With this year in review, I'll recap the highlights of the past year for Quad Squad Bowling and share some additional news that isn't in any of my other blog entries.
In January, my young friend Alex McDonald set and reset the dynamic wheelchair bowling record for a male with muscular dystrophy by impressively bowling a 180 and 192 in back-to-back games. Click HERE for details, but as you'll see later in this recap, Alex went on to eclipse his record -- several (impressive) times.
In February, 65-year-young Angie Keiser became really the first paraplegic to take the IKAN "dynamic bowling challenge" and post a solid record score of 138. That might not sound like it's too high, but I believe dynamic bowling in a manual wheelchair is more difficult than with a power wheelchair. And we have yet to see any other paraplegics (younger or older) take the challenge and post a better score than Angie. So Angie officially holds the record. Click HERE for Angie's IKAN User profile and the scoresheet of her record game.
In March, 59-year-young Lilian Strandlund became THE top overall female dynamic wheelchair bowler with a joyous 189. I say joyous because she was SO HAPPY to not only become the top female bowler with cerebral palsy, and the top female bowler who drives her chair via joystick, in addition to the aforementioned overall top bowler -- but she beat her significant other Ed, who is able-bodied and can bowl real well. Just mentioning her record setting performance and beating Ed makes Lilian's whole face light up with a smile that beams! Click HERE for Lilian's profile and record scoresheet.
In April & May, I wrote a REALLY comprehensive (a.k.a. LONG:) blog called "Keys and Tips for Dynamic Wheelchair Bowling." Actually, in May I updated it with some new info, but if you're interested and haven't read it, I went back and included the May info in the April blog, so that someone only has to read my April entry to get everything, which is HERE.
In June, Rhonda Reese came out of hibernation to set a new record for a female wheelchair bowler who drives via sip-and-puff with an exciting 170 -- beating her previous best by 9 pins! I say "hibernation" in jest because Rhonda hadn't been able to bowl with us for about 6 months. So after such a long time in between bowling, it was impressive to see her have her best bowling day to date. Click HERE for details.
Apparently nothing particularly blog-worthy occurred with our Quad Squad Bowling in July, so I took the opportunity to introduce a new website I created to more legitimize our record bowling scores. To checkout WheelchairBowlingRecords.com, click HERE.
Alex McDonald heated up in August and broke his male with MD record by bowling 195 -- and if that wasn't impressive enough, he averaged 182.33 on his record-breaking day. His best bowling day (to that point:) came at a great time, because Alex was preparing to join his High School Bowling Team -- competing with and against able-bodied bowlers -- a few weeks later. Click HERE for details.
With September came a new record for male bowlers who drive via sip-and-puff... I bowled a 221 which topped my previous high game of 206 by 15 pins. The thing that surprised and amazed me is that I actually had two open frames in the game, and still managed to score that high (I had 7 strikes; 4 consecutive and 3 consecutive -- that's how I was lucky enough to score so high). Click HERE for details.
In October, Alex became the fourth IKAN User to enter the 200 Club -- and he did it TWICE with a 201 and 213! I was both quite impressed and proud of Alex's bowling accomplishments, despite our friendly rivalry. Click HERE for details.
In November, a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic who is paralyzed from the neck down bowled his 10th game of 200 or better. I wrote that to try to drive home the point that ANY wheelchair user who can safely operate a wheelchair, can bowl in dynamic fashion (by dynamic I mean using an IKAN Bowler and the movement of one's wheelchair to emulate the able-bodied bowling process). I control my wheelchair with my mouth, and yet I've bowled ten 200+ games. I don't write that to brag, but to show others what is possible. Click HERE for the details.
This is my December blog entry and I have one quite significant piece of news to share -- and sad news at that.
Shockingly, in late November at just 17 years of age, our friend and fellow Quad Squad member Alex McDonald passed away from complications of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He went from seemingly healthy to no longer with us in about a week's time.
I share that here for two reasons: (1) so readers of this blog will know why additional bowling accomplishments from Alex aren't mentioned, and (2) as a reminder to LIVE life and try to enjoy each day, whatever it may bring. Not only that, but to make sure your loved ones know you love them.
With that, I wish everyone who reads this a healthy and happy 2010.
May God bless you and your loved ones.
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
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
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.
* * * * *
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
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.
* * * * *
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
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wheelchair User with MD Enters 200 Club with a 201 and 213!
