. That is just for fun, but really can allow for some big scores.

May God bless all who are reading this.

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 255 High Bowling Game
Co-founder of Manufacturing Genuine Thrills Inc. d/b/a MGT
My blog: http://powerwheelchairusers.wordpress.com
Business website: http://www.ikanbowler.com
Personal website: http://www.lookmomnohands.net

Low or No Cost Ways To Get an IKAN Bowler®

The IKAN Bowler® is a well-engineered, durable adaptive bowling device empowering all types of wheelchair users to be able to bowl. Each unit is proudly manufactured individually, by hand, to precision standards in Brandon, Florida USA. We realize the IKAN Bowler® purchase price is not exactly pocket change for nearly all of the wheelchair users who can benefit from having their own, but if we shared our manufacturing costs, any experienced business person would say we are charging (essentially) as low a price as possible. So to help, here are…

Low or no cost ways to acquire an IKAN Bowler®:

• State programs for adaptive equipment/technology
• Veterans can qualify to get one through the VA
• Having a bowl-a-thon (it's easier than you might think)
• YouCaring or GoFundMe online fundraisers
• Donations from charitable foundations or service clubs

From Washington state on the West Coast over to Vermont on the East Coast, and all the way down to Florida, we know of wheelchair users who have qualified to receive various types of adaptive equipment and/or technology, through state programs. The IKAN Bowler® has been acquired this way.

Veterans can qualify to get an IKAN Bowler® through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) via the prosthetics department. We have an SMA government contract in order to facilitate this. Please contact us for details.

Having a bowl-a-thon really is easier than you might think, and doing so is a good way to raise money for an IKAN Bowler®. We actually have had three annual bowl-a-thons to raise money to help keep one of my Quad Squad bowling buddies (she also uses an IKAN Bowler®) out of a nursing home. You can see the format, and also download (and modify) the files we use to facilitate the bowl-a-thon fundraising by clicking HERE. A bowl-a-thon would be a good way for a group of local wheelchair users to raise enough money for everyone to get an IKAN Bowler® and form their own local Quad Squad.

YouCaring and GoFundMe are online "crowdfunding" platforms to raise money for lots of causes. YouCaring focuses more on compassionate causes such as medical needs, which is why we utilized it for the above-linked bowl-a-thon (I think the fees work out a little bit better for such endeavors). But GoFundMe is the more common and popular platform for online fundraising of all types, and it can also work for someone to humbly ask their friends and family to chip in for an IKAN Bowler® purchase.

Last but not least, some charitable organizations like the Kelly Brush Foundation and some service clubs, like Rotary Clubs, have a particular desire to help people with disabilities, and have previously purchased IKAN Bowlers®. Entities like these generally prefer to help folks in their local area. And they cannot say "yes" if you don't ask!

If you have any questions about these possibilities, feel free to email me (BillMiller@ikanbowler.com).

May God bless everyone who reads this.

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
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

Quadriplegic misses bowling 300 game by one frame… sort of!

Okay, technically the title of this blog is true. I am a quadriplegic, and I missed bowling a perfect 300 game by two pins in the ninth frame, and wound up with a 264 and 11 strikes. Wait, what?

That only makes sense if you know what eight pin no tap means, which is the "sort of" reference in the blog title.

No tap is a fun, but not "legitimate" way to score a bowling game. Eight pin no tap means if the bowler knocks down eight pins or more with their first ball, it is scored as a "no tap" strike. Compared to normal bowling, that makes it easier to get strikes and to score big, which can be fun occasionally, even if the scores would not count for legitimate records like we track on our WheelchairBowlingRecords.com website.

Nevertheless, after starting with 8 consecutive strikes, I was feeling "excitedly nervous" about the possibility of bowling a perfect 300, even if it was with the benefit of eight pin no tap. It felt a lot like when I have bowled legitimate 200+ games, which I have managed to do 24 times, despite being paralyzed from my neck down and using a sip-and-puff controlled wheelchair and IKAN Bowler® attachment to bowl.

