Bowling continues to make difference in life of Windham autistic teen Colin Robinson

By Matt Pascarella

From the moment 18-year-old Windham resident Colin Robinson stepped onto the bowling lanes, he was hooked, and an impact was made.

Windham's Colin Robinson displays his trophy
after winning the Rhode Island Youth Master's
Bowling Tournament on June 3 in Warwick,
Rhode Island. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Robinson has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is considered very high functioning, but has a very quiet personality. Bowling has helped him be more comfortable communicating with people. It has helped him learn to work in high stress situations with multiple stimuli, remain calm and keep his focus on specific tasks. He has been bowling for 12 years and has competed in bowling tournaments across New England as well as a few in New York.

This past year, Robinson earned nearly $1,000 in scholarships based on both performance and awards. He was one of three recipients of the Roger Perrault Scholarship from the Lewiston-Auburn chapter of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), the sport’s governing body in the United States.

Robinson said he got interested in bowling by practicing with his dad, John Robinson, who is a USBC level 1 certified coach. Colin Robinson said he likes to bowl because it’s competitive and fun. It’s exciting because he gets to compete with skilled bowlers.

Both Colin and his father were practicing at a bowling alley and the manager let them know they had a youth league on Saturdays. They gave it a try and things immediately clicked for Colin Robinson.

He competed in about 25 bowling tournaments last year. Recently, he won two DJBT handicap tournaments, a series in New England during the 2022-2023 season. In a handicap tournament, a predetermined value is added to the pin count. He also recently posted his first scratch tournament win at the Rhode Island Youth Masters.

This was an important win for the Windham teen because he was consistent in hitting his targets and shooting spares, two skills he has worked hard to master in practice.

In 2022, he qualified and competed in Junior Gold, a large tournament where his division, the Under 18 boys, had as many as 1,300 participants. Robinson also bowled in the Junior Gold tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2022 and in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2023.

John Robinson said it’s amazing to watch his son work toward achieving his goals. This season, Colin Robinson started out averaging a score in the 150s in both league and tournament competitions. In the last two months of the season, he was consistently averaging a score in the 170s during tournaments.

“Bowling has helped Colin in every way possible; physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, etc.,” said John Robinson. “He’s learned to calm himself and work with and support his peers. I get just as excited when he gives someone a fist bump or says ‘nice shot’ as when he throws a great shot himself. He’s ... made tremendous progress.”

To watch him practice, it’s evident that Colin Robinson works very hard on his game. This past year, he bowled with some of the best youth bowlers in the country under some of the toughest conditions. And he still practices for these tournaments with his father, although Colin Robinson’s official coach is Jimmy Clark.

“He is so amazing to work with,” said Clark, the owner of Bowler Builders Pro Shop and a USBC silver-level certified coach. “I have watched him embrace every challenge thrown his way. I see more confidence in his actions. Watching Colin grow as an individual has also made him a better teammate. Having autism can make the communication between bowlers a little tricky, but Colin is now able to talk with his fellow bowlers with more confidence and more success.”

According to Colin Robinson, his years of bowling have taught him how to compete against some of the best bowlers. He said practicing with his dad is fun and helps him bowl better.

“Autism and other neurodivergent disorders are a very broad spectrum,” said John Robinson. “I encourage every parent to at least give bowling a try. It doesn’t have to be in a league; just get out and let them roll the ball down the lane. I’m in bowling centers three to four days a week and I frequently see groups of people from high functioning to severely impaired. The joy on their faces when their ball hits the pins is incredibly heartwarming.”

Colin Robinson will compete in a tournament in Rhode Island on Sept. 9 and his league bowling will begin on Sept. 16.

Colin and John Robinson are in the process of setting up goals and planning tournaments for the upcoming season. They say that their big goal is converting to two-handed bowling, where his left hand supports the ball up until he releases it. In addition, Colin Robinson will build upon his existing skills, so that he can do his best and qualify for next year’s Junior Gold. <