Bowling has always been a major part of Paul Trujillo’s life. But growing up, his participation in the sport was limited to watching his parents, brother and sister play.
“My family all bowled and I’ve never seen, so all I could do was watch when I was little while my parents bowled and then, my brothers and sisters,” Trujillo said. When I turned eighteen I found out about the Blind Bowling League back in 1988 when I started, and I’ve been bowling ever since then.”
Trujillo has been a member of the Colorado Blind Bowling Association for 36 years and president of the league since 2018. The group is the only bowling league in the Denver area that caters to those with low vision and blindness. In 1970, friends Marlene Kaiser and Veronica Rodriguez founded the league as something fun to do, with zero expectation the league would transform into the multi-generational family and diverse community it is 50 years later.
“I don’t know how to put this tactfully, but me and my friends, we were bored, and somebody said let’s start a bowling league, and we were like okay!” Kaiser said.
So, how does it work? Well, it’s important to understand blindness covers a broad spectrum of visual disabilities. Each person’s experience of blindness is unique. League members vary in disability from low vision or visually impaired to totally blind. Some are fully sighted, and their job is to assist other bowlers with navigating their bowling balls down the lane, informing them of how many pins remain, and setting them up appropriately for upcoming throws.
“The aluminum rails that are running along the left sides, that’s what we use to take the approach when we start,” Trujillo said. “Then you take your approach, throw your shot, and if you hit pins the sighted bowler will tell you what’s standing still. If it goes in the gutter, they’ll tell you, you know, it went in the left side or the right side, so you know how to correct it.”
With varying abilities come varying approaches and accommodations, as bowlers use different tactics to bowl as independently and comfortably as possible. A partially sighted bowler utilizes their phone camera to zoom in, allowing them to see the ball as it travels down the lane, while bowlers who have mobility issues incorporate ramps to ensure support while still allowing for independence.
From September to April, the league’s 30-some members gather on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Crown Lanes Bowling Center on Federal Boulevard in Denver. The organization has developed into a diverse community for individuals of all abilities, including family members, partners, and best friends of people with visual disabilities. The league has a unique collection of stories and history built on the foundation of inclusivity.
Amy Kaiser, daughter of co-founder Marlene Kaiser, is a bowler and spotter for the league. She remembers being with her mom at the bowling alley ever since she was a child.
“[My mom] has been doing this since before I was born, so I was raised as part of the league,” Amy said. “For a lot of people, this is their only way to be able to be part of them having positive experiences.”
And similar to many, Amy has developed a connection to the league deeper than just another Saturday outing. It’s a community that has influenced her life and her value for inclusion.
“I love it,” Amy said. “Being raised with a blind parent—a single, blind parent—that inclusion is huge to me. I’ve taken my knowledge that I’ve learned here into my personal life, I think. I work in special needs, but it’s just, I don’t know, it’s the inclusion, it’s family.”
The Colorado Blind Bowling Association proves the sport isn’t limited to sighted or fully-abled bowlers. It’s a game for everyone, whether blind, partially sighted, or mentally or physically disabled, the league welcomes any and all individuals. All that’s required is a love of bowling.
“I just like being around the people, seeing the people enjoy bowling, that’s probably my favorite part, is being around all the people and watch them having fun,” Trujillo said.