I don't know that I choked, but I certainly screwed up the ninth frame by starting my ball out too wide to the right, to where it was unable to curve back and hit the head pin. I was left with the 1-2-4-10 pins remaining. Considering I had six with my first ball, if I had knocked down two more pins with that ball, the scoring would have credited me with a no tap strike, and the pressure would have been on me to keep it up in the 10th frame. I managed to bowl three more strikes in the 10th, but did not have the pressure of a perfect game on the line.

 

Anyway, it was fun, and I am blogging about it in case others want to try bowling no tap style (and for the record, I did have four legitimate strikes in addition to the seven no tap strikes).

I got the idea from one of my fellow Quad Squad bowling buddies Lilian Strandlund.

The top scoring line in the below picture belongs to Lilian, or "Lily" as she calls herself. Lily has cerebral palsy requiring wheelchair use, and yet she pretty thoroughly beat four able-bodied people – including her husband – in their "9-pin no tap" league, bowling with her IKAN Bowler®.

 
 
You probably figured out that nine pin no tap means that the scoring system gives the bowler a strike, if the first ball knocks down nine pins or more. It's harder than eight pin no tap, obviously. But as those able-bodied guys bowling against Lily can attest, a 643 series is quite good – and I am absolutely certain the smile on Lily's face was quite big and spectacular – much like when she bowled a legitimate 215, setting multiple records.

Lily shared the scorecard from her league, and that gave me the idea that maybe we should do it when we get together with some of our other friends for our local Quad Squad bowling. That's what we did this past Saturday. We all had fun scoring higher than normal thanks to the no tap, and Lily came pretty close to my 264 top score, bowling a 255.

No tap bowling or not, get out there and have some fun – life is short! :-)

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
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
 

Incredible Three-Game Series Bowled by Power Wheelchair User

Curtis (Curt) Wolff is an excellent bowler, despite having to bowl from a seated position.

Curt was an avid bowler – averaging in the 220s – before being afflicted by the West Nile virus, which resulted in him experiencing acute flaccid paralysis and he now functions much like a C4-5 quadriplegic. Thus, Curt requires a power wheelchair for mobility.

He was thrilled to discover the IKAN Bowler® which enabled him to rekindle his passion for bowling.

And on March 14, 2016 Curt bowled an incredible three-game series: he averaged 213.67, bowling three consecutive games over 200 – a 212, a 205, and a 224 – with ZERO open frames in the series!

As a fellow wheelchair user with about 1000 games of experience with the IKAN Bowler®, please let me try to explain just how good Curt's series was.

My average is about 150 and I usually bowl three or four games twice a month with our local Quad Squad group, and have been blessed to do so for more than a dozen years. That's where the roughly 1000 games of experience comes from, and I'm also a world record holder with a 255 high game.

In roughly 1000 games, I have scored 200+ a total of 24 times. Sheesh, that makes me look like not-so-good of a bowler – but it's really not that easy to break 200! :-)

Driving our wheelchairs, we get about 6 mph of ball speed using the IKAN Bowler® which requires us to be very precise (some luck doesn't hurt either!) in order to score big. Comparatively speaking, able-bodied male professional bowlers hurl their bowling balls down the lane at an average of roughly 19 mph, and consequently, they get much greater "pin action" when their ball impacts the pins. Greater pin action leads to more strikes. More strikes leads to higher scores. Consecutive strikes in particular really help scores add up quickly, but making spares is important also.

I mention all this because in three games, or 30 total frames, Curt had either a spare or strike in every single frame.

Comparatively, despite having 24 games of 200+ out of my 1000 bowled, I think I have had at most half a dozen (six games) with zero open frames (an open frame is one without a spare or strike).

Point being, it is quite difficult to bowl 200+ and even more difficult to bowl a clean game with no open frames.

Curt did BOTH in three consecutive games.

That is mighty impressive!

