Bowling Blind

I am still bowling. I’m blind and need to wear the orthopedic Crow Boot at all times, but I’m still out there trying. The Crow Boot is allowed, but I need to cover it to make sure that I do not introduce foreign objects to the floor as these could pose hazards to others or damage the lanes. I wrap the Crow Boot in a pillow case and secure it with a couple bungee cords. I chose dark pillow cases so I would pick up evidence if anyone was illegally using powder on their shoes.
Bowling is not easy. I’m contending with not being able to see the pins. My teammates tell me what pins remain standing after the first ball. I line myself up by the contrast between lane and gutters and hope for the best.
The Crow Boot is not always stable. The pillowcase can puff out and pose a tripping hazard to myself. My foot does not always feel stable or level inside the boot. I can be misaligned to the lanes and not fully realize it.
Sugar fluctuations plague me even more often. My sugar is inclined to fall suddenly with the onset of activity, and the bowling is the most exerting thing I do in life. Actually, it’s one of the few things I do.
My fourth barrier to success this season was my choice of purchase place for my new ball. I changed only because my blue ball blended in with all the other dark balls on the return rack. I bought a cow print ball just so I could see easily which one was mine. I could have–and should have–gone through the pro shop at the lanes, but I wanted to buy local to me and not in what I figured was a captured audience. I went to Bowler’s Edge in Pawtucket, essentially in my neighborhood. That was a mistake. He ordered the ball and said it should be in next week. He forgot to mention he would be on vacation for two weeks. When, a month later, the ball came in, he ignored my mention of being blind and needing to throw a straight ball and he drilled the finger holes for a hook ball. I certainly won’t be doing business with him again nor would I recommend him to anyone.
I started off lucky this year, but all the various handicaps with me and the ball before it was filled and redrilled played havoc. I was trying to learn to bowl with the Crow Boot, increasing visual impairment and a ball most definitely not reacting to my typical throw. I had plenty of nights where breaking 200 was an impossibility. That’s a 200 total between three games I could not do. My high game was a 157. I had to take time off from both leagues post victrectomy, and seem to be going a little stronger now.
I need of course to acknowledge my teammates in both leagues. Almost all are new teammates this year, and have been accommodating to my gimpiness. I am in less competitive leagues, and while I tremendously miss some prior years’ teammates, I still feel lucky to be bowling with such understanding people.