Para Team USA visits ITRC for training, will travel to Las Vegas in January
December 20, 2022
2022 Para Bowling Team USA (from left): Mark Shepherd, George Holscher, Jennifer Hooten, Emma “Toodie” Perry, Stacy Sanders, Eddy Hutchens and David Nelson Jr. (not pictured - Debra Freed)
ARLINGTON, Texas – The members of Team USA’s Para Bowling program recently traveled to the International Training and Research Center to take part in a training camp to build their skills and come together as a team, but it’s just the beginning for the eight competitors proudly wearing the red, white and blue.
The team will continue to serve as ambassadors for the sport and build awareness for the program as they head to Las Vegas in January for the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials.
The stop in Las Vegas will include a friendship match with stars on the Professional Bowlers Association and Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tours who have been part of the Team USA program and be broadcast live Jan. 6 on BowlTV.
The 2022 team includes four male and four female athletes who were selected based on submitted resumes by the USBC National Selection Committee in the W1 category.
The men’s team features George Holscher of Chesapeake, Virginia; Eddy Hutchens of Franktown, Colorado; David Nelson Jr. of Gretna, Nebraska; and Mark Shepherd of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The women’s team includes Debra Freed of Framingham, Massachusetts; Jennifer Hooten of Norman, Oklahoma; Emma “Toodie” Perry of Bakersfield, California; and Stacy Sanders of Bakersfield, California.
The Para Bowling program for Team USA debuted in 2021, and the members of the 2022 team know they have the chance to inspire others to follow their dreams and promote wheelchair bowling through the program and their continued efforts as part of the American Wheelchair Bowling Association.
In 2021, Team USA selected four athletes to compete at the first International Bowling Federation Para Bowling World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hutchens, Freed and Perry were joined by Shawn Beam of Burleson, Texas, to represent Team USA.
The group collected the coveted gold in team competition while Hutchens and Perry medaled in each event.
Hutchens also earned gold in singles and doubles with Beam, and he took home silver in mixed doubles with Perry. His return to the lanes after Dubai also translated to success on the national stage in AWBA competition.
“I came back from Dubai and went to our AWBA national tournament in Las Vegas, and I took first place in that as well,” Hutchens said. “I bowled really well, and I attribute that to what I learned here (at the ITRC). A year later, we had the national championship in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and I won back-to-back scratch national titles. The trip to Dubai gave me the confidence that I can compete with the people here in the United States as well as in the world.”
Perry added a silver medal in doubles with Freed and a bronze in singles during her trip to Dubai.
She has been active in other sports over the years and was part of the team that represented the United States in basketball prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Her trip to Dubai as part of Team USA, however, meant a lot for several reasons.
“It was just the most awesome thing I’ve ever done,” Perry said. “I wanted to tell everybody when I got home. I want to get more women involved, and that’s one of the stories you can tell to promote it. It was a moment in my life I thought I would never see. The gold medal just absolutely meant the world. I have three kids, and they were able to see everything in Dubai. They’ve seen me bowl, play basketball, play tennis. For them to be able to see exactly what has happening, when it was happening, while I was in Dubai and throwing on those lanes was just great.”
One of the individuals inspired by Perry’s performance in Dubai was Sanders. The two have been longtime friends, and Sanders also was with Perry as part of the basketball team that traveled to Barcelona in 1992.
They both live in Bakersfield and bowl together, and Sanders was ready to try and earn her spot on the team in 2022.
“I was so excited for her,” Sanders said. “She’s been the top bowler for a long time in the AWBA for the women. When she came back, she shared so many experiences, all the pictures and how the group there was beyond hospitable to everybody. I really didn’t think that was something I was going to be able to be part of, but then I heard they were expanding it and needed more women. I was very honored to get the call and am going to work really hard.”
Over the two-day camp in Arlington, the group worked on team building and had on-lane and classroom instruction with Team USA head coach Bryan O’Keefe and USBC Gold coaches Lou Marquez and Stephen Padilla.
The time at the ITRC also featured an exhibition match against the Lake Ridge High School bowling program from Mansfield, Texas, and a team competition prior to the conclusion of camp.
Nelson has helped as a high school coach for 25 years, so having the opportunity to compete against the Lake Ridge team was an added bonus during the week while he sharpened his spare shooting and collected a few notes to take home.
“It was fun,” Nelson said. “They’re a good group of kids with good attitudes who enjoy the sport. They listened to their coaches. They respected us, and we respected them. We had a great time.
“Our coaches helped us a lot. It’s really neat. I found some cool ideas I can bring back to the people in Omaha. I’m really happy with everything I learned, so I can take it back and help others.”
Holscher also is very involved on the coaching side, and he earned his USBC Silver certification in 2018. He’s excited to return to the youth program he works with to share his experience and what he learned during the week.