And if you look at his scoresheet, you will notice he had to convert three splits in order to not leave an open frame. Two of the splits required very precise shots.

The print out of his scoresheet (viewable as a PDF file HERE) shows that he had a 2-10 split in the second frame of his first game, and if you aren't familiar with the pin positions, the scoresheet shows you where they are. Even a non-expert bowler can tell that that is a difficult spare to pick up.

In game three, Curt had to pick up a 9-10 split, which is two pins exactly side-by-side. To convert that spare essentially requires the ball splitting the gap right between the two pins – and the ball itself is just a little bigger than the gap. The space between two side-by-side pins is 7.25 inches, and standard bowling balls are 8.5 inches, so there's not much room for error if the ball is going to knock both pins over.

In totality, that is the best three-game scoresheet I have seen from a wheelchair user bowling in dynamic fashion (dynamic just means incorporating the movement of the wheelchair, i.e. not stationary ramp bowling).

In case it's not obvious by now… I am HIGHLY impressed.

Click HERE for a video clip of Curt bowling a pocket strike.

And click HERE for a video clip of Curt picking up a spare.

Keep up the terrific bowling Curt! :-)

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
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
 

Yet Another New Bowling Record for Wheelchair Users Driving by Head Array

Mike Murach has done it again! :-)

Bowling with family and friends recently, Mike literally rolled to a 190 in his second game.

In his email to me with the good news, he pointed out the disparity between his first and second game (113 and 190) and later wished he had another chance at picking up his spare in the 10th frame (if he had converted it, nine pins with his bonus ball would have given him 200).

No worries – bowling 190 and setting a new record for oneself (and others) is a good day!

And bowling is always fun, but rolling a 190 in front of your wife and buddies is extra enjoyable when you are the one in the group who uses a wheelchair.

Here is the link for more info and their score sheet:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Mike_Murach_record_190.htm

Way to Go Mike! :-)
 
Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
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
 

Another New Bowling Record for Wheelchair Users Driving by Head Array

Mike Murach has upped the record he set in February, and I have a feeling he is not done! (Big smile)

For now, the bowling record for a wheelchair user driving by head array is 182. You can see his scoresheet and learn more here:

http://wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Mike_Murach_record_182.htm

Mike is paralyzed from his shoulders down roughly, and specific movements of his head are what allow him to control his wheelchair. Adding the IKAN Bowler® to his chair allows him to bowl.

This just helps to illustrate the fact that it does not matter what one's reason for wheelchair use is (SCI, MD, CP, ALS, etc.) or the method by which the user controls his or her wheelchair (head array, joystick, chin control, sip-and-puff, etc.) bowling is still a sport or recreational activity that essentially all wheelchair users can enjoy and compete at.

Good bowling Mike – keep it up! :-)

Bill

William A. Miller, BSBA, ME
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
 

New Bowling Record for Wheelchair Users Driving by Head Array

Another month, another new dynamic wheelchair bowling record.

Earlier in February, Mike Murach posted the best bowling score for a wheelchair user who drives by head array with a strong 180.

In January, Timo Toivonen set the overall world record and record for males with muscular dystrophy with a ridiculously good 257.

Maybe it's the winter weather, since bowling is an indoor sport. Mike lives in Wisconsin (USA) and Timo lives in Finland, and I think both have pretty cold winters.

Whether it's the weather or not leading to these opportunities and scores… keep it up fellas – terrific bowling!

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
 

New MD and Overall World Records for Dynamic Wheelchair Bowling!

Timo Toivonen: 257. That ridiculously good bowling score is now the top overall score in the world for a dynamic wheelchair bowler, and also ups the record for a male with muscular dystrophy.

Dynamic just means it incorporates the movement of the wheelchair, and is not stationary ramp bowling.

And for people who know me well, or are keeping track of such bowling records, yes, Timo broke my record of 255. But I know how difficult it is to bowl that well, so I "tip my cap" and offer sincere congratulations to Timo.

The details are here.

