Rant #1,923: Bowling Green

Aaron Judge keeps on hitting homers for the Yankees.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA title.

But the most significant athletic event, at least for me, happened on Saturday, when another bowling season ended for my son and his team in the PAL bowling league that he attends each Saturday afternoon in the fall through the spring.

This is a special league for a special bunch of kids, some not kids anymore, but young adults like my son.

It is a league designed for young men and women who have some type of disability, whether mental, physical or emotional, or some combination of those.

It puts them in a setting with others with like things to deal with, puts them in a setting with their peers, where no one is looking down at anyone else in any way.

There are kids with physical disabilities, some with mental challenges, but they are all on the same, level playing field here.

My son has been in this league for about four or five years now, and don't get me wrong, the number one reason to be in this league is the fun the participants have, but it is a competitive league, and those bowling are there to win and lose games.

And there are some mighty good bowlers in the league, with some even registering games of 200 or better during this season.

The league has nine teams, generally of four players each, so yes, it is a small league, in particular in comparison with others, but it is a fun league, where everyone knows everyone else, and high fives go all around, even for frames where a strike or spare is not registered.

This bowling league is actually part of a larger group of leagues for those with disabilities, leagues where participants can play everything from baseball to basketball to golf.

My son's bowling team ended up in last place this year, but I know he had fun participating. His average actually rose about seven points this year to about a 117 or so, and he had a high 180 game.

He also bowled two or three turkeys, that being, registering three strikes in a row during a single game, a feat where he earned a pin recognizing what he did during the league award presentation this past Saturday.

It was fun to watch him and his team compete the entire season, and he looks forward to another season of play starting in the fall.

Each and every one of these participants have had various challenges to overcome, and they do the best they can in a world that often ignores them or at least does not have patience with them.

Here, they can just be themselves, and have a lot of fun doing it.

Along with his job, his participation in this league are probably the two most important things my son participates in during the year, and while he is very shy among the others, I think they still know who he is and value his participation.

My wife and I are very proud of our son for the strides he has taken, and he has a long way to go, but participating in this league is one way that he hopes to scale those hurdles.

So here is to another season, and before you know it, the new season will dawn, and my son will be on the lanes, trying to do his best.

You can't ask for more.