A retired Air Force veteran and amputee Francine Goode has returned to the bowling lane with the help of a 3D printed tool built specifically for her by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The project began when a recreational therapist at the Perry Point VA Medical Center in Maryland spotted a shortfall in the adaptive bowling equipment available to veterans. Existing options frequently depended on another person’s help, wore out quickly and offered users little autonomy. In response, engineers in VA’s Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) used a 3D printer to design and repeatedly refine a bowling stick shaped around Goode’s individual needs.
“I’m an amputee who is on a continuous journey of living my life and improving fitness with any adaptations needed,” Goode said. “The bowling stick provides better control of the ball and is easier for me to use.”
Feedback gathered directly from veterans during testing shaped successive versions, sharpening the stick’s control, adjustability and ease of use. The outcome is a straightforward device that lets veterans bowl on their own using ordinary equipment.
“This gives Veteran athletes a level of independence they might not have had with the off-the-shelf equipment,” said Jeff Frankart, a biomedical equipment support specialist with VA’s Richmond Office of Advanced Manufacturing. “It’s usable by Veterans with a wide variety of abilities and needs. For those familiar with bowling, which many of our Veterans are, they don’t need someone to place a separate bowling ramp for them for every shot. It allows them to use a house ball or their own ball if they prefer.”
Independence Through Everyday Innovation
Sustained interest in the stick underscores how much practical, low-cost devices can support physical activity, social connection and general well-being. Goode credits its portability and versatility. “I like the bowling stick because it’s portable and any ball can be used with it,” she said. “It provides better control of the ball and it’s easier for me to use than an adaptive ball with a retractable handle. I’m so fortunate this was created!”
For many veterans, a tool this simple can be the deciding factor between watching from the sidelines and staying in the game. “Like a lot of things we do, attracting Veterans to try new activities or keeping Veterans engaged in activities they enjoy is the overall goal,” Frankart said. “We always strive to create devices to help them maintain or even regain their independence.”
The bowling stick is one of several assistive devices to emerge from OAM, alongside a one-handed bra closure, a makeup brush holder and an FDA-cleared 3D printed radiation bolus.
Custom Tools, Built Around the Person
The bowling stick reflects a clear strategy at VA’s Office of Advanced Manufacturing: use in-house 3D printing to close the gaps commercial suppliers ignore, turning out low-cost, personalized tools that keep people in the activities they love.
That focus on recreation and everyday enjoyment, not just clinical function, echoes a wider movement in adaptive 3D printing. The Atlanta VA Healthcare System became the first VA facility to offer custom, waterproof 3D printed casts and splints through the ActivArmor system, fitted to each veteran from an iPhone scan and, notably, waterproof so wearers can shower or swim without removing them, rather than being sidelined from daily life while they heal.
The same idea of keeping people in the game has driven grassroots efforts too. Caleb Kraft designed custom 3D printed game controllers for a young gamer with muscular dystrophy, after finding that even simple adaptive switches cost $70 to $80 and that insurers often wouldn’t cover gaming aids, dismissing them as non-essential, the very “leisure” gap that low-cost printing is well suited to close.
Whether it’s a bowling stick, a waterproof cast or a game controller, the value is the same: a simple, personalized tool that keeps someone doing what they love. For veterans, that can be the difference between sitting out and staying in the game.
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Featured image shows Staff in VA’s Office of Advanced Manufacturing worked with a Veteran to create a bowling stick. Photo via VA.
