Injured bowler becomes a lefty

Sitting in the emergency room at Huntsville Hospital in 2007, Zach O'Kelley pondered what life would be like without bowling.

His right hand mangled from a machine shop accident, O'Kelley's dream of becoming a professional bowler appeared to be shattered.

To understand his despair, one has to realize how much bowling has meant to him.

"I was scared," he said. "Bowling had been my life for 15 years, and in an instant I was in a position where I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it anymore.

"It was one of those incidents that you don't see coming. I was just working, and next thing you know, I was caught in a machine."

The sport became a part of O'Kelley's life at the age of 12. What started as a recreational hobby with friends soon became a passion. When practicing, he would find himself recording bowling tournaments on television, rewinding and watching his favorite bowlers over and over just to get tips on how to improve his own game.

"It was fun from the beginning," said O'Kelley, 27. "From the first time I went, I loved it. Over the years, I progressively became better at it. When I was about 15, I realized it was something I could be good at. That's when I got serious."

O'Kelley developed quickly, and at 25 his league average was 190 and he was on the cusp of turning professional.

"I had taken all the necessary steps toward becoming a pro," O'Kelley said. "I had the application filled out, I was practicing and raising my average, everything was on the up and up."

It appeared the accident would change O'Kelley's bowling future, even though he tried to remain positive while waiting for the diagnosis. O'Kelley's injury left him with only his right thumb and right palm.

"I didn't know what to do," he said. "There was a moment when I wasn't too sure what was going to happen. It didn't take long to realize that I wasn't going to have full use of my right hand anymore."

Determined to overcome the injury, O'Kelley recalls telling his family that night at the hospital that he was going to have to learn to bowl left-handed.

Two years later, O'Kelley is as good bowling left-handed as he was right-handed. There's plenty of supporting evidence, too. In the past three weeks, O'Kelley has bowled two perfect (300) games. He concluded league play with an average that hovered near 200, and for one week averaged 228, easily professional quality results.

Friends and family are amazed at O'Kelley's progress and dedication while changing to bowling left-handed.

"To be around him through the accident, through everything, was hard," older brother Leslie said.

"To see him work his way to where he is now, though, has been amazing. Words can't describe how proud I am of him, or how proud our parents are of him."

Erin Eldridge, an employee at Lauderdale Lanes and a longtime friend, said the resiliency O'Kelley showed after the accident was a mere glimpse of the person he has always been.

"After such a tragic accident, it would have been so easy for him to give up," she said. "Zach would never quit, though. He's been bowling for as long as I can remember, and he loves it. Nothing could keep him from doing this."

For O'Kelley, the transition wasn't about trying to become an inspirational figure, even though that's what he has become around Lauderdale Lanes.

"I just wanted to bowl," he said. "It's hard to imagine spending the rest of your life not being able to do what you love most.

"The transition was slow, but once I got going, it really took off," he added. "I was worried at first how people at the lanes would take me, but slowly everyone came around. Now everyone comes up and jokes with me, cracks on me, and it lets me know that they care."

Eldridge said O'Kelley became an instant inspiration to almost everyone at the bowling alley.

"His attitude just puts people in a good mood," she said. "People would come in and see him and what he was dealing with, and just be in awe. Here is a guy who has overcome remarkable odds, just to do what he loves. It's kind of hard not to be inspired by it all."

Leslie O'Kelley said his brother is thriving in other parts of his life as well.

Zach now works in shipping and receiving at a local outdoors business, officiates various sports and continues working toward a degree in education.

"What Zach has done in the bowling alley has been amazing," Leslie said. "What's even more amazing is what he's been able to do outside of bowling. There were moments after the accident where Zach worried about being able to do things other than bowling, about serious life issues. It never got him down, though. He has not let this slow him down one bit."

For now, Zach is going to keep his eyes on the big picture and take the small steps to get to where he wants to be. His team has already secured a spot in the Florence Bowl-Off, which is the equivalent of a playoff system, and he is preparing to compete in Las Vegas in the 2009 USBC Championship in July. It's the single largest amateur bowling tournament in the country.

"The prospect of competing at such a high level excites me," he said. "I was there once as a right-hander, and now I am going back as a lefty. You don't always get a second chance to go for your dreams, but I have. It's a different situation, but it's a second chance. I'm going all out for it, no matter what."

O'Kelley spends the bulk of this time these days practicing at Lauderdale Lanes as he continues pursuing his dream of become a professional bowler. The only difference between now and then is that he's doing it with his left hand.

"This is what I love, and these are the people that I love doing it with," he said. "This is where I want to be."