By Matt Mackinder
Special to The Citizen
Jason Belmonte is arguably the most popular professional bowler around these days, and he’s been extremely successful for many years using the two-handed technique to roll the ball down the lane.
Instead of throwing the ball with one hand – the traditional way, so to speak – Belmonte holds the ball with two hands, inserts just his middle and ring fingers into the ball, no thumb, and spins the ball into the pocket.
For three Goodrich High School students on the Martians’ boys varsity bowling team – seniors Layne Bonham and Chase Hillier, and junior Ethan Mackinder – they use the two-handed technique to get success on the lanes.
“I originally started two-handed when I broke my thumb around eighth grade, and I decided to try it out since I couldn’t bowl single handed,” Hillier said. “I found out that two-handed bowling is actually easier to control, and you get a lot more spin.”
“I was not strong enough to lift and throw a bowling ball with one hand and I saw Chase throwing with two hands, so I thought it would be helpful,” added Bonham. “It gave me a higher rev rate which allowed my ball to bite harder into the pocket. It also allowed me to throw the ball harder.”
Mackinder said he started in eighth grade when former GHS varsity bowler Brandon Stockwell, another two-handed bowler, coached him, “so I gave it a shot and I’ve stuck with it ever since.”
“It’s brought me more control with my ball, and it has allowed me to put more revs and spin on the ball,” he said.
And with more and more younger bowlers trying the two-handed approach, all three Goodrich bowlers have advice for the new generation.
“It’s going to feel weird at first but if you keep practicing, it will feel more natural,” said Bonham. “Both techniques have different steps you’ll have to learn to score high. Being a lefty has made it harder to learn because I didn’t have many other two-handed lefties to watch and learn from, I mostly watched Jesper Svensson on the PBA Tour.”
“Not a lot of people bowl two-handed and everyone is used to the ‘traditional’ way, but you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it,” noted Mackinder. “Just believe in yourself.”
“Practice is key,” added Hillier. “If you have patience, you will succeed. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a bad frame. Take a deep breath and focus.”
The Martians took part in position round play for the Flint Metro League on Thursday at Grand Blanc Lanes and have a singles tournament this Saturday at Cherry Hill Lanes North in Clarkston before heading to MHSAA Regionals Feb. 25-26 in Westland at Oak Lanes.
Bonham and Hillier are wrapping up their high school careers while Mackinder has one more year.
All three enjoy the game of bowling and being part of the Martians’ squad.

“The one thing I love about our team is that we act like brothers, always making fun of each other but we all know we’re joking around with each other, so it makes the long boring games a lot more interesting,” Hillier said.
“I like that we can have fun and chill out while at our games and tournaments,” added Bonham. “I do better bowling with them because they’re always having fun with me on the alleys. It’s going to suck after graduation because I’ve built a good relationship with everyone there. We may not have a lot in common other than our love of the sport and our spirit, but I couldn’t imagine having a team without them.”
Other members of the varsity team, coached by Adam Schwark, include seniors Jacob Dunsmore and Connor Kendrick and sophomore Tyler Ledbetter. The Martians also had two JV teams this year that included another 11 students.
“It’s a great group of guys on this team,” Mackinder said. “We are all so close and we always find a way to laugh. Having fun with each other makes practices and games go by a lot faster.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team than these six guys.”