For Cumberland County Jets Bowler Mark Edwards, his bowling shoes take on an extra lift this season.
Edwards said he first noticed there was a problem at nine years old. Edwards went to go to his pediatrician after noticing his knee was hurting. Edwards was diagnosed with osteochrondosis, a group of bone and cartilage disorders that affects growth plates in children and adolescents. Edwards sat out a year after the diagnosis. Edwards said when he got to high school, he initially did not know what to do or what sports to play.
“Bowling gave me the opportunity in that field to participate in school sports while being able to accommodate my leg issue,” Edwards said. “Coach [Daniel] Rickman actually supported me in all this and actually helped me with all the problems that I ran into over time with bowling with all the accommodations I had to get.”
Edwards now bowls with a lift certified by TSSAA. Edwards said he has to put a lift in his shoes because his right leg is shorter than his left. Edwards said normal bowling shoes are impossible to use given the disability, so he now puts the lift in a different shoe.
“It’s a cowboy boot to be honest,” Edwards said. “It allows me to actually bowl with boots and now I can say I can bowl with these and not get in trouble for it.”
Edwards said he tried using bowling shoes initially but eventually the lifts became ineffective, making Edwards’ knees hurt as a result. Edwards said he pushed through it until getting the new boots.
“Whenever I got the boots it was a complete game changer,” Edwards said. “I could accommodate the bigger lifts and making my bowling much better and much more fun.”
Edwards was named captain of the bowling team this season. Edwards enters his fourth year bowling on the Jets varsity roster.
