By BILL SNIER
CANTON — J.D. Jones’ bowling career was at a crossroads.
A serious accident at work had cost the 30-year-old Massillon right-hander three-quarters of the middle finger on his right hand down to the knuckle.
“In the room, when they were telling me my options and stuff, I just thought my bowling career was just done,” Jones said. “I’ve seen guys bowl with different extremities missing, but to me, everything I had worked for was just gone.
“I kind of lost hope. I started getting into that little bit of a depression where you just don’t know. It hit me pretty hard about a week after when I was sitting at home and thinking about it.”
The accident occurred on Aug. 14, 2024.
But with the help of family, friends and a new outlook on his bowling career, Jones has returned to the lanes — as now a two-handed righty with a different type of drilling, courtesy of Cutting Edge Pro Shop’s Jim Vespoint.
His story is one of perseverance, followed by hope for the future and a life change that has brought more happiness than he has ever experienced.
Here is his story.
LOSING THE FINGER
Jones, who works for his father’s company, RJ Flooring, was performing a normal task on the job that August day. He was cutting a piece of wood with a table saw.
“It was a cut I’ve made for I don’t know how long,” Jones said. “But a piece of wood got into a bind, kicked around on me and pulled my hand into the blade.
“I thought I had gotten my hand clear, but I felt a heart knock, looked down, and (the finger) was kind of not there.”
Upon going to the hospital for treatment, Jones was given options to decide his next move.
Since the blade had gone through the knuckle in the finger, a new joint could not be created to replace what he had lost. One option was to take bone from his hip to replace it, but he would not be able to bend the finger again.
“I would have lost grip and it would have weakened my hand and it just would have been there,” Jones said. “But if they cut it off, all of my grip strength would return and I could make a fist like normal. The better benefit was to just lose it.”
That was the course Jones chose.
The question now was, what about bowling?
This was a man with 23 career 300 games and 16 800 series, including setting Eastbury Bowling Center’s all-time record of 875 in November 2021 — all before the age of 30. He also had four victories in the Hall of Fame Summer Series and a pair of College Bowl Tournaments Series doubles titles the past three years.
Although he returned to work just over a month later, the road back to the lanes would take some turns along the way.
“I thought if I went back too early, I would push it,” Jones said of returning to work.
GETTING BACK ON THE LANES
But Jones made a aomewhat obvious choice as he began his road back to bowling.
He tried to throw left-handed.
“I wanted to do this so badly, but I knew I couldn’t rush it. I came to watch my friends bowl in league, but I’m one of those people who wants to just do it. I want to be out there participating,” Jones said.
“Not having patience was my biggest problem.”
So he tried bowling with his left hand, but really never committed to a change.
“I messed around with it, but I really never had anything drilled or adjusted for it,” Jones said. “I figured at least I could give it a shot. It was OK.
“It started out rough, but it got there. I kind of did it on my own, but got some tips from some of the guys. My timing was OK, but I had a really tough time pushing the ball off the right spot.”
But that experiment was not to his liking. So he decided to try returning to right-handed with Vespoint’s help.
“We tried putting in the ring and index fingers into the ball. I knew it was going to feel uncomfortable,” Jones said. “But it was a different feeling to the point where when I went through the ball, it was just not something I was comfortable with..
“I tried it for about a month-and-a-half. But I lost revs, speed and consistency with that grip. I had trouble getting the ball down to my swing at the same point. I had one finger to hit the ball and one to help it without being able to do both. I would just tug it or it wouldn’t hook.”
He had no shortage of help during this period, particularly in the encouragement area.
“Everybody was willing to do whatever they could for me. Brian Ball … I just love him to death. He offered every day to do whatever I needed,” Jones said. “Josh Haddad, Brett McCourry … they were with me every step of the way if I needed to practice, someone to talk to or just a pat on the back … they were just there.”
A FINAL DECISION
After being unhappy with the right-handed results, Jones made one that has ultimately become his final decision.
He will be a two-handed right-hander going forward.
“We worked with the right-handed thing, but we were still fishing for something,” Jones said. “But now we’re going 100 percent two-handed.”
With the two-handed release, he inserts his pinky finger and his index finger just to get the ball to a proper spot in his hand where he can be consistent.
He developed a final layout with Vespoint before the College Bowl Tournament doubles event Feb. 8, changing two of his balls and getting two more punched out.
“We have a for-sure layout. Now, we have to put it to the test,” Jones said. “I’m about 80 percent now where I was before the accident. But those thoughts were still there, like what if it didn’t work and I would get frustrated and just give up.
“But there were the times when you threw a good shot and it gave you hope. But you have to trust yourself and feeling I could make something work.”
Jones’ biggest adjustment has been taking some of his one-handed tendencies out of his two-handed approach.
“I have a bad tendency when I let go of the ball to pop up one-handed. Two-handed, you have to stay down,” Jones said.
There also is the timing of the release, including a “hop” step into his delivery and keeping his shoulders square while taking his normal five-step approach.
“Working on the small stuff is going to take some time,” Jones admitted.
LIFE CHANGE AND DEBUT
But Jones also had another life-changing moment in January — one that changed his life forever.
He and Courtney Elliott welcomed daughter Ellie Mae to their family.
“It has made this situation so much better … knowing you have this new wonderful person in your life,” Jones said. “You have this accident happen and you’re not in the best spot in your life and something comes into the world that just uplifts you.
“You go to sleep every night knowing there is something to wake up to every time.”
As for bowling, Jones tried to bowl on one league night.
“I shouldn’t have done it. I jumped the gun and it was bad,” Jones said. “It was good, it was bad, but I did it and I felt better.”
His next time in competition came during that CBT series doubles event, bowling with partner Bob Eckenrode. He averaged 222.5 at Park Centre Lanes over four games.
“To hear what people were saying to me about how things looked and how the progress has been, had me speechless,” Jones said.
We talked the week prior to that event, during the John Klonowski Memorial at Eastbury Bowling Center on Feb. 2. At that time, he still was planning his next moves on the lanes.
“Having the baby, it’s really hard to take a lot of time to go to the lanes,” Jones said. “But it’s going to take a lot of grinding. I’m going to do a lot more detailed, pinpoint practices and work on specific things.
“But that’s going to take time. Impatience is my worst enemy right now.”
He will stay on the sidelines and observe the rest of the league season. But expect to see Jones on the lanes during the summer months when he returns to league play.
“By then, I think I can smooth out a few different things and be 100 percent,” Jones said. “I know my dedication and patience is going to pay off.”
His friends and family are not betting against him.
J.D. Sometimes the road is rough. Congratulations on letting go and finding your new path!