Bowling league aims to bring deaf, hearing people together

From The North County Times in California. In the picture, Mike Covington, who helped put together the North County Deaf Bowling League, practices.

There are few social and recreational opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing in North County.

That's about to change.

North County residents Mike Covington, Nathan Brown and Eileen Harris have formed the North County Deaf Bowling league, which will roll into action later this month at the Vista Entertainment Center.

Brown, a hearing child of a deaf adult, said last week that the league is also open to hearing people, adding that it's important and helpful for hearing and hard-of-hearing people to learn how to interact with one another.

"Some hearing people have never really interacted with a deaf person," Brown said. "Some deaf children think they are all alone."

Brown, Harris and Covington said the league will bring the deaf, hard of hearing, hearing and American Sign Language students together once a week to build a sense of "oneness" for all involved.

Encinitas resident Andy Krauss, who is deaf and plans to play in the league, said it's important to expose everyone to the different cultures involved.

"I grew up on sports and know we can do anything a hearing person can do," Krauss said.

His 10-year old son Cameron, a fifth-grade student at Ocean Knoll Elementary, said he loves hanging out and watching his dad bowl.

"He's a natural," Cameron said.

The concept for an organized league began with a monthly, casual bowling gathering through Signs of Silence ---- also known as S.O.S. ---- the only North County nonprofit organization geared specifically toward providing resources for the deaf community.

Signs of Silence president Roy Hensley said he's happy to help support the independent efforts to form the league by Covington, Brown and Harris, who are all connected with S.O.S.

Hensley said that "in the old days," the deaf community had deaf centers where the deaf would congregate to "be together with their own kind." He said that while there are "pockets of support," today's deaf community is splintered and scattered, with no strong leadership.

Hensley said the deaf spend their entire life dependent on the hearing to make phone calls and to interpret conversations, among other things. He said the fact that deaf people will be running the league would likely increase the comfort level of deaf participants.

Covington, who serves as president of the new league, said he hopes to start a tournament that will bring the deaf and hearing together nationwide. He said he realizes that could take a while.