Deafblind 17-Year-Old Becomes Champion-Level Bowler

Jacob Goddam, a deafblind 17-year-old from Modesto, California, has reached championship levels after bowling several perfect games.

Goddam has also made nationals four years in a row.

“I was pretty happy because the time before that, I shot multiple times and was just one pin short,” Jacob told KCRA News about his first perfect game.

Goddam credits his autistic brother with jumpstarting his bowling career.

“He walked up to my mom and dad and said, you guys should take him to the bowling alley,” Jacob said.

From those beginnings, Goddam amassed an impressive bowling record which included his first 800 series. Jacob hasn’t let the pandemic and accompanying bowling alley closures derail his dreams. The 17-year-old recently placed in the top 5 of a tournament in Arizona.

One of the many challenges Goddam faces is picking up spares. A skill that requires him to know which pins remain standing. To account for not being able to actually see the pins, Jacob uses a spotter who tells him which pins he needs to hit.

When he’s not notching strikes in a bowling alley, Goddam attends high school at the California Virtual Academy.