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

Wheelchair User Bowls a 232 and 607 Series

Last month, Curtis Wolff bowled a 232 in the first game of a three-game series totaling 607 pins. That is not too shabby for almost anyone, but it is ridiculously good for someone who is essentially paralyzed from his chest down.

Bowling 200+ in a single game is quite an achievement for a wheelchair user.

Bowling 600+ (total pins) for a three-game series is truly an extraordinary achievement for a wheelchair user.

To my knowledge, Curtis is now the third IKAN Bowler® user to have ever bowled a 600 series – but the first to do it during a sanctioned USBC league.

Curtis and seven other IKAN Bowler® users are members of the 200 club.

Here are the details in a slightly edited version from how he emailed them to me…

Hi Bill,

I just started my third year bowling in a USBC league with my IKAN Bowler. I am a C4, C5 quadriplegic with acute flaccid paralysis caused by the West Niles Virus.  We’ve corresponded in the past as I let you know about my first 200 game.  Since then I’ve had several more 200’s but this past week I hit a milestone.  Going into the tenth frame of my first game I had a legitimate chance to beat your record 255.  Well, your record is still intact as I actually opened in the tenth and ended up with a 232.

But that’s not the end. The next game I shot 187 and the last game was exciting as I needed a spare and count to break 600.  I didn’t choke this time and ended with a 188 and a 607 scratch series.

Before getting my illness I was a scratch bowler and competed at the national level.  And, while I reluctantly started to bowl again, I have persevered through starting all over and my league average is 154 and on the rise.  I’ve been consistently in the 500’s practicing this summer and fully anticipate to be averaging 180 or better by the end of this season.  My scores aren’t like the old days…. yet; but, the potential is there and am planning to compete in both the amateur bowler’s tour as well as national wheelchair tournaments in the near future.

Attached are my attested league scores as well as the computer printout from the AMF bowling center.  I’m not sure if this any type of record (I’ve seen your combined awesome score) but, I think it’s important to note this was true dynamic bowling and in a sanctioned USBC league utilizing two lanes in regular league play format.  Not a group outing. I have to wait my turn, going on and off the lanes, alternate lanes every other frame and keep up with everyone bowling on the pair. (Four person teams, 30 teams) Pretty tough to stay consistent.

A three game series of 607 is a 202.33 average. Not bad and, by the way, you can see I had a few opens so there is still room to improve. Next goal 700.

This attachment with my scoresheet should open in Adobe or other readers.

Hope all is well and if you can add this to the records some way it would be great. By the way I drive with a joystick and have limited hand movement.

Thanks for helping invent the IKAN Bowler and your hard work.  Hopefully we can meet sometime and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Curt Wolff
Thornton, Colorado 
 
Terrific bowling Curt!

And I am planning to add a page on the wheelchair bowling records website to recognize 200 and 600 club members and achievements.

Keep it up Curt – if you do have a 700 series, I will spotlight it too!
 
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

Strike for Vets

A bowling fundraiser called Strike for Vets was held earlier in October to help support a spinal cord injury recovery center in Tampa called Stay in Step (non-veterans can rehab there as well).

Daniel Bolan, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout with a bowling average over 200, met retired U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret Romy Camargo, who was paralyzed in Afghanistan in 2008. Daniel created Strike for Vets to help Romy and others by raising money for the nonprofit organization Romy and his wife Gaby started, which operates the recovery center.

I had the pleasure of going to Tampa to meet and bowl with Daniel and Romy for a pre-event news story which demonstrated how the IKAN Bowler® enables quadriplegics like Romy and me to bowl. Another story covered the actual event, and both stories can be found on the news page of our IKAN Bowler® website:
http://www.ikanbowler.com/in-the-news.html

Besides wanting to give kudos and draw attention to Daniel, Romy, and everyone who helped make Strike for Vets a success, I am also blogging about this because Daniel is planning Strike for Vets II to be held in Orlando in either January or February. I intend to participate in the event.

So stay tuned for more about Strike for Vets II!

