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Elizabethtown senior Cole Winters pushes past disability on the bowling alley

Winters makes his mark on the Bears bowling squad despite only bowling with one hand.

MOUNT JOY, Pa. — A leap of faith led Elizabethtown senior Cole Winters to try bowling. 

It's a sport that runs in the family with his father and grandpa and, thanks to a friend, he decided to pick up a ball and start rolling for the Bears.

"Everyone in my family bowls, my dad, my uncle, my pap," said Winters. "I [thought] I'll give it a shot. I didn’t find love for it when I was at a younger age... then something clicked and I loved it."

Winter's time on the lanes looks slightly different than his teammates. He only uses his left hand after he lost his right one at birth. 

Still, his love for the game stays the same.

"Most people might think like maybe my balance is off because it's kind of like different weight distribution," said Winters. " I catch on really fast and I adapt really well."

And adapt he has. The Bears have a constant team that competes for league championships. Winters has bowled well for Etown this year and Coach Frank Telenko is enjoying his progress.

"We want to build a program and that is what we are doing," said Telenko. "We don't talk about it but he's been great to have around and I just want to keep putting him in situations that he can succeed in."

As the season winds down, Winters hopes to keep his career going to the next level. He plans to attend Millersville University and hopefully bowl on their club team.

"I got to see how everything goes but I would like to continue in college," said Winters. "I want to study IT and cyber security and hopefully I can continue to bowl.

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