CANTON — Leading into the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in Las Vegas, Gary Brobson was continuing to have pain in his left elbow.
So to get through the pain, the 62-year-old North Canton left-hander made an appointment with Dr. Michael Lykins at the now OrthoUnited (formerly Spectrum Orthopaedics).
“Lykins gave me a cortisone shot at the time,” Brobson said. “I came back from that, took the summer off and tried to bowl again, but it was a no-go. It was just hurting too much.”
So in August 2021, Brobson looked to Lykins for help.
“He had another shot waiting in the back. But I had just had enough of the pain,” the United States Postal Service employee said. “So he suggested an alternative, which included an MRI and possible surgery.”
The MRI showed a tendon tear and problem with Brobson’s ulnar nerve. He had surgery in January 2022 after not bowling in the fall.
Now recovered after taking a year off, Brobson resumed regular league bowling in January — and added a couple of milestones to his impressive resume.
Over a 20-day period in March, Brobson recorded three 300 games — one coming during the Inter-City Tournament at Holiday Bowl in Struthers — giving him 70 for his career.
The final one of the streak was Game 2 during his run to his 23rd career, an 818 in the Liberty Vending league at Eastbury Bowling Center.
“It really means a lot to me. Last year sitting around didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would,, but I wanted to get back into it,” said Brobson, who is averaging 228 in league at Eastbury and as a substitute at Triway.
He almost, admittedly, came back to early.
“At the time I had the surgery, Lykins told me I could probably be back in three months,” Brobson said. “He loved the progress I was making and how the mobility had come back in March.
“I tried to hide playing around with a ball in the basement, but I got caught. I have an RN at home (his wife, Nikki). She looked at me and said, ‘it’s March and the end of the season, why try it now? So I waited until August. Smart girl.”
It didn’t start well for Brobson, who chose not to bowl regularly at the beginning of the season.
“I didn’t feel like I was completely throwing the ball well,” Brobson said. “But in early October, I got off early from work and went to sub at Eastbury. So I threw the first 11 (strikes) in Game 1.”
He admitted the reality of the situation then came into view and “it showed with how bad the last shot was” en route to 297.
He became a regular for the second half at Eastbury, with the 800 series highlighting his return. His other games were 258 in Game 1 and 260 in Game 3. At one time he threw 17 strikes in a row between the three games. He did not have an open frame, with only one-pin spares denying him a chance to go higher.
“I started the last game and had a pair of spares in the first four frames. I knew I had to have a least the last six after the second spare to get there,” said Brobson, who also battling another 800 run by Richard Stoffer on the adjoining pair. “I saw what he was doing, and it was well, let’s keep it going.
“I told Jeff Whitmer what I needed and he said, ‘well, just go up and do it,’ ” Brobson said. “It was like, OK.”
Brobson also thanked Vince Yoder for his help during the process. He retuned to nationals with Yoder’s team this season after the Inter-City run.
“Vince told me there would be spots on the nationals and Inter-City teams when I was ready to come back,” Brobson said. “It was something he didn’t have to do, but I appreciated it.”
Asked why he had stepped away from tournament bowling in recent years after being a fixture, Brobson had one simple reason.
“You see all of these young two-handers coming up and the scores they are putting up, I’m not getting any younger,” Brobson said. “I saw it took 200 over just to make the cut at Eastbury. No thanks, I’m not wasting my money.
“But I love getting into those senior brackets at nationals.”