photo by: Courtesy of Glenda McCleary

Lisa McCleary, who bowls with the Douglas County Jayhawks, celebrates her gold medal victory at the 2022 USA games for Special Olympics in June in Orlando, Florida.

It’s hard to get Lisa McCleary to say much about the gold medal she won earlier this month at the Special Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

Like any elite competitor, the champion bowler is focused on the next challenge: the 2026 Games.

“I would like to do it again — in four years in Minnesota,” she said.

The 31-year-old Linwood resident who bowls with the Douglas County Jayhawks team at Lawrence’s Royal Crest Lanes, said she started the sport seven years ago “just for the fun of it” and, mainly, as a way to make friends.

But as she practiced every Saturday, she realized “I’m getting a lot better,” and the recreational aspect took on a competitive edge.

Lisa, who works at the Massachusetts Street Dillons, set her sights on the Special Olympics in Orlando, and during a fundraiser to pay for her trip, she stumbled on a piece of good luck: The bowling coach from Baker University, Cheryl Keslar, happened to be at Royal Crest Lanes that day and thought, “Hey, I could help her” — not just with a donation, but with a few pro tips.

In the months leading up to Orlando, Keslar worked with Lisa on a weekly basis, and discovered that she was something of a coach’s dream.

photo by: Courtesy of Baker University

Cheryl Keslar is Baker University’s bowling coach.

“She did everything I asked her to,” said Keslar, who noted that her college-student bowlers weren’t always so compliant.

“I have a sign in my office that says ‘If you just did what your coach asked the first time, it would have worked,'” she said.

Lisa needed no such rebuke.

“She was so understanding of the game that it wasn’t difficult to coach her,” Keslar said.

One small point of disagreement did arise, however. It concerned the 10-pound ball Lisa was using. Keslar wanted her to use a higher-end 12-pounder.

“I wanted to get her a different bowling ball because bowling balls make a huge difference,” Keslar said. “I wanted her to go up in weight a little bit because the lighter it is, the harder it is to get a strike — the ball just bounces off the pins.”

Lisa’s answer to that? “No, this one’s pretty, and nobody has one like mine.”

“I was kind of taken aback,” Keslar laughed, but she decided not to press the matter and left Lisa “in her comfort zone.”

It turned out to be the right decision, she admitted, because Lisa ended up winning the Special Olympics with the “pretty” ball — and not only winning but bowling her highest score ever: a 144. Combined with her other scores of 104 and 110, she clinched the gold with an overall score of 358. She also won a bronze medal for team bowling and a fourth-place ribbon for doubles.

“I’m just so proud of her,” said Keslar, who had never been involved with Special Olympics before but now is a committed fan and helper. She and her Baker bowlers have made Lisa an honorary team member — complete with a team jacket.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but after meeting Lisa and hanging with her, it’ll be a lasting friendship,” Keslar said.

Friendship, of course, was Lisa’s original reason for picking up the sport, and now she has that and some shiny hardware too.

She also has some cherished memories with family members, nine of whom made the trip to Florida to cheer her on.

If you ever get down to Orlando, she recommends Walt Disney World.

“Animal Kingdom is the best,” she said. “Check it out.”

photo by: Courtesy of Glenda McCleary

Lisa McCleary displays her gold medal in bowling from the 2022 USA games for Special Olympics in Orlando, Florida.