On October 10, 2009, my friend Alex McDonald became the fourth IKAN User (to my knowledge) to bowl 200 or better! That day Alex bowled a 201 to join the 200 Club -- and just two weeks later -- Alex bowled a 213 to up the record for male wheelchair users with muscular dystrophy! :-)
Alex has been really consistent (and good) at picking up spares. But he's had trouble getting strikes relatively often, partly because his ball wouldn't hook how he wanted it to. Well, on October 10th, our fellow Quad Squad member Rhonda Reese brought Jeff Parker's old ball up for Alex to try (for those who don't know, our Quad Squad friend Jeff Parker passed away at the age of 37 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; Alex also has Duchenne MD, but he's only 17 -- and may he have a long, healthy life with the Good Lord's blessing and all the advances being made in medicine). On the below scoresheet, you can see Alex was trying to get familiar with Jeff's ball in the first game.
Maybe it was the cosmic Duchenne connection (maybe Jeff was there, kicking over some pins) I don't know, but Alex sure got familiar with Jeff's ball in the second game. As the scoresheet shows, Alex had four strikes in the 10 frames, including a double over the 8th and 9th. Since Alex was already extremely comfortable with his ball for spares, he kept using it whenever he didn't have a strike, and he picked up every spare in his second game, which led to a mighty good 201 -- and Alex's entrance into the 200 Club.
I would've loved to have been there to watch and cheer Alex on, but my wheelchair batteries were almost completely dead when I got in my chair that afternoon, so I couldn't go bowling.
But I saw Alex's 213 game -- and it was exciting!
Alex opened with a spare -- and then FIVE STRAIGHT STRIKES -- and the record watch was ON! After his fourth frame (so he had a spare, followed by a turkey) I'm thinking, "Alright Alex! This has a good chance to be another 200+ game!"
After another strike, and ANOTHER, my eyes were getting big and I was thinking, "Look out Jon Musgrave!" Jon is the overall world record holder in dynamic wheelchair bowling with a 243 (available HERE). Alex followed the five straight strikes with another spare in the 7th frame, but unfortunately he missed his spare attempt in the 8th frame. He spared in the ninth, but didn't spare in the 10th. The final tally was 213 -- an impressive score for just about anyone, able-bodied or not.
I must point out an odd similarity between Alex's best game and my best game (mine is 221; available HERE). We both had two open frames (i.e. two frames without a spare or strike) -- AND we both missed two single-pin spares in those open frames. It's amazing that we both scored as high as we did, considering we each had two open frames, and the irony is we usually pick-up those single-pin spares when we're bowling well.
Alex had no open frames in his 201 game, and I have also bowled a 201 with no open frames. The fact that we both had two open frames in our highest games, shows the power of consecutive strikes.
For any IKAN User who wants to join the 200 Club, I highly suggest trying out different bowling balls until you find one that has a pretty good amount of break (curve) that you can hook into the headpin. I elaborate on how to do that and more with my blog entry titled, "Keys and Tips for Dynamic Wheelchair Bowling" available HERE.
Alex's 201 scoresheet AND 213 scoresheet are both HERE!
If you're curious, Alex's previous best was 195, available HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS ALEX! :-)
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
Alex has been really consistent (and good) at picking up spares. But he's had trouble getting strikes relatively often, partly because his ball wouldn't hook how he wanted it to. Well, on October 10th, our fellow Quad Squad member Rhonda Reese brought Jeff Parker's old ball up for Alex to try (for those who don't know, our Quad Squad friend Jeff Parker passed away at the age of 37 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; Alex also has Duchenne MD, but he's only 17 -- and may he have a long, healthy life with the Good Lord's blessing and all the advances being made in medicine). On the below scoresheet, you can see Alex was trying to get familiar with Jeff's ball in the first game.
Maybe it was the cosmic Duchenne connection (maybe Jeff was there, kicking over some pins) I don't know, but Alex sure got familiar with Jeff's ball in the second game. As the scoresheet shows, Alex had four strikes in the 10 frames, including a double over the 8th and 9th. Since Alex was already extremely comfortable with his ball for spares, he kept using it whenever he didn't have a strike, and he picked up every spare in his second game, which led to a mighty good 201 -- and Alex's entrance into the 200 Club.
I would've loved to have been there to watch and cheer Alex on, but my wheelchair batteries were almost completely dead when I got in my chair that afternoon, so I couldn't go bowling.
But I saw Alex's 213 game -- and it was exciting!
Alex opened with a spare -- and then FIVE STRAIGHT STRIKES -- and the record watch was ON! After his fourth frame (so he had a spare, followed by a turkey) I'm thinking, "Alright Alex! This has a good chance to be another 200+ game!"
