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Bowling ready to roll

by Shannon Bertling on September 7, 2009

After a long week of training in Chia-Yi, Taiwan, members of the U.S. Bowling Team are more than ready to finally begin the Games. The team trained at National Cheng Chung University and a local bowling alley before departing for Taipei on Friday. They kick off competition Tuesday with men's and women's singles competition. During training camp, the team struggled the first few days at NCCU with less-than-acceptable bowling facilities: the lanes were too bumpy for the bowlers to bowl with accuracy, and the oil slickness was too different to waste time getting accustomed to. So, the coach searched for another bowling alley near Nice Prince Hotel, the U.S. Team's residence for training camp. The team was more than pleased with the new find, citing several reasons. "The workers there are really friendly, and always eager to please," said Jerilyn Keller, of Texas. "And the conditions of the lanes are much better than they were at NCCU." Last Tuesday afternoon, phenomenal youngster Raimondas Doblemeier bowled better than 230 and earned himself a free game at the bowling alley. However, he was soon out-bowled by teammate Randall Perry, who nabbed seven free games for the same reason. Additionally, there were local teams that frequent the bowling alley, and they were more than happy to help the athletes train for the Deaflympics. Last Thursday, at the bowling alley, the team cheered when Coach Ed Abakumoff announced there would be a co-ed scrimmage against a local team. The bowlers took turns playing in a five-member team scrimmage and won three of four matches. Throughout the matches, each player had their ups and downs, but together they managed to knock down a total of 3,416 pins to the other team's 3,338. Ronnie Zuchegno commented on the local league's different bowling style, noting that they used the "helicopter," which is common in Asia, especially Taiwan. "This kind of bowling is not taught in America, but has worked very effectively for the Asian competitors in previous Deaflympics," Zuchegno said. Asian bowlers from Japan, Korean and Taiwan have consistently been the USA's toughest competitors, and this year should not be any different, Abakumoff said. However, "as long as our U.S. players focus on their own performances and work hard, they will be able to triumph," he said. "The women have a good chance to medal, especially in the singles, doubles, trios, and match play," Abakumoff mused. Several personal injuries threaten to hamper the female bowlers. "Veterans [Patty] Brothag, Keller and [Cheyenne] Rogers are excellent bowlers and are the strength of the team," and along with the rookies, they should be able to "step it up to the next level." "Our men are high average bowlers," Abakumoff reckons, and their bowling experiences will help them complement each other in the Games, so they have "an excellent chance to medal in all the events." After returning to Taipei on Friday, the bowling team rested until Sunday, where the women and men practiced, separately, for five hours along with bowlers from other countries. "I saw that the competition is much tougher this time," Rogers said, "so I'll be working hard for that gold."

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(Photo by Hugh Carey)

Bowling ready to roll

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