High school bowling: Two-handed roll a ‘phenomenon'

Kenton Ridge’s Chris Via is leading the league with his unorthodox style of bowling.

Kenton Ridge High School’s Chris Via says he learned how to bowl two-handed when he was very little. “My dad (Craig Via) has been bowling for a long time. He used to take me with him when I was younger,” he said. “I didn’t have the strength to hold it up with one hand so I had to use two hands, and I never went away from it.”

Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic Kenton Ridge High School’s Chris Via says he learned how to bowl two-handed when he was very little. “My dad (Craig Via) has been bowling for a long time. He used to take me with him when I was younger,” he said. “I didn’t have the strength to hold it up with one hand so I had to use two hands, and I never went away from it.”

ENLARGE PHOTO

High school bowling: Via bowls over foes with two-handed approach

By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer Updated 12:02 AM Sunday, December 27, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — Kenton Ridge high school senior bowler Chris Via has used two hands to throw the ball for as long as he can remember.

“I was never actually taught it,” Via said. “My dad (Craig Via) has been bowling for a long time. He used to take me with him when I was younger. I didn’t have the strength to hold it up with one hand so I had to use two hands, and I never went away from it.”

Even though Via has been doing it for years, two-handed bowling is becoming a “worldwide phenomenon,” said Ron Hatfield, a United States Bowling Congress gold-level coach from Columbus who also coaches the Ukraine National Team.

Three bowlers on the Pro Bowling Association Tour are using the style, including Australian Jason Belmonte.

“It’s here to stay and I think it’s good for the sport,” Hatfield said. “It’s like every other sport. There’s going to be evolution and change.”

The approach is also becoming more popular with younger children who aren’t strong enough to throw the ball with one hand.

The style allows for a better angle to the pocket, as well as more rotation and power on the ball — which is proven by how the pins fly.

“You see those pins turn into missiles,” said USBC silver-level and Vandalia Butler coach Andy Parker, “and you get excited by it.”

“It just shreds the pins,” Hatfield said.

The ball is thrown similar to one-handed bowling, but with a few subtle differences — two-handed bowlers lean forward more with their upper body, use a slightly shorter back swing to increase accuracy, and some only use two fingers to hold the ball, instead of three.

Coaches are still learning to how to teach the two-handed approach, and very little is known about what it may to do the body down the road.

Several area bowlers use the two-handed approach, including Via’s former teammate Ryan Dobie, who now bowls at Wright State University, and Ricky Fuller.

Fuller has bowled 78 300 games, 33 299 games and 74 800 series. He also owns the Clark County record series of 874 — and he did it all with two hands on the ball.

“I just learned it by goofing around,” Fuller said.

Via’s average score is 230 per game, tops in the Central Buckeye Conference, for the defending state-champion Cougars. He throws the ball as hard as 20 mph.

“Bowling balls are made to be aggressive,” said Craig Via, Chris’ dad and also an assistant coach at Kenton Ridge. “If you can get power like that, it’s amazing to watch.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365 or mcooper@coxohio.com.

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