If you’re under the impression that bowling a perfect game is difficult, that’s because it is. In order to conquer the amazing feat, you have to bowl 12 straight strikes. Head down to the local bowling alley in your spare time and try to roll three in a row and let us know how it turns out. Then try doing it from a wheelchair. If you pull it off, Shawn Beam has nothing on you.
According to KDFW in Dallas-Fort Worth, Beam recently became the only known person in a wheelchair to bowl a perfect game. Born with a pinched nerve in his neck, Beam has been confined to a wheelchair his entire life. He decided bowling was a sport that interested him during his teenage years and has been hitting the lanes for about 22 years now. When he rolled 10 straight strikes last Friday, Beam said everyone at Cityview Lanes began to gather around.
“That’s when you know everybody noticed,” he said. “The whole place stops and everybody gathers behind you.”
On an average night, Beam said, he will roll about seven or eight strikes in a row. Knowing Shawn’s personal record is 11 straight strikes, his best friend rushed over to get a closer look. Then Beam hit lucky No. 12 and finished off his perfect score of 300.
“When I threw the last shot I felt like I did everything right. I felt like I did everything the same way I did the other 11,” he said. “When they all fell, man the feeling is just amazing.”
The U.S. Bowling Congress has certified Beam’s score, and the American Wheelchair Bowling Association confirmed that Beam is the first bowler in a wheelchair to ever roll a perfect game. Most of all, Beam hopes he can be an inspiration for others who find themselves confined to a wheelchair. When you accomplish something like that, it’s impossible for others in your position not to take note.
