[lauriejim]

Blind bowler rolls perfect game



Updated: May 9, 2008, 12:59 PM EST A perfect game in bowling is rare enough. Turning the trick without even seeing the pins? That's a new one.

Dale Davis, a 78-year-old man who lost his vision years ago to macular degeneration, bowled a perfect 300-game Saturday in the Iowa town of Alta, according to a local report.

"It was quite a thrill," Davis told the Storm Lake Times in Storm Lake, Iowa. "When I got to the tenth frame, I said 'Lord, let me throw three more good balls.' When I did, people on other teams were yelling and cheering. A few guys were hugging me and almost broke my skinny bones."

The report said Davis, a Navy veteran, got his start in bowling as a pin-setter during his teenage years, making 45 cents a night at a local alley. He went on to succeed in leagues and tournaments, including winning a $2,500 top prize in a California event shortly after his days in the service.

Davis was living in California in 1996 when he lost sight in his left eye, the report said, and the right eye followed a year later. He then decided to move back to Iowa, where he was raised, where his sister still lives.

With the help of his sister, Davis soon regained his bowling form and achieved an average of 188, according to the report.

"I can't see the lane or the pins and have a heck of a time finding my ball sometimes," Davis, who still has a small spot of peripheral vision remaining, told the paper. "I can kinda see the dots on the floor to know where I start. After that, I rely on my hearing and other people to tell me what's going on."

Nicknamed "The Hammer" for the surprising force of his shots, Davis relies more on his hearing than his vision to assess the quality of each roll.

"The sounds of the alley let me know how I'm doing," Davis told the paper. "There's a loud crack when I get a strike. When I hear that crack, usually it's followed by someone telling me I can sit down.

"Saturday night, all I heard was 12 cracks in a row."