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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 happy about -- and I am!
:-)
Here's my scoresheet:

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
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