Jenny Thacker, 36, stood with her bright pink bowling ball hoisted in front of her face at the Oak Harbor bowling alley on a Wednesday afternoon, concentrating. Slowly, she took five steps forward before stopping to bring her right arm down in a pendulous motion, driving the ball backward.

Swinging her right foot back, Jenny came down in an athletic curtsy and thrust the ball forward to send it flying. She watched the ball, following it with her index finger like the scope of a gun, as it tumbled down the lane and hit seven of 10 pins.

“Did you see that?” Jenny asked her teammates. “I almost hit all of them!”

Bowling is one of Jenny’s favorite sports, and for over a decade she has played in Handy Dandy Bowling, a non-competitive league for individuals with disabilities and difficulties.

On Sept. 9, Jenny again joins the league as it starts its 17th season at the Oak Bowl. But finding a space for Jenny to enjoy bowling hasn’t been easy, according to her mother Carolyn Thacker.

Carolyn said Jenny  sometimes experiences severe seizures and has a developmental delay, both conditions that need special consideration, especially in the world of strict bowling etiquette.

It’s something Carolyn says many individuals with disabilities or difficulties face.

“These individuals, they do have the option to join the Special Olympics but a lot can’t handle the stress of competing,” Carolyn said. “That leaves a lot of these folks without other options to enjoy activities that let them socialize and get exercise.”

Cue Peggy Callister, a retired recreational therapist, is the founder of the Handy Dandy Bowling League.

Callister, who has a hearing impairment, said she began the league in 1999 after the Special Olympics’ bowling program would not allow her to join because she does not have a developmental disability.

According to Carolyn and Callister, if an individual falls outside the scope of developmental disabilities the Special Olympics is focused on, they can’t join and are left without the same opportunity for socializing and exercising.

The league was meant to change that, they said, by providing an inclusive space to bowl for individuals of all ages experiencing any disability or difficulty, both physical and developmental.

For Meredith Minich, 26, and Danny Prala, 50, Handy Dandy allows them to meet new people while bowling in a fun environment.

“I don’t get to hang out often, but since I joined now I get to socialize one time a week,” Minich said. “And I like Handy Dandy because I can practice getting more strikes in a row.”

Minich, who joined two years ago and also bowls for the Special Olympics, said the league is also how she met her best friend, Chelsea Tegnell.

“Bowling makes me feel accomplished, I love it,” Tegnell, 25, said. “Here, it’s about having fun.

Jenny, Jason Mays, 30, and Prala all agree.

To Jenny, it doesn’t matter if someone knocks down all the pins or only one; being a Handy Dandy bowler is about supporting each other and learning how to be a better athlete.

“It’s a good sport, but it takes a lot of practice and concentration,” she said. “I work on that when I bowl with Handy Dandy.”

This year the league will meet every Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Oak Bowl and will accept new members throughout October. Anywhere from 6 to 16 members are welcome at a time and the league runs from September to May, with holiday breaks in between.

In addition to providing a place to socialize, Carolyn said members are also taught bowling etiquette and averages are tracked to see how each improves.

The cost to join is $6.75 each week and includes a pizza party, league shirt and more.

“It’s a safe environment where they can have the independence to do what they really enjoy,” Carolyn said.

“Being able to provide Jenny and her friends that, I think that’s pretty significant.”