LIHU`E— Thomas Becker is on a mission! “I saw a baby on television that had SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), so I contacted Guinness to come up with a fundraiser for her,” Becker said. “I raised a lot of money by
LIHU`E— Thomas Becker is on a mission!
“I saw a baby on television that
had SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), so I contacted Guinness to come up with a
fundraiser for her,” Becker said.
“I raised a lot of money by breaking the
record for Marathon Bowling, but a month and a half later, the girl passed away
at 11 months,” he continued.
SMA is the number-one inherited cause of
infant death, killing more babies than any other genetic disorder. In its
various forms, SMA affects more than 20,000 Americans.
One in every 40
persons carries the gene for SMA and doesn’t even know it.
SMA is often
fatal. It is always crippling.
Becker, a native of Denver, Colorado,
unofficially broke his existing Guinness world record recently by bowling for
more than 30 hours to raise awareness for SMA.
Starting in May, Becker will
attempt to become the first person to bowl 100 strikes in all 50 states as part
of the AMF/FightSMA.com Tour.
Lihue Bowling Center in the Rice Shopping
Center will be the site for the Hawai`i stop when Becker steps onto the
approach on May 25, arriving here from his stop in Anchorage, Alaska.
The
Tour is looking for sponsors for bowling lanes for Becker’s stop here.
Sponsoring company’s employees can bowl against the Guinness record-holder and
enjoy a day of fun as well as helping to raise monies for SMA
research.
Sponsoring company employees may bowl for four hours on May 25
and will represent their company and compete against other sponsoring
organizations.
Following the Tour, state winners will be recognized on
FightSMA.com as well as receive prizes and recognition. State winners will
compete for the national Grand Prize which is aq one-week vacation to the
Carribean for two.
During the record-breaking marathon in Albuquerque, NM,
Becker bowled for 30 hours and 48 minutes, knocking down more than 30,000 pins,
lifting 52 tons, and walking a staggering 33.8 miles on the approach, throwing
7,140 bowling balls.
His efforts resulted in 328 strikes, 753 spares, and a
high game of 213 more than 10 hours into the marathon. During the 30-hour
period, Becker bowled 221 games with an average score of 136.
For more
information, visit www.fightsma.com, or call the Lihu`e Bowling Center.
