Ford’s Radjewski finds success with 2-handed delivery
Two hands can be better than one.
Ford’s Matthew Radjewski started using a two-handed bowling delivery last summer, and the results have been positive for the senior.
“I’ve gotten better since I made the switch,” said Radjewski.
“He’s one of my most consistent bowlers,” added coach Kyle Polega.
Radjewski noticed some professional bowlers using two hands.
“I thought i could get more revs (revolutions), and it’s more fun,” he said.
Polega said it’s not uncommon for bowlers to make the change soon after they start with a prep team.
“They usually start on JV with one hand,” the coach said. “Then once they get a little more advanced, they want to get more revolutions on the ball, they want to start getting bigger hooks on the lane.
“As long as they’ve got the right equipment and do the work, it makes a lot of difference. I’ve got a lot of kids who have gone the same way.”
Polega is a one-handed bowler. He has a multi-step approach when assisting bowlers with the transition.
“I help them out to get started, and then I send them to a coach who’s an actual two-handed bowler who can fine-tune them and adjust them right.”
Polega explained the difference between one- and two-handed deliveries.
“When bowling one-handed, the ball just sits on your hand and all the rotations that you get off the ball is from how you turn your hand on the release,” he said. “When you’ve got two hands on the ball, you’ve got more control over how the ball spins and you’ve got a lot more power going into it. You can go from rotating maybe 120 revolutions per minute to something more like 400 just from adding a second hand to it.
“It makes the ball spin a lot
faster so that once it gets through the oil, it catches and it moves a lot further down the lane, so it will hook a lot more.”
Radjewski is going to continue his career at Cleary College in Howell. He plans to study sports management.
Andrew Florence of Ford is going to bowl at Rochester University and study medical sports science.
Florence had a 266 game and Radjewski 257 to help Ford defeat Utica 22-8 at Imperial Lanes on Jan. 23.
Streaks of strikes
Mike Pupin is getting closer to his first 300 game.
The New Baltimore Anchor Bay junior started with 11 consecutive strikes and finished with a score of 296 during a MAC White Division match against Lakeview at Imperial Lanes on Jan. 23.
“I had a great run,” he said.
Pupin started a game the previous Thursday with seven strikes, and then he opened with eight in a row in a weekend tournament.
“I’m more relaxed,” he said. “I feel more confident. I feel like I’m having a great time.”
Pupin rolled the 11 strikes with a blue and purple 900 Global Reality ball that he received as an early Christmas present.
Rob Rasch, the Anchor Bay coach, admires the performances he sees from competitors like Pupin.
“These kids are so far ahead of where I was when I was a youth bowler and a high school bowler,” he said. “We’ve lost a lot of bowling alleys, but it’s good to see the kids back into it.”
Panthers’ progress
Roseville’s girls team won two matches last season. The Panthers went 6-1 in their first seven MAC White outings in 2022-23.
One reason for the improvement is Jessica Rolder, a right-handed junior who rolled a season-high 233 game plus a 204 to help the Panthers defeat Warren Woods-Tower at Imperial Lanes.
Rolder comes from a family of bowlers and has been in the game “since I could walk,” she said.
Her brother Josh Rolder is the Roseville coach.
“She’s been doing well and making her spares,” said Josh, one of four Rolder siblings who bowled for Roseville.
“She’s finding success now, which is awesome.”
Roseville started the White Division schedule
with a loss to Anchor Bay and then won six consecutive matches to stay on the tail of the division-leading Tars.
“We try to keep everything simple,” Josh Rolder said.
“The girls have been buying in. When they bowl great, you can see it on their faces that they enjoy it.
“If the girls stay consistent, they’re going to give themselves a shot (at the division title).
“That’s what see.”
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