By Kim Ousley
Mike Bolland has spent a lifetime proving that a limb difference does not have to define what is possible.
Born without a right hand, Bolland learned early that adaptation could open doors rather than close them. Encouraged by parents who challenged him to pursue his goals, he built a life filled with accomplishments, from acting in the 1970s film The Trial of Billy Jack to becoming the first person with a limb difference to compete professionally on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.
Today, Bolland hosts the podcast We’re Not Stumped, where he interviews fellow amputees and shares stories of resilience and perseverance. Recently, however, it was his own story that took center stage.
“My very first tournament was in 1986,” Bolland said. “I bowled as an amateur in the Tucson Open. Then I turned professional and bowled off and on for five years.”
Eventually, he stepped away from professional bowling and spent the next three decades building a career with Discount Tire.
Then life changed.
In 2016, Bolland was diagnosed with throat cancer, forcing him to rethink what mattered most. During treatment, he set two personal goals: perform stand up comedy on stage and compete in one more PBA tournament.
That second dream stayed with him.
While volunteering with Adaptive 360 in Arizona and coaching an adaptive bowling team, Bolland occasionally picked up a bowling ball for fun. His teammates kept encouraging him to give competitive bowling another chance.
“Just take the shot,” they told him.
So he did.
Bolland bought new shoes, bowling balls, a bag, and the equipment he needed before committing to nearly six weeks of daily practice. His volunteer work with Arizona Disabled Sports reinforced his desire to see what would happen if he gave himself one more opportunity.
Getting to the tournament proved to be an adventure of its own.
Traveling through the airport with four bowling balls and all of his equipment was far more challenging than he expected. Looking back, he laughs about the experience, admitting he had underestimated just how much work it would be.
When tournament day arrived, his focus was simple.
“I didn’t come in last place and I didn’t improve,” Bolland said. “I was bowling the PBA 60, so I was bowling against my peers, which was nice.”
For him, the results were never the point.
His personal motto throughout the experience was simple: Take the shot anyway.
That phrase has since become the foundation of a motivational talk he is developing, inspired by the lessons he learned through cancer, bowling, and life itself.
He believes fear should never be the reason someone walks away from a dream.
“The world didn’t stop moving because I decided to bowl the tournament and I didn’t bowl as well as I had when I was younger,” Bolland said. “I posted my results.”
Although he was not satisfied with his scores, he was proud that he had the courage to try. More importantly, he proved to himself that the competitor inside him was still there.
While Bolland has no plans to return to league bowling full time, he has not ruled out competing in future tournaments.
Today, much of his energy goes toward supporting the amputee community. Alongside hosting We’re Not Stumped, he created Enable Review, a website where amputees can share reviews of prosthetists in their local communities. The goal is to make it easier for others to find trusted providers in areas where reliable recommendations can be difficult to find.
His message remains the same, whether he is speaking on a stage, hosting his podcast, or encouraging someone facing their own challenge.
“You don’t need everything to do something meaningful,” Bolland said. “You just need to use what you have.”