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
 

Wheelchair Bowling Records

In 2009, I started a wheelchair bowling records website to share the bowling achievements of different types of wheelchair users, and also to share some of what is possible for people, despite certain physical conditions.

The focus of the website is on “dynamic-style” wheelchair bowling, i.e. bowling which incorporates the movement of the wheelchair and mimics the able-bodied bowling process. Like able-bodied bowlers, wheelchair users can set up, and then physically approach and release the ball while stopping short of the foul line. That is exactly what the IKAN (“I can”) Bowler® allows wheelchair users to do. And because it mimics the able-bodied bowling process, the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) sanctioned the IKAN Bowler® for league and tournament play – bowling with and/or against able-bodied bowlers or fellow IKAN users.

We developed the IKAN Bowler® to attach to almost any wheelchair, thus enabling people who can safely control their chairs to be able to bowl. For example, I am paralyzed from the neck down and ventilator dependent, and I have literally bowled two dozen games of 200 or better – and I drive my wheelchair with my mouth, using a sip-and-puff system.

Cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injury are three types of conditions which can result in the need for an electric/power wheelchair, and the IKAN Bowler® can enable us to bowl on a “level playing field” with the rest of the world. People with these types of conditions are featured on the records website, and records are also shown for different methods of operating a wheelchair (joystick, chin control, head array control, sip-and-puff, etc.).

Here is the website: WheelchairBowlingRecords.com

What about other wheelchair bowling styles and records?

For decades, I would think, manual wheelchair users who still have the upper body and grip strength have been able to “park” their wheelchair in front of the foul line, lean over and toss their bowling ball down the lane. Shawn Beam and George Holscher are two men who have bowled perfect 300 games doing so. But many people require electric/power wheelchairs for mobility, and do not have the physical ability to use their arms and swing a bowling ball.

Stationary ramps can be fun for people who have enough physical ability to aim the ramp, position the ball (how the ball is positioned on either a stationary ramp or IKAN Bowler® determines the shape of the shot), and push it down the ramp. But high-level quadriplegics, like me, and people in similar conditions cannot do that.

The IKAN Bowler® is a precision-engineered ramp which attaches to its users wheelchair. After a caddie positions the ball how we want it for the shot, the wheelchair user is in control and empowered to bowl and have fun in a physical way. Not many sports and recreational opportunities exist for people who are so physically limited. A major bonus is that it is sanctioned by the USBC, allowing for genuine competition, and increasing the thrill potential for those who like to compete.

The thrill of doing something formerly not thought possible (e.g. a quadriplegic bowling a legitimate strike) and also the thrill of competition (trying to beat someone else or achieve a certain score) those are genuine thrills. And that is why our company is named Manufacturing Genuine Thrills, because that’s what we do by providing the IKAN Bowler®. :-)

I just wanted to share about the records website, and why I developed it.

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

Wheelchair Programming for Bowling Success (with Video)

As THIS post from October explains, I got a new chair last year and it has taken a fair amount of time to program/test/tweak settings that I like for bowling.

I bowl about twice a month with other local wheelchair users (we call ourselves the Central Florida Quad Squad) and I am also unable to change the programming for the different drive modes on my new Permobil C300 wheelchair. Long story short, my wheelchair guy and I set up two similar-but-different bowling modes that I thought I would like. But I have been blessed that my new chair has not had too many issues, so I have not had a lot of appointments with my wheelchair guy, and again, bowling just twice a month… that combination results in a slow process to fine-tune the programming for bowling.

But I think we finally have my chair set up to where I can drive/bowl well using my sip-and-puff controls to direct my chair.

The key is to be able to drive slowly, and make minor turns/adjustments as you approach the foul line with the bowling ball atop your IKAN Bowler®. More specifically, the forward speed and acceleration need to be slow, as do the turning speeds. I have tried accelerating and driving fast, and doing so does not add much speed to the ball (at most, users can increase the ball speed from roughly 6.0 mph to 7.0 mph) and it's not worth the loss in accuracy. Driving slowly and in control is best for bowling.

