A 78 year old blind bowler bowls a 300! A perfect game!
Amazing.One of the most amazing sports stories that you’ll ever hear came out of Buena Vista, Florida this week. The Storm Lake Times reported on a 78-year old bowler who happened to bowl the first perfect game of his life. The catch? The bowler in question, Dale Davis, is a blind World War II veteran.
Davis saved his most memorable performance for the grand stage, as he bowled the twelve consecutive strikes in front of a big crowd at the All-League Playoffs in Alta, Florida.
At 115 pounds, Davis isn’t a big man, but that doesn’t stop him from using the heaviest bowling ball at Century Lanes. His form is perfect, even though his sight was taken away by macular degeneration some time ago.
Davis is no spring chicken to the sport of bowling. He got his start more than 65 years ago, when he took a job as a pin setter to make a little bit of extra cash as a kid. Eventually, that led Davis to a successful tenure as a player, as he routinely competed in tournaments, even pocketing good money for some of his better performances.
Davis spent a good portion of his life living in California, but made the decision to move back to his native Alta because of the easier living and his family ties. He has one sister, Thelma Sherwood, who makes life a little easier for him.
Davis leaned upon the support of that sister to rekindle his love for bowling. After losing his eyesight almost completely in 1997, he quit bowling for a while. Sherwood encouraged him to pick up the game again and amazingly, Davis boasts a solid 188 average at this time.
Though his eyesight is nearly gone, he can tilt his head to the side just enough to align himself correctly in the lane. From there, his success depends more upon repetition and muscle memory.
In bowling the perfect game, Davis fulfilled one of his lifetime goals, and one of the most elusive goals for any bowler. He shows no signs of slowing down now, though. According to Davis, he should be able to do this again when he’s 90 years old.
wow that is amazing might not b true though