After another strike, and ANOTHER, my eyes were getting big and I was thinking, "Look out Jon Musgrave!" Jon is the overall world record holder in dynamic wheelchair bowling with a 243 (available HERE). Alex followed the five straight strikes with another spare in the 7th frame, but unfortunately he missed his spare attempt in the 8th frame. He spared in the ninth, but didn't spare in the 10th. The final tally was 213 -- an impressive score for just about anyone, able-bodied or not.
I must point out an odd similarity between Alex's best game and my best game (mine is 221; available HERE). We both had two open frames (i.e. two frames without a spare or strike) -- AND we both missed two single-pin spares in those open frames. It's amazing that we both scored as high as we did, considering we each had two open frames, and the irony is we usually pick-up those single-pin spares when we're bowling well.
Alex had no open frames in his 201 game, and I have also bowled a 201 with no open frames. The fact that we both had two open frames in our highest games, shows the power of consecutive strikes.
For any IKAN User who wants to join the 200 Club, I highly suggest trying out different bowling balls until you find one that has a pretty good amount of break (curve) that you can hook into the headpin. I elaborate on how to do that and more with my blog entry titled, "Keys and Tips for Dynamic Wheelchair Bowling" available HERE.
Alex's 201 scoresheet AND 213 scoresheet are both HERE!
If you're curious, Alex's previous best was 195, available HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS ALEX! :-)
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
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A New Record for Male Sip-and-Puff Wheelchair Bowlers!
At Quad Squad Bowling this past Saturday, I bowled a 221, which beat my previous high game (206) by 15 pins! :-)
I must say, I had quite a bit of good luck. I opened with a spare, then four consecutive strikes, followed by two open frames, then three consecutive strikes (the third strike was the first ball of my 10th frame). I followed with split-7 and only got one of the remaining pins for a 221. If that's a bit confusing, see my scoresheet (link below).
It requires some luck (or heavenly help) to get that many strikes, and to get a consecutive group of four and another group of three (if strikes are not consecutive, the score doesn't compound nearly as fast). I scored that high -- yet missed two very makeable spares. The two open frames were single-pin attempts (7 and 10, respectively) and when I'm bowling really well, I typically pickup those single-pin spares. And if I had, my score would have been... drum roll please... 243 -- which would have tied Jon Musgrave for the overall world record.
But I'm NOT complaining! I'm slightly kicking myself that I didn't pickup those two single-pin spares, but I'm amazed that I scored 221 after missing those spares. That shows the power of compound strikes. I've actually bowled at least three games without having an open frame (I just checked some of my old scoresheets) and three of those totaled 202, 203, and 206. I had to work harder in those games because I had fewer strikes (so I had more spares to convert).
Not to make excuses, but the 221 came in my first game, and that's usually my warmup game where I try to get a feel for my strike ball and also my straight ball for spare attempts. I had one easy spare in the first frame (I think it was the 2-4, which is two pins offset but close enough to get by striking either side of the 2-pin) then four strikes, followed by the two corner single-pin spare attempts. I actually took some time to "compose myself" before those attempts, knowing I had only used my straight ball once. But I missed both.
I just knew missing those spares was going to hurt when I looked back at the game (at what my score could have been) but, at the same time, I recognize how uncommon it is to get that many consecutive strikes in a game (with our moderate ball speed, we don't generate a lot of pin action) and I'm grateful to now be able to say I bowled a 221. That's a new record for male wheelchair users who drive by sip-and-puff.
I lost some focus in my second game and had a 136, meaning I needed a 143 in my third game for a 500 series (that's actually my goal when I bowl). I bowled 171 in my third game for a 528 series.
Ok, my record scoresheet is HERE.
If you're curious, my previous best 206 (story & scoresheet) is HERE.
AND -- I get a new signature! See below...
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
I must say, I had quite a bit of good luck. I opened with a spare, then four consecutive strikes, followed by two open frames, then three consecutive strikes (the third strike was the first ball of my 10th frame). I followed with split-7 and only got one of the remaining pins for a 221. If that's a bit confusing, see my scoresheet (link below).
It requires some luck (or heavenly help) to get that many strikes, and to get a consecutive group of four and another group of three (if strikes are not consecutive, the score doesn't compound nearly as fast). I scored that high -- yet missed two very makeable spares. The two open frames were single-pin attempts (7 and 10, respectively) and when I'm bowling really well, I typically pickup those single-pin spares. And if I had, my score would have been... drum roll please... 243 -- which would have tied Jon Musgrave for the overall world record.