EDIT: here is a video of me bowling on July 11, at our Quad Squad outing…
 

If you have any questions, or would like to see my actual programming speeds for bowling, feel free to contact me.

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
 

2nd Annual Bowl-A-Thon for Rhonda

Last February, we had a very successful bowl-a-thon fundraiser to help my friend and fellow quadriplegic, Rhonda Reese, stay out of a nursing home. Roughly two years ago, at the age of 46, she lost both of her parents, and has been trying to do all that she can to keep living in a community setting in her apartment. And I thank everyone who contributed to the success of last year's bowl-a-thon.

But if we are going to KEEP Rhonda out of a nursing home indefinitely, then we will need to do a bowl-a-thon annually. Rhonda is doing other fundraisers and all that she can to avoid having to go to a nursing home, and she does have some government assistance, but it is still a fairly delicate situation that she is managing about as frugally as possible. Only God knows what the future holds, but we are endeavoring to help Rhonda, and hopefully this can be a successful annual event.

Here are the full details about this year's bowl-a-thon:

http://www.lookmomnohands.net/Rhonda.htm

Please contact me with any questions or if you want to participate in any way, and feel free to spread the word.

I thank you for your consideration to help – God bless!

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
 

Remembering Alex McDonald

Five years ago yesterday, our friend and fellow Quad Squad bowler Alex McDonald went to Heaven at the young age of 17 due to complications of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His passing was sudden and unexpected, and candidly, it's hard to believe that it's been more than five years since I have seen the sparkle in his eyes after winning top score (he especially loved beating me) at a Quad Squad outing. :-)

Alex loved life, and loved bowling. He even bowled on his high school team, both with and against able-bodied bowlers. Alex held the world record for males with muscular dystrophy for more than four years with a 213. I'm sure he would have topped that score by now, and I also know that he would have been pursuing my overall record of 255 and could have surpassed it. He was very competitive, and fun to be around.

Here is the write up from when Alex entered the 200 Club with a 201, and shortly thereafter broke it with the 213:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Alex_McDonald_Enters_200_Club_with_a_201_and_213.htm

Here is his online memorial:

http://www.forevermissed.com/alex-mcdonald/#about

He was a good young man, and he is missed. But I know he's in a better place.
 
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
 

New Wheelchair, New Bowling Setup, Similar Results?

I recently got a new wheelchair, FINALLY, after nearly 17 years of daily use (typically about 13-14 hours per day) from my first wheelchair. My new wheelchair is a Permobil C300, which has the two foot pedals coming off of a single center post, instead of the traditional two side leg rests supporting one foot pedal each.

This requires a different mounting method for my IKAN Bowler®. Our IKAN Universal Mount works with essentially any wheelchair with two side leg rests (non-power elevating), and that's what I used for bowling in my old chair. And our IKAN Center Post Mount accommodates essentially all center-post style leg rest chairs. But for people like me who need to switch from the Universal Mount to the Center Post Mount, we sell a Conversion Kit in our online store.

The Conversion Kit turns a Universal Mount into a Center Post Mount.

The Center Post Mount can be pretty easy to set up, depending on one's chair configuration. The potentially difficult part is mounting the IKAN Mounting Brackets onto the wheelchair's utility rails, which are on each side of the chair below the seat base. Each chair is different, but the mounting brackets are designed to be mounted "permanently" onto the utility rails, with any existing accessories being mounted on top (on the outside) of the IKAN brackets, like a sandwich. For some chairs, this works well, but may require longer hex bolts/screws.

For me, I have a good friend who is a master mechanic, and he felt like we should shorten my IKAN mounting brackets and attach them to the utility rails in front of the accessories that are already mounted. He actually cut the brackets, and welded a piece of metal (I think) at the end of each bracket (to close the slots and make them strong like the original brackets, but shorter) and then attached them to the front of my utility rails.