“To be part of this team and represent the United States and wheelchair bowling is probably the pinnacle of a bowling career,” said Holscher, who became the second bowler to roll a USBC-certified 300 game in a wheelchair in 2012 and is a member of the AWBA Hall of Fame. “I help coach youth bowling, and when I go home, I will have my Team USA gear on for the kids to see. They think it’s the greatest thing in the world. They really do support and encourage me, and I’ve learned just as much from coaching them as I have bowling myself.”
Shepherd has compiled impressive accolades across multiple sports, including tennis and basketball to go along with being elected to the AWBA Hall of Fame. He was a member of the national team for wheelchair basketball for 10 years and helped Team USA win three world championships (1994, 1998 and 2002) and a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.
He's ready to don the red, white and blue once again and appreciated the chance to learn more about the sport through the coaching staff and tools available at the ITRC.
“I’m in a situation where I get the opportunity to represent my country yet again,” Shepherd said. “I represented my country in the military. I represented my country as a police officer when I was hurt. I represented as an athlete, and now I get to do it once again in bowling, which really excites me.
“Very few athletes get into the depths of what it takes to stay at the top. They learn on their own and pick up things from others, but if you really get good you go and do some real study. What they brought us this week was that opportunity. We were able to learn some stuff we may have heard about or knew a bit about, so we got to understand that and apply it to hopefully better our games. I think that’s really invaluable.”
Just days before she got the call to join Team USA, Hooten was in the Dallas area for another event and stopped by the ITRC. Although the facility happened to be closed that day, she was able to get a glimpse of the International Bowling Campus with her family.
After spending some time with her teammates at the ITRC, she knows the theme of family also plays a strong part in the Team USA program and is going to encourage others to join in the future.
“We compete against each other, but we’re all friends. It's like a big family,” Hooten said. “When it came up this year, I was going to (submit my resume). I’m really glad I did because I’m learning a ton of stuff. I’m up here with my friends, and I have the best people helping me further my game. I’ll apply for this team every year and try to be part of this for as long as I can.”
The 2022 team was announced in September and originally planned to travel to Queensland, Australia, to take part in the IBF Para World Cup in November. The trip was canceled due to a lack of international team entries in the para division.
Looking ahead to Las Vegas, the team is excited to be surrounded by the competitors trying to earn their spots on Team USA and Junior Team USA for 2023 while promoting awareness for wheelchair bowling.
They hope the exposure at the event is another move in the right direction to encourage others to participate in the future and continue to build the Para Bowling program.
“In Las Vegas, we’re going to see a lot of people and have a lot of people see us,” Perry said. “That’s going to bring the awareness we don’t have. It’s going to bring it to the world, and hopefully more people will come forward.”
ARLINGTON, Texas – The members of Team USA’s Para Bowling program recently traveled to the International Training and Research Center to take part in a training camp to build their skills and come together as a team, but it’s just the beginning for the eight competitors proudly wearing the red, white and blue.
The team will continue to serve as ambassadors for the sport and build awareness for the program as they head to Las Vegas in January for the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials.
The stop in Las Vegas will include a friendship match with stars on the Professional Bowlers Association and Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tours who have been part of the Team USA program and be broadcast live Jan. 6 on BowlTV.
The 2022 team includes four male and four female athletes who were selected based on submitted resumes by the USBC National Selection Committee in the W1 category.
The men’s team features George Holscher of Chesapeake, Virginia; Eddy Hutchens of Franktown, Colorado; David Nelson Jr. of Gretna, Nebraska; and Mark Shepherd of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The women’s team includes Debra Freed of Framingham, Massachusetts; Jennifer Hooten of Norman, Oklahoma; Emma “Toodie” Perry of Bakersfield, California; and Stacy Sanders of Bakersfield, California.
The Para Bowling program for Team USA debuted in 2021, and the members of the 2022 team know they have the chance to inspire others to follow their dreams and promote wheelchair bowling through the program and their continued efforts as part of the American Wheelchair Bowling Association.
In 2021, Team USA selected four athletes to compete at the first International Bowling Federation Para Bowling World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hutchens, Freed and Perry were joined by Shawn Beam of Burleson, Texas, to represent Team USA.
The group collected the coveted gold in team competition while Hutchens and Perry medaled in each event.
Hutchens also earned gold in singles and doubles with Beam, and he took home silver in mixed doubles with Perry. His return to the lanes after Dubai also translated to success on the national stage in AWBA competition.
“I came back from Dubai and went to our AWBA national tournament in Las Vegas, and I took first place in that as well,” Hutchens said. “I bowled really well, and I attribute that to what I learned here (at the ITRC). A year later, we had the national championship in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and I won back-to-back scratch national titles. The trip to Dubai gave me the confidence that I can compete with the people here in the United States as well as in the world.”
Perry added a silver medal in doubles with Freed and a bronze in singles during her trip to Dubai.
She has been active in other sports over the years and was part of the team that represented the United States in basketball prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Her trip to Dubai as part of Team USA, however, meant a lot for several reasons.
