History

Wheelchair athletics has its roots in World War II.   Before then, rehabilitation for any type of spinal cord injury was rare with fewer than one person in five surviving more than three years.

World War II, responsible for sending many thousands to veteran's hospitals as paraplegics, quadriplegics, or amputees produced an awareness that more than medicine was needed to return some semblance of normalcy to, and extend the lives of,  these men.

A form of rehabilitative therapy was required that was more than just developing muscle tone from the exercise apparatus positioned above their bed.  People whose body image and self-worth were devastated by their condition needed mental and physical therapy to restore a positive quality of life attitude.  A difficult challenge, especially when it is realized there is no known cure for paralysis.

In this chasm, athletics for wheelchair users was born.  Wheelchair racing and wheelchair basketball preceded wheelchair bowling as a form of rehabilitative therapy.  All succeeded in providing physical and emotional exercise.  Social contact was stimulated.

Physically, muscle tone was built, cardiovascular circulation improved, hand-eye coordination maintained, hypertension relieved and bladder and bowel functions improved.  It was much more than therapy - it was competition - and it was fun!

Among the events that shaped wheelchair bowling:

• 1942 - veterans' The Bowler's Victory Legion (now known as the BVL Fund),  was formed to provide recreational supplies, activities, and visits by star bowlers to veterans hospitals.
  
• 1945 - Veterans' Civilian volunteers organized fund-raising drives to provide a bowling and billiard clubroom for the Birmingham Veteran's Hospital in Van Nuys, California.
  
• 1947 - 21 hospitals conducted bowling programs. BVL holds first national tournament for paralyzed veterans - seven hospitals participate. (Today, more than 100 hospitals and medical centers offer bowling as a basic form of recreation and therapy.)
• July 17, 1947 - Three winners of BVL tourney are guests of President Harry S. Truman and bowl on the two lanes at the White House that were placed into service three months earlier at the request of  Truman, an avid bowler.
  
• 1950s - Organizations for wheelchair athletes are formed on national and international levels.
  
• 1960 - First Paralympic Games held in Rome. They have been held every Olympic year since, usually in the city or country hosting the Olympic Games. The 1996 Paralympic Games hosted 4,000 athletes from 100 nations who participated in 17 sports (14 of which are Olympic sports). The games were approximately one-third the size of the Olympics.
  
• Spring, 1962 - Richard Carlson of  Huntsville, Alabama, sole wheelchair participant in the Annual Southern Bowling Congress Tourney in Louisville, Kentucky is inspired to conduct a wheelchair participant only tournament.
  
• June 16-17, 1962 - 30 participate in Louisville tournament;  13 states represented from Rhode Island to California.  The inaugural of an annual tourney, it marked the founding of the American Wheelchair Bowling Association.

The 96 page publication, Wheelchair Bowling, written by Dick Schaaf and published by Jim Lane, is available from The American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA), PO Box 69, Clover, VA 24534-0069, for $7.95 plus $2 for postage and handling. In addition to providing historical background, it includes principles of the game from keeping score through ball drilling for the wheelchair bowler. Through profiles of wheelchair bowlers, the text covers ball delivery, spare making techniques and special equipment that can be used.  At the beginning of Chapter Two, the statement is made "Anyone in a wheelchair can bowl. Anyone."

George Snyder, Former Executive Secretary of the AWBA, states:

We believe the most important thing in wheelchair bowling is not how well
you bowl, but to take part. Just as the most important thing in our lives
is not the triumph, but the struggle to overcome our handicaps.
 The essential thing is to use our full abilities.

Among the greatest handicaps a wheelchair bowler confronts are access and attitude. In addition to being able to enter the bowling center, the bowler needs lane access and restroom facilities that permit chair navigation. Many centers do not have the 36 inches of clear space around the scoring table needed to navigate.  The lip of the approach is also a challenge.

For some centers, simply removing a chair in the scoring table area and providing a temporary ramp to provide access to the approach level or filling in the step down area with a platform is all that is needed. Many new bowling establishments have made it easier for wheelchair bowlers by eliminating the step at the lip of the approach in an effort to reduce slip and fall accidents by able-bodied bowlers.

Though there are wheelchair bowling leagues throughout the country, a wheelchair bowler is not restricted from bowling in ANY league.  Many AWBA members are the ONLY wheelchair bowler in their sanctioned USBC league.

The attitude of other league members may influence participation due to the slower pace of games as a result of the wheelchair bowler driving to the desired position at the foul line for the strike or spare attempt, locking the brakes on the wheelchair, and then without tipping the chair, gripping and delivering the ball.

Some AWBA members bowl in "Up and Down" leagues where a wheelchair bowler is paired with a non-disabled partner.

Some wheelchair bowlers employ special equipment approved by the USBC.

• Snap handle ball - For those who have difficulty gripping a ball,  a spring-loaded, valise-like handle is installed into the ball. The handle retracts into the ball when the bowler releases his hand.
  
• Bowling stick - Similar to a shuffleboard stick, it requires a volunteer to place the ball on the floor near the foul-line.  The bowler then uses the stick to propel the ball down the lane.

For those severely disabled bowlers who are not able to hold a ball and propel it with their hands, a ramp like device can be used to propel the ball. After positioning the ramp, the bowler or their assistant places a ball at the top and the bowler pushes it. A very efficient device, it enables people to bowl games of 200 or better. The device was previously prohibited in AWBA tournament competition because of a rule requiring the bowler to use his/her own force or impetus for delivery of the ball. With the advent of the new Chute/Ramp Division, such bowlers are now able to compete against other Chute/Ramp bowlers on a national level.

Something to Consider:

• Most AWBA members use bowling balls that weigh 10 - 13 pounds.
  
• A review of  data for various tournaments conducted for 1995 reveals entering averages ranging from 72 through 197.
  
• Averages of 170 or better are not uncommon.
  
• The record for highest USBC league average ever compiled by a wheelchair bowler is 200 and is held by Walt Roy, a paraplegic.  Al Uttrecht, also a paraplegic, is the runner-up at 196.  Phenomenal!
  
• Walt Roy also holds the record for high game, an astounding 299! Roger Dixon's 297 is in second place. More than a dozen bowlers have had a game in excess of 250.
  
• Membership in the 600 Club for bowlers who have a series of 600 or better continues to expand.
  
• About 4,000 bowlers are paraplegics, quadriplegics, or amputees.