The August 3 Edition

You’ve got to admire people who turn left when everyone else is turning right. Going against the orthodoxy is difficult, never more so than when you’re a kid, and fitting in is of preeminent importance. Jason Belmonte did that when he started tenpin bowling with two hands rather than the traditional one. It wasn’t against the rules but then, nor was it what bowlers did certainly not if they wanted to play at an elite level. Belmonte persisted with his out-of-the-box technique because it worked, winning him tournaments as a kid in his home town of Orange, then later around the world, including in the US, the sport’s spiritual home. As Amanda Hooton reports in today’s cover story, Belmonte, now 40, is considered the Roger Federer or Donald Bradman of the bowling alley. And guess what? After suffering opprobrium for his unorthodox style, he’s now increasingly revered. Growing, too, are the number of two-handed bowlers on the circuit. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, eh? – Editor, Katrina Strickland