For anyone trying to set up a Center Post Mount, I would suggest getting the opinion/help of someone who is good with mechanics for what is best in your situation. If you don't know anyone, then a trip to a local machine shop might be the best and easiest way to get set up. We have had customers who have had good experiences getting some help from local machine shop folks at reasonable costs.

As for actually bowling with a Center Post Mount IKAN Bowler® setup, I liked it a lot. Maybe it's the chair, or my positioning, but it seemed like the ball was a little bit closer to me, and I could see over it a little better than in my old chair with the Universal Mount setup.

Now, technically I am credited with co-inventing the IKAN Bowler® and I have set a pretty high standard for myself with bowling over the last 10 years or so, averaging about 155-160 per game and having 24 games of 200 or better (including the overall world record of 255).

Knowing that, I was not terribly excited about switching from a rearwheel drive wheelchair where the front turns, to a front wheel drive chair where the rear turns. Not only that, but the turning inputs with my sip-and-puff controls are literally backwards from what I have done the previous 17 years. So it's going to take some time getting adjusted and reprogramming my brain to how this chair works.

My first bowling scores in this new chair with the new bowling setup were: 118, 126, 107, and… 166! I was quite pleased with the 166 in my fourth game. Driving this chair has a different feel to it, aside from the backwards turning inputs, so I'm still getting accustomed to it, and it took me a while (three games, apparently) to adjust some of my bowling approaches and have better success. Hopefully I will not revert back to my old approaches, which are ingrained in me, and I will continue to bowl well.

NOVEMBER 1 EDIT: we had another Quad Squad Bowling outing today, my second time bowling in my new chair with the Center Post Mount IKAN Bowler® setup. My scores were a bit better: 132, 172, and then I regressed back to 130. We were a little late getting started, so I only bowled three games. Here's a picture of me on the lanes yesterday with the new stuff:

click to enlarge photo

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

New Bowling Record for Males with Muscular Dystrophy

Timo Toivonen, a 25-year-old man with spinal muscular atrophy (a form of muscular dystrophy), has upped the mark for males with MD by bowling a very impressive 227. His game included eight strikes and four spares, and if you add that up, you can tell he had no open frames (and had three marks in the 10th frame).

For all the details, check out:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Timo_Toivonen_227.htm

Congratulations Timo! :-)

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
 

7 IKAN Bowler Users and a 23rd 200+ Game

At our central Florida Quad Squad outing on Saturday, September 14th, we had seven different power wheelchair users bowl with an IKAN Bowler.  The reasons for wheelchair use among the seven people include cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and spina bifida.  We also have had people with muscular dystrophy in our group, but not on that day.

Brenda, Julie, Lilian, Rhonda, Aaron, Doug, and I were the seven IKAN users.  If you're wondering how it works, the bowling alley typically has enough lanes that each wheelchair user can bowl on his/her own lane.  Most of us bowl 3-5 games in the roughly two hours that we are together with various family, friends, and our volunteer caddies who are now friends who have become like family.  We usually have a sizable group -- and we ALWAYS have a good time! :)

Bowling is always fun, whether the scores are particularly good or not.  A good score is subjective to the person bowling, but we all have a friendly competition for top score of the afternoon (my Dad started this by offering $20 for the top score -- if that score beats me; I'm not eligible as the prize money is supposed to be incentive for people to beat me and keep my "ego" in check, says my loving Dad:) and Aaron set the bar high with a really good 196 in his second game of the afternoon.

But my strike ball found its groove and I followed Aaron's 196 with a 205 to take the lead for the top score of the afternoon.  That was my 22nd game of 200 or better, so my caddy George tried to get a printout.  But my Aunt Jackie accidentally cleared my score before George could get the printout!  Jackie apologized and half-jokingly said, "you'll just have to do it again!"

That, of course, is MUCH easier said than done, but my strike ball was working well and I did break 200 again in the very next game, nearly matching the 205 with a 204.  So that's why the title of this post includes mention of a 23rd 200+ game -- for a person who happens to be a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic.  Here's my scoresheet:


 
All glory to God and God bless all!