“It was just the most awesome thing I’ve ever done,” Perry said. “I wanted to tell everybody when I got home. I want to get more women involved, and that’s one of the stories you can tell to promote it. It was a moment in my life I thought I would never see. The gold medal just absolutely meant the world. I have three kids, and they were able to see everything in Dubai. They’ve seen me bowl, play basketball, play tennis. For them to be able to see exactly what has happening, when it was happening, while I was in Dubai and throwing on those lanes was just great.”
One of the individuals inspired by Perry’s performance in Dubai was Sanders. The two have been longtime friends, and Sanders also was with Perry as part of the basketball team that traveled to Barcelona in 1992.
They both live in Bakersfield and bowl together, and Sanders was ready to try and earn her spot on the team in 2022.
“I was so excited for her,” Sanders said. “She’s been the top bowler for a long time in the AWBA for the women. When she came back, she shared so many experiences, all the pictures and how the group there was beyond hospitable to everybody. I really didn’t think that was something I was going to be able to be part of, but then I heard they were expanding it and needed more women. I was very honored to get the call and am going to work really hard.”
Over the two-day camp in Arlington, the group worked on team building and had on-lane and classroom instruction with Team USA head coach Bryan O’Keefe and USBC Gold coaches Lou Marquez and Stephen Padilla.
The time at the ITRC also featured an exhibition match against the Lake Ridge High School bowling program from Mansfield, Texas, and a team competition prior to the conclusion of camp.
Nelson has helped as a high school coach for 25 years, so having the opportunity to compete against the Lake Ridge team was an added bonus during the week while he sharpened his spare shooting and collected a few notes to take home.
“It was fun,” Nelson said. “They’re a good group of kids with good attitudes who enjoy the sport. They listened to their coaches. They respected us, and we respected them. We had a great time.
“Our coaches helped us a lot. It’s really neat. I found some cool ideas I can bring back to the people in Omaha. I’m really happy with everything I learned, so I can take it back and help others.”
Holscher also is very involved on the coaching side, and he earned his USBC Silver certification in 2018. He’s excited to return to the youth program he works with to share his experience and what he learned during the week.
“To be part of this team and represent the United States and wheelchair bowling is probably the pinnacle of a bowling career,” said Holscher, who became the second bowler to roll a USBC-certified 300 game in a wheelchair in 2012 and is a member of the AWBA Hall of Fame. “I help coach youth bowling, and when I go home, I will have my Team USA gear on for the kids to see. They think it’s the greatest thing in the world. They really do support and encourage me, and I’ve learned just as much from coaching them as I have bowling myself.”
Shepherd has compiled impressive accolades across multiple sports, including tennis and basketball to go along with being elected to the AWBA Hall of Fame. He was a member of the national team for wheelchair basketball for 10 years and helped Team USA win three world championships (1994, 1998 and 2002) and a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.
He's ready to don the red, white and blue once again and appreciated the chance to learn more about the sport through the coaching staff and tools available at the ITRC.
“I’m in a situation where I get the opportunity to represent my country yet again,” Shepherd said. “I represented my country in the military. I represented my country as a police officer when I was hurt. I represented as an athlete, and now I get to do it once again in bowling, which really excites me.
“Very few athletes get into the depths of what it takes to stay at the top. They learn on their own and pick up things from others, but if you really get good you go and do some real study. What they brought us this week was that opportunity. We were able to learn some stuff we may have heard about or knew a bit about, so we got to understand that and apply it to hopefully better our games. I think that’s really invaluable.”
Just days before she got the call to join Team USA, Hooten was in the Dallas area for another event and stopped by the ITRC. Although the facility happened to be closed that day, she was able to get a glimpse of the International Bowling Campus with her family.
After spending some time with her teammates at the ITRC, she knows the theme of family also plays a strong part in the Team USA program and is going to encourage others to join in the future.
“We compete against each other, but we’re all friends. It's like a big family,” Hooten said. “When it came up this year, I was going to (submit my resume). I’m really glad I did because I’m learning a ton of stuff. I’m up here with my friends, and I have the best people helping me further my game. I’ll apply for this team every year and try to be part of this for as long as I can.”
The 2022 team was announced in September and originally planned to travel to Queensland, Australia, to take part in the IBF Para World Cup in November. The trip was canceled due to a lack of international team entries in the para division.
Looking ahead to Las Vegas, the team is excited to be surrounded by the competitors trying to earn their spots on Team USA and Junior Team USA for 2023 while promoting awareness for wheelchair bowling.
They hope the exposure at the event is another move in the right direction to encourage others to participate in the future and continue to build the Para Bowling program.
“In Las Vegas, we’re going to see a lot of people and have a lot of people see us,” Perry said. “That’s going to bring the awareness we don’t have. It’s going to bring it to the world, and hopefully more people will come forward.”