But I'm NOT complaining! I'm slightly kicking myself that I didn't pickup those two single-pin spares, but I'm amazed that I scored 221 after missing those spares. That shows the power of compound strikes. I've actually bowled at least three games without having an open frame (I just checked some of my old scoresheets) and three of those totaled 202, 203, and 206. I had to work harder in those games because I had fewer strikes (so I had more spares to convert).
Not to make excuses, but the 221 came in my first game, and that's usually my warmup game where I try to get a feel for my strike ball and also my straight ball for spare attempts. I had one easy spare in the first frame (I think it was the 2-4, which is two pins offset but close enough to get by striking either side of the 2-pin) then four strikes, followed by the two corner single-pin spare attempts. I actually took some time to "compose myself" before those attempts, knowing I had only used my straight ball once. But I missed both.
I just knew missing those spares was going to hurt when I looked back at the game (at what my score could have been) but, at the same time, I recognize how uncommon it is to get that many consecutive strikes in a game (with our moderate ball speed, we don't generate a lot of pin action) and I'm grateful to now be able to say I bowled a 221. That's a new record for male wheelchair users who drive by sip-and-puff.
I lost some focus in my second game and had a 136, meaning I needed a 143 in my third game for a 500 series (that's actually my goal when I bowl). I bowled 171 in my third game for a 528 series.
Ok, my record scoresheet is HERE.
If you're curious, my previous best 206 (story & scoresheet) is HERE.
AND -- I get a new signature! See below...
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
Monday, August 31, 2009
Another New Record for Wheelchair Bowlers with Muscular Dystrophy!
My friend and fellow Quad Squad Bowler, 17-year-old Alex McDonald topped his previous best (192, link below) with an impressive 195 at our recent Quad Squad outing. In doing so, he raised the bar for others with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and increases his World Record for Dynamic Wheelchair Bowling for Bowlers with MD.
And he humbled me in the process! See, Alex and I -- and all of the Quad Squad -- have a friendly rivalry, and compete for top score of the day. But neither I nor any other Quad Squad Bowler could keep pace with Alex a few weeks ago. (And if you read previous blog entries about my poorly driving wheelchair, it is fixed and that wasn't the problem; I just struggled for some reason.)
I want to highlight a few points about Alex's scoresheet (which is linked below) in particular, his final three games (the first game was a warm-up and he had splits-itis).
In Alex's final three games, his average score was 182.33 and he averaged 8.33 marks per 10 frames. In those three games, i.e. 30 frames, Alex only had a total of three frames in which he had non-split open frames (splits are indicated by a circle on the scoresheet). In theory, every non-split (that isn't a strike) becomes a spare attempt that a "really good bowler typically converts."
Alex converted 2 of 3 in his second game, 4 of 5 in his third game, and 5 of 6 in his fourth game. And just for the heck of it, Alex converted two splits into spares (one of them was the nasty 6-7-10, which he converted beautifully; ok, I just checked the scoresheet and it shows no converted circled-7, which means the machine scored inaccurately, which can happen if a pin moves far enough from its usual position without falling over, or it was the 6-10 split, which is converted the same way as the 6-7-10 -- BUT it doesn't really matter because that was in game four, not Alex's MD record 195 game; click HERE to see a 6-7-10 split setup and how Alex converted it).
Altogether it was some high quality bowling by Alex -- AND great to see -- especially since Alex is about to start varsity bowling for his high school! The IKAN Bowler® is sanctioned for league and tournament play by the USBC, so Alex can compete with his able-bodied classmates on their varsity bowling team.
I hope the high quality bowling Alex demonstrated below continues and/or improves when he's in high school competition.
If you'd like to see Alex's previous high of 192, click HERE.
Alex's latest record (195) scoresheet is HERE.
GREAT JOB ALEX! :-)
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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
And he humbled me in the process! See, Alex and I -- and all of the Quad Squad -- have a friendly rivalry, and compete for top score of the day. But neither I nor any other Quad Squad Bowler could keep pace with Alex a few weeks ago. (And if you read previous blog entries about my poorly driving wheelchair, it is fixed and that wasn't the problem; I just struggled for some reason.)
I want to highlight a few points about Alex's scoresheet (which is linked below) in particular, his final three games (the first game was a warm-up and he had splits-itis).
