Mike Bolland has long rejected the idea that limitations should define a life. Now 61 and living in Mesa, he is once again pressing toward the professional bowling lanes that made him a pioneer decades ago. Bolland was the first person with limb loss to bowl on the Professional Bowlers Association tour, and after more than 30 years away from professional competition he has returned to rigorous practice with the aim of competing at the PBA level once more.
Bolland’s life has been built around confronting expectations from a very early age. Born without his right hand, he was just a child in the 1970s when he raised his arm during casting for the film The Trial of Billy Jack and won a role after showing filmmakers his limb difference. That early experience of stepping into the public eye prefaced a lifetime of public-facing work — both in entertainment and in sports — that repeatedly pushed beyond conventional boundaries.
Over the years Bolland has worn multiple hats in service of the limb loss and disability communities. He sits on the boards of several disability advocacy organizations, has toured as a motivational speaker and worked as a comedian. He is also a cancer survivor, now a decade in remission, and the host of a long-running podcast called "We're Not Stumped" — a show devoted to limb loss and disability topics that has produced more than 200 episodes. Those activities have kept him engaged in the community even while his competitive bowling career lay dormant for decades.
His rekindled interest in competition began, somewhat fittingly, through volunteer work. While helping at a bowling alley with Arizona Disabled Sports, Bolland found himself on the lanes alongside bowlers who noticed how well he delivered the ball. The recognition prompted him to reveal a detail of his past that not everyone present knew: that he had previously competed on the PBA tour as a person with limb loss. "They were like, 'I think you've done this before,' then I came clean a little bit and said I was the first person with limb loss to bowl on the PBA tour," Bolland said.
That interaction proved catalytic. Bolland filmed and released a video explaining his decision to return to professional bowling, and he has thrown himself into practice with what he describes as an almost compulsive drive to refine his game. He calls himself a "practice-aholic" and has been working through repetitive training sessions to regain and improve the consistency and technique required for the highest levels of masters competition. He is training with an eye toward entering a 60-plus PBA event scheduled to take place in Ohio early next month.
A bowler with limb loss practices a delivery at a Mesa bowling alley as he trains to return to the PBA tour.
Bolland says his motivations are both personal and communal. Having emerged from cancer treatment and spent years supporting others through advocacy, speaking and the podcast, he found that helping newcomers and fellow bowlers reignited a competitive urge. He framed his comeback as an effort to dismantle assumptions that age or physical beginning points should dictate what someone can pursue. "What I'm really looking to do is prove that it's not about age, it's not about what you start with, what you work with to start with," Bolland said. "Continue to set goals for yourself and continue to not limit yourself. That will make me feel better."
Even as he pursues this return, Bolland continues to balance multiple responsibilities tied to the disability community. His board roles, speaking engagements and the weekly demands of producing podcast episodes keep him connected to a broad audience of people living with limb loss and those who support them. The decision to add another run at professional competition reflects a personal ambition and a public example — a visible extension of the advocacy work he has done for years. After more than three decades away from the PBA tour, his renewed training regimen and planned entry in the upcoming 60-plus event mark the next chapter in a career defined by persistence and visibility on and off the lanes.
Bolland’s path back to the lanes has been methodical: practice sessions in Mesa, public outreach explaining his goals, and a careful buildup of competitive readiness. He has said repeatedly that the comeback is not simply about wins or titles but about proving a point through action — that determination, preparation and goal-setting can change how people imagine what is possible. As he prepares to travel to Ohio for the 60-plus PBA event, his return will be watched by fellow bowlers, members of the disability community and others who have followed his work in advocacy and media. The next steps in his comeback will unfold on competitive lanes, but they are part of a broader, long-standing commitment to remain visible and active in arenas that shape perceptions about limb loss and ability.