Bowling looks easy.  You just roll a ball down an alley and knock over some pins. But, it's not as easy as it seems. You need skill and precision. There's a group of bowlers from Erie that have honed that skill and mastered that precision even though they are legally blind.

I was invited to join the Erie Independent Blind Bowlers on their league night at Eastland Bowl. Naturally, I accepted their invitation.  But, I did not know there would be a catch.

I was asked to join the bowlers with one provision. I would bowl with a blindfold to see for myself what it is like to roll a ball down the alley without clearly seeing the pins. I definitely needed some advice.

I met up with 88-year old Richard Come, 88, whose sight is less than one percent.  He quickly told me about the history of the league.  He said the Erie Independent Blind Bowlers have been around since the 1960s. He says not all the league members are legally blind.

"If you've got a totally blind person bowling up there after he throws the first ball, someone has to tell him which pins are still standing or whether he should throw it a little to the left or a little to the right,” he said.

Richard them gave me his best advice on how to bowl while visually impaired. He told me to take advantage of the handrails that the league places on each lane.

"I kind of use it to get myself centered in the alley, explained Richard.  “I know on occasion we bowled someplace else where there was no rail and I just feel completely lost out there." 

David Come, Richard's son, was born with cataracts, as was his dad.  David sees a white blur at the end of the lane instead of ten individual pins.

"I don't even look at the pins, says David.  “I just pick a spot on the floor and I do it that way. I just pick a spot." 

Kayla Gunn has a condition called optic nerve hypoplasia. She has no vision whatsoever in her right eye and only sees a white blur with her other eye when she looks at the pins.  After struggling on the lanes, she decided to bowl with an underhand, between the legs, technique.

"It wasn't working well the other way. I kept getting gutters. So, I was like, 'I need to find a method for this,” says Kayla. 

Okay, I have my advice.  My blindfold is on and it's time to bowl. I use the handrail to get in position.  I think I can get a strike. 

First Ball=gutter.  Second Ball=gutter.  

After that disaster, I thought I might as well be like Kayla and throw the ball between my legs. I decided to give the one-handed method another try. Three pins!!! Maybe I’ll get the hang of this yet. 

The Erie Independent Blind Bowling League is down to only 14 members.  They are inviting more bowlers to join.   The league bowls on Tuesday nights. Members don't have to be visually impaired and you don't have to wear a blindfold like me.   To join, or to find out more about the league, contact Richard Come at 814-824-4859.