Blind bowler competes at national level
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POLSON — As a multi-colored bowling ball spun down the alley, snowplowing through pins, the ensuing crashing sound brought a smirk to Marcus Sands’ face. But Sands could only guess how many pins his ball had knocked down, because he is blind.
Three years have passed since Type 1 Diabetes left Sands, 34, completely blind in his right eye and mostly blind in his left. With his left eye, Sands sees cloudy light and shadows, but beyond that it’s dark.
While in Colorado, attending a school for the blind, Sands joined a blind bowling league.
Although he’d bowled in a junior bowler program as a kid, he had to relearn basic techniques all over again, adapting the game of his youth to his current lack of sight.
The majority of blind bowlers either rely on someone to take them up to the foul line or use a guide rail
system that stretches from the back of the approach up to the foul line to deliver their ball.
For the most part, the right-handed Sands bowls unassisted.
On the first ball, “I slide or take one big step to the left to line up,” Sands said. “One of the hardest things is staying square while going up to the foul line and not going to the left or right as I release the ball.”
If pins are still standing, Sands needs a little assistance from a sighted companion with the number and location of the remaining standing pins.
Sands’ average score per game is a very respectable 155 to 165 with a personal best of 234.
Every Tuesday for about the last year, Sands has worked on his game at Sportspage Bowl in Polson. He’s been preparing for a national event.
“I enjoy the competition,” Sands said. “I just enjoy challenging myself and trying to prove to myself and others I can do it.”
This past Memorial Day weekend, Sands packed up his bowling ball and joined more than 200 blind bowlers at the 70th Annual American Blind Bowlers Association (ABBA) National Bowling Tournament held at the Brunswick Desert Sky Lanes in Phoenix, Arizona.
During the three-day tournament, Sands competed in both mixed group and single bowler events. Although ABBA hasn’t posted final scores or standings, Sands felt he performed well in his first time large-scale competition and is already making plans to attend next year’s national tournament which will be held in Las Vegas.
