Mountain States Bowlathon 2025

On November 15, Tina Ledom volunteered, as she has done for more than a decade, at the Paralyzed Veterans of America Mountain States Chapter’s annual bowlathon at King Pin Lanes in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But this year, something unexpected happened. Before bowling began, chapter volunteers surprised Ledom and her brother with a gift —  a quilt made by volunteer Birdie Kawakami, adorned with photos of their late mother, Margaret Samsel, who founded the event. “It was overwhelming,” Ledom said. “It felt like my mom was with us.”

Now in its 13th year, the bowlathon drew about 70 people, ages 2 to 86 and of all abilities, and raised $13,000. The funds will help chapter members travel to and compete in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Detroit in July. “Many can’t otherwise go,” said Karan Miller, a longtime volunteer whose husband, Scott, serves on the chapter’s board. “Our goal is to get our paralyzed veterans out of the house and into the community.”

A highlight of this year’s bowlathon was the increased number of attendees who use wheelchairs. “There were more than ever before,” said volunteer and event co-founder Loretta Spotts. That made an impact. “I think people need to see that there’s still life after a wheelchair.”

For Andrew Lewis, a Navy veteran who has been paralyzed since 2018, it was his first time bowling in a wheelchair.Although he’d bowled before his injury and had gone to a bowling alley to watch friends, he hadn’t felt comfortable trying himself until the bowlathon. “Bowling with other people who look like me was very encouraging,” he said.

Lewis drew inspiration from longtime Mountain States Chapter member Gary Poole, a Marine Corps veteran who has bowled for more than three decades using a motorized wheelchair. After his injury, Poole’s toughest adjustment was switching from his dominant right hand, which lost function, to his left. He claims he’s “not a good bowler,” though he once scored a 279 out of 300. “I like to try, and try again,” he said. “I still think positive.”  

Poole and his wife Cheryl have helped with the bowlathon every year since it began in 2012. This year, they recruited one quarter of the event’s lane sponsors. 

“Those two went out and hustled,” said volunteer Miller. “They’re great fundraisers.”

The story behind the bowlathon

The chapter’s first bowlathon took place in 2012, spearheaded by Margaret “Marge” Samsel, whose husband, Nelson “Sam” Samsel, was a chapter member. Marge was a devoted PVA volunteer, an avid bowler and “our mentor,” Spotts said.  

“The bowlathon was Marge’s baby. She introduced us to the possibility of raising money through something that everyone could participate in,” Spotts said.

Although Marge died in 2020 and Sam in 2021, their children, Ledom and Dennis Samsel, still volunteer every year. Dennis, a former professional bowler who shot more than 50 perfect games and now lives in Texas, has emceed the event since 2018.  

I’ll have to be on my deathbed before I don’t attend, because that’s what my mom would have wanted,” he said. “Not only that, it’s what she would have expected.

Feature photo: Eric Allen, chapter board president, sends the ball downlane in an attempt at a four-pin spare. Despite being recently discharged from a multi-week hospital stay, Allen attended the Mountain States Chapter’s annual bowlathon, demonstrating his resilience and commitment to the chapter.