In Alex's final three games, his average score was 182.33 and he averaged 8.33 marks per 10 frames. In those three games, i.e. 30 frames, Alex only had a total of three frames in which he had non-split open frames (splits are indicated by a circle on the scoresheet). In theory, every non-split (that isn't a strike) becomes a spare attempt that a "really good bowler typically converts."
Alex converted 2 of 3 in his second game, 4 of 5 in his third game, and 5 of 6 in his fourth game. And just for the heck of it, Alex converted two splits into spares (one of them was the nasty 6-7-10, which he converted beautifully; ok, I just checked the scoresheet and it shows no converted circled-7, which means the machine scored inaccurately, which can happen if a pin moves far enough from its usual position without falling over, or it was the 6-10 split, which is converted the same way as the 6-7-10 -- BUT it doesn't really matter because that was in game four, not Alex's MD record 195 game; click HERE to see a 6-7-10 split setup and how Alex converted it).
Altogether it was some high quality bowling by Alex -- AND great to see -- especially since Alex is about to start varsity bowling for his high school! The IKAN Bowler® is sanctioned for league and tournament play by the USBC, so Alex can compete with his able-bodied classmates on their varsity bowling team.
I hope the high quality bowling Alex demonstrated below continues and/or improves when he's in high school competition.
If you'd like to see Alex's previous high of 192, click HERE.
Alex's latest record (195) scoresheet is HERE.
GREAT JOB ALEX! :-)
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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
Friday, July 31, 2009
New Website for Wheelchair Bowling Records!
The IKAN ("I can") Bowler can enable virtually any wheelchair user to bowl dynamically (involving the movement of the wheelchair; not stationary ramp bowling) and the sport of dynamic wheelchair bowling is legitimate, says the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). The USBC sanctioned the IKAN Bowler for league and tournament play -- any league or tournament anywhere in the U.S. -- bowling with and/or against able-bodied bowlers, or fellow IKAN Users.
Since the IKAN Bowler is the only wheelchair bowling device sanctioned by the USBC (which is a merger of the Women's International Bowling Congress and the American Bowling Congress) for league or tournament play, records achieved bowling dynamically with an IKAN Bowler are indeed legitimate world records for wheelchair bowling. Here's the website that shows the current master list and explains more if you're curious:
http://www.WheelchairBowlingRecords.com
You may have noticed that some links in previous blog entries go to the new website. If you're wondering how that is possible since this website is new, it's because I went back and updated those links after creating the above website. I thought the records should have a more legitimate Internet space on their own website, instead being on my personal website.
We look forward to increased competition and the setting of new records!
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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/
Since the IKAN Bowler is the only wheelchair bowling device sanctioned by the USBC (which is a merger of the Women's International Bowling Congress and the American Bowling Congress) for league or tournament play, records achieved bowling dynamically with an IKAN Bowler are indeed legitimate world records for wheelchair bowling. Here's the website that shows the current master list and explains more if you're curious:
http://www.WheelchairBowlingRecords.com
You may have noticed that some links in previous blog entries go to the new website. If you're wondering how that is possible since this website is new, it's because I went back and updated those links after creating the above website. I thought the records should have a more legitimate Internet space on their own website, instead being on my personal website.
We look forward to increased competition and the setting of new records!
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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/
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New Record for a Female Using Sip-and-Puff!
My friend and fellow Quad Squad member Rhonda Reese set a new record for dynamic wheelchair bowling by a female driving her chair by sip-and-puff. After not being able to bowl for about six months, Rhonda shook the rust off her bowling game and bowled an impressive 170 -- beating her previous best by a sizable margin -- nine pins!
Whenever we bowl, we have a friendly competition to try to have the top game of the day, and after game one, Rhonda was in the lead with a 142, ahead of both Lilian and me (the only Quad Squad Bowlers who could bowl that day). I managed to take the lead with a 170 in game two, despite my chair still being squirrelly (bowling a turkey, a.k.a. three consecutive strikes, really helps:).
Rhonda is a bit of a deliberate bowler, and I finished three games by the time she finished two. She was thinking of stopping, but I said, "Rhonda, you haven't bowled in six months -- enjoy yourself and bowl another game!" We were all rooting for Rhonda (we all cheer for everyone to do well, but we especially wanted to see Rhonda bowl well because she hadn't been able to bowl for a long time). To keep her company, I bowled a fourth game alongside her. But I finished faster than Rhonda, and she wound up being the ONLY person in Spanish Springs bowling!
