Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Going for gold: Three Special Olympics Montgomery County bowlers advance to national games
Alexander Lesse, Alex Stefano and Samantha Konowal head to Florida to compete in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games
PLYMOUTH » A record three local bowlers have qualified for Pennsylvania’s team at the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando June 5-12. Alexander Lesse, 29, and Samantha Konowal, 28, from Plymouth Meeting and Alex Stefano, 35, from Lafayette Hill typically compete at East Norriton’s Our Town Alley with some 120 bowlers from Special Olympics Montgomery County. But next month, the trio will knock down pins at central Florida’s Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center with 300-plus bowlers from across North America to compete in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.
“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time any bowlers from our program have gone to nationals, so it’s really something special,” says SOMC bowling coach Steven Lesse.
With 28 years of strikes and spares under his belt, Lesse’s son, Alexander — who will turn 30 on June 8 — is the Montco threesome’s OG. As dad tells it, he started hitting the lanes when he was two and took to the sport “pretty instantaneously.”
Both nature and nurture might have played a part. As a kid, the older Lesse was a standout baseball and basketball player. More to the point, by the time Alexander was born, his family owned five bowling centers in Philadelphia and South Jersey, so no surprise when he became one of the youngest regulars ever at Havertown’s Manoa Lanes.
“Alex is autistic, and he struggles with comprehension and…verbally, but because my family owned bowling centers, he started bowling when he was two or three,” explains Lesse, who also coaches SOMC’s volleyball and basketball teams. By time he was five or six, he was bowling with (typical) kids. We have over 100 bowlers in our program at Our Town Alley, and they all look up to him.”
During his teens, Alexander was a four-year starter on the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School bowling team. But Lesse believes his son’s athletic prowess has led to positives that go way beyond trophies or medals.
“Sports have created his life,” he says. “When you’re talking about any of these athletes, their disabilities disappear on the playing field. That’s what happened at PW. Not only were his teammates so kind and wonderful, but when he got out on the lanes, he was just like everyone else. And that’s given him the confidence he lacks because of his cognitive disabilities… and propelled him to have a more active life than I ever expected him to have.
“He plays four other sports — basketball, volleyball, softball and flag football — which is great. It’s opened so many doors for him. And that proves that the only barriers in life are the ones we set for ourselves. There’s really a message in this for everybody: There are no borders…no reason that you can’t excel. That’s what our passion is — those of us who volunteer with Special Olympics — helping these athletes break the mold. I’ll be honest. That used to sound hokey to me, but all you have to do is watch them.
“What Alex has done isn’t extraordinary, but what it represents is extraordinary. Sure, Special Olympics is great because it gives (participants) something to do, and it encourages socialization and working as a team. But it also proves that there really aren’t any limitations. Take these three bowlers. They’re leading functional lives, and they’re involved in the community, and that’s typical among our athletes.”
Three other Montgomery County residents will travel to Orlando as part of Team Pennsylvania: Anthony Timinski, Equestrian; Meg Lewis, Golf; and Kevin Lezynski, Swimming. All told, some 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean are expected to compete at the 2022 USA Games. Jersey Mike’s Subs is the presenting partner, and Walt Disney World Resort is the official host. June 5’s opening ceremony at Exploria Stadium, produced by Disney Live Entertainment, will feature a live performance by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles and 500 performers. ESPN will air the ceremony at noon EST on ABC and on Watch ESPN and ESPN the app. Additional information is available at www.2022specialolympicsusagames.org. www.2022specialolympicsusagames.org.