For blind bowlers, it's all about confidence

SURFSIDE BEACH -- Participants in the Carolina Bowling Alliance tournament this past weekend demonstrated that you don't have to be able to see the bowling ball to roll a respectable score.

About 100 alliance members from the Carolinas, Virginia and Florida - people without some or all of their sight - took part in the Sportsman Shoot Out, a head-to-head elimination event held on the Grand Strand for the first time.

Bowlers from the Carolinas bested those from Florida.

Lonnie Cunningham of Greensboro, N.C., placed first in the men's partially sighted division with a score of 176.

Shirley Williamson of Durham, N.C., placed first in the partially sighted women's division with a score of 147.

James Benton of Raleigh, N.C., placed first in the blind division with a score of 102.

In the fully sighted division for volunteers or relatives who wanted to get in on the fun, Sandy McDaniel of Daytona Beach rolled 147 and second place winner Mike Stitly of Daytona Beach rolled 138 - neither score as high as Cunningham's.

Benton, the alliance's outreach coordinator, said he was lucky to have scored better than John Hardin of Daytona Beach, Fla., who took second, with a score of 69.

"He'd competed in several sets and just got tired," Benton said with a chuckle.

"If he hadn't, I would have been in trouble."

Like many alliance bowlers, Benton got hooked on the sport while at school in Raleigh.

He agreed the game is sight-driven, but hearing the sound of 10 pins tumbling when a bowler throws a strike is a thrill.

"To hear a strike is as good as seeing it," he said.

And playing the game is a great confidence builder, Benton added.

Being able to aim a ball down a lane and knock out pins helps build self-esteem.

"The confidence you build allows you to take on things that you want to do," he said. Benton said he learned that lesson from his grandfather who lost his sight because of a World War I injury.

"He didn't let that stand in his way," Benton said.

"He always said that if you want to do something, just do it. We have taught people to bowl and as they gain confidence in the game, that confidence changes their lives."

The confidence Benton has gained led him to compete for the N.C. School for the Blind, attend St. Augustine College for three years, study computer technology and work for 10 years with a national hotel firm.

Now he works for a Raleigh community rehabilitation program for visually impaired workers.

Ginger Rush, the Carolina Bowling Alliance's secretary, is married to a man who was born blind.

But Mike Rush has been a bowler since his high school days in Colorado.

Like others, the confidence he gained from his game allowed him to move beyond basic education.

He took advantage of technology that opened the use of computers to the blind. After working in the reservations department for two national hotel firms, he's now employed by Sears in the department that routes repair technicians to appliance and other equipment service calls in Southeastern states.

The alliance members might not be able to see perfectly - or at all - but their bowling scores look just like anyoneelse's at your average bowling alley, ranging from 40 pins to as high as the 170s, Benton said.

"In fact, one of our members, Hubert Evrette of the Raleigh Outlaws team, scored a 227 yesterday," he said.

Visually impaired bowlers need little extra equipment to enjoy the game. Metal rails act as guides so bowlers can find the center of the lane and the foul line.

Just like with sighted bowlers, Ginger Rush said, "You see a variety of bowling styles."

The only difference is that instead of watching to see how many pins go down, these players are listening.

You can tell the player scored a spare or a strike because his or her shout is louder than the pins falling, she said.

Lawrence Carter, 53, was born with congenital glaucoma, and when he was 2, had to have his right eye removed because of blindness and painful internal pressure. He graduated from the N.C. School for the Blind despite undergoing corrective surgery that preserved sight in his right eye.

He attended North Carolina's A&T State University, learned to drive and worked a variety of jobs.

Though he has since lost all of his sight, he hasn't lost his zest for the game.

"I love to come out to these tournaments," Carter said.

Early on, he figured out mourning for his loss of sight was the easiest way to chase off friends and acquaintances he had made throughout his life.

He just tries to count his blessings.

"I have a wife who loves me, a 25-year-old daughter that I'm proud of, friends, family, a house I can say is mine and not the bank's. Life is good. If you're not happy with things like that, you might as well grab some dirt and cover yourself up," he said.

And Sunday, he was hoping to count his winnings, too, having won $125 last year.

"Maybe today is my lucky day," Carter said. "I figure I might just be able to do it again."