It was too quiet, so I wanted to try to keep her from being nervous (she already was, because she knew she had a good game going -- and it's her nature to be nervous:). I was on lane one, she was on lane two, and Lilian was also finished bowling on lane three. So I asked Rhonda if I could distract her from being nervous if I crossed over in front of her and went to cheer for her by Lilian. She said "go for it" so I did, and I led the cheer, "Let's-go, Rhon-da" (clap clap, clap clap clap; the "clapping" I did vocally, of course:) from lane 4, but nobody was doing it with me (Jackie later said they didn't want to make Rhonda nervous:). I was trying to break the silence and tension and get Rhonda to relax a little.
It looked like Rhonda would fall a little short of her previous record (161) until the 10th frame. She had 122 in the 8th frame and a spare in the 9th (i.e. the potential to have 142 in the 9th and a chance to break her record, if she rolled a strike with her first ball in the 10th). So I said, "No pressure Rhonda, just three strikes -- just start with one!" :-)
Boom, STRIKE! :-)
And ANOTHER! :-)
After the double, she had 162 and another ball. I said, "Rhonda, there's REALLY no pressure now, because you already have a new record!" :-)
Rhonda replied, "Yeah, but I want to set it as high as I can -- so there's still pressure!" (She was killing me with all the pressure talk!:)
Anyway, she got 8 with her last ball for a 170 and her entrance into THE 170 CLUB! WOOHOO! Way to go Rhonda! :-)
Afterward, she was pleased with her new record, but lamented, "But now I have to break 170 to get a new record."
Dale, who caddied for Rhonda, was like, "Quit trying to find the dark side of a silver cloud!" It was funny.
Good times. Here's her scoresheet (at the below link, scroll down):
http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Rhonda_Reese_Record_170.htm
CONGRATULATIONS RHONDA! :-)
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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/
Whenever we bowl, we have a friendly competition to try to have the top game of the day, and after game one, Rhonda was in the lead with a 142, ahead of both Lilian and me (the only Quad Squad Bowlers who could bowl that day). I managed to take the lead with a 170 in game two, despite my chair still being squirrelly (bowling a turkey, a.k.a. three consecutive strikes, really helps:).
Rhonda is a bit of a deliberate bowler, and I finished three games by the time she finished two. She was thinking of stopping, but I said, "Rhonda, you haven't bowled in six months -- enjoy yourself and bowl another game!" We were all rooting for Rhonda (we all cheer for everyone to do well, but we especially wanted to see Rhonda bowl well because she hadn't been able to bowl for a long time). To keep her company, I bowled a fourth game alongside her. But I finished faster than Rhonda, and she wound up being the ONLY person in Spanish Springs bowling!
It was too quiet, so I wanted to try to keep her from being nervous (she already was, because she knew she had a good game going -- and it's her nature to be nervous:). I was on lane one, she was on lane two, and Lilian was also finished bowling on lane three. So I asked Rhonda if I could distract her from being nervous if I crossed over in front of her and went to cheer for her by Lilian. She said "go for it" so I did, and I led the cheer, "Let's-go, Rhon-da" (clap clap, clap clap clap; the "clapping" I did vocally, of course:) from lane 4, but nobody was doing it with me (Jackie later said they didn't want to make Rhonda nervous:). I was trying to break the silence and tension and get Rhonda to relax a little.
It looked like Rhonda would fall a little short of her previous record (161) until the 10th frame. She had 122 in the 8th frame and a spare in the 9th (i.e. the potential to have 142 in the 9th and a chance to break her record, if she rolled a strike with her first ball in the 10th). So I said, "No pressure Rhonda, just three strikes -- just start with one!" :-)
Boom, STRIKE! :-)
And ANOTHER! :-)
After the double, she had 162 and another ball. I said, "Rhonda, there's REALLY no pressure now, because you already have a new record!" :-)
Rhonda replied, "Yeah, but I want to set it as high as I can -- so there's still pressure!" (She was killing me with all the pressure talk!:)
Anyway, she got 8 with her last ball for a 170 and her entrance into THE 170 CLUB! WOOHOO! Way to go Rhonda! :-)
Afterward, she was pleased with her new record, but lamented, "But now I have to break 170 to get a new record."
Dale, who caddied for Rhonda, was like, "Quit trying to find the dark side of a silver cloud!" It was funny.
Good times. Here's her scoresheet (at the below link, scroll down):
http://www.wheelchairbowlingrecords.com/Rhonda_Reese_Record_170.htm
CONGRATULATIONS RHONDA! :-)
Bill Miller :-)
C1-2 Quadriplegic with a 206 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/
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