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

Vent-Dependent Quadriplegic Bowls 21st 200+ Game

Many wheelchair users are not aware that a relatively new device exists that enables even people paralyzed from the neck down (like me) to bowl in a way that mimics the able-bodied bowling process.  The IKAN ("I can") Bowler® attaches to one's wheelchair and allows its user to setup, and then physically approach and release the ball upon stopping short of the foul line.  That's basically able-bodied bowlers do, and it's why the United States Bowling Congress sanctioned the IKAN Bowler® for league and tournament play, bowling with or against able-bodied bowlers and/or fellow IKAN users.

Using my IKAN Bowler, I had my 21st game of 200 or better on June 22nd, with a 213 in my first game of the day with our Quad Squad Bowling group.  Brenda, Melissa, Ben and I were the IKAN users that day, and we all had a good time as usual.  It was our first time back at what was Classique Lanes and is now Break Point Alley.  I opened with a turkey (three straight strikes) and that seemed to be validation that we made the right choice to return to the revamped bowling alley.

Here's my scoresheet, and additional commentary is below (click the picture to enlarge the scoresheet):

I followed the turkey with a 9-spare, then two more strikes, and knew I could/should break 200 unless I messed it up, which I almost did.  In my next two frames, the 7th and 8th, I missed spares I usually make.  I rebounded with a 9-spare in the 9th, which meant that a mark (spare or strike) in the 10th frame would result in 200+.  My strike ball worked twice more and I added 9 with the bonus ball in the 10th for a 213.

Just being able to bowl legitimately is fun, and I tell new IKAN users that having fun and striving to bowl personal best games are what I would try to do each time out.  I happen to have co-invented the IKAN Bowler, so I've bowled with it quite a bit, and my personal best is 255, which happens to be the overall world record for dynamic wheelchair bowling.  I'd love to break 255, but that's a really high score, and my goal each time out is to have a 500 series (three games with roughly a 167 average) because that's not easy, and takes quite a bit of quality bowling for IKAN users.

Our ball speed averages about 6 mph so we don't get nearly the "pin action" that most able-bodied bowlers do, so it takes excellent placement (and some luck) to get quite a few strikes in one game.  It takes at least a few consecutive strikes to give a person a good opportunity to break 200.  My average is about 155-160, so bowling 200 or better is fairly rare and special, which is why I keep track of the number of times I do it.

All glory to God and God bless all!

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

VIDEO: I Can--The Bill Miller Story

A graduate student at the University of Florida, Belinda Post, asked if she could do a video story on me and our efforts to get wheelchair users (back) in the game of life, especially power wheelchair users.  I agreed, although for several months my voice has been unusually soft, so I'm hard to hear in the video (we're still trying to determine the cause and solution).

My Stepmom just watched it and thought it was "wonderful" and she and my Dad said I should share it, so I am.  I think the video is very well done, however the on-screen name for my friend should read Lilian Strandlund.  No worries.

Here's the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txpw6Vla5RY

God bless all!

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

Man Paralyzed for Over 31 Years Bowls a 209

My friend Aaron Parker bowled a 209 on March 23rd, 2013.  Many people have bowled that well before, but not many — if any — who have lived with paralysis for more than 31 years.

Aaron has been a C7 quadriplegic since July 1st, 1981.  He is paralyzed from his chest down and thus uses a power wheelchair.  That doesn’t sound like a typical description for someone who just set a personal bowling record of 209, but adding an IKAN Bowler to a wheelchair allows its user to bowl in a way that is equivalent to how able-bodied people bowl (so says the USBC).  For an explanation and video example, checkout WheelchairBowlingRecords.com.

I personally find it amazing that someone who has been paralyzed for over 31 years can compete in a sport on a level “playing field” and do so very well.

For Aaron’s scoresheet and more, click here:

http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Aaron_Parker_209.htm

CONGRATULATIONS Aaron!

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