By Nikki Rutledge
For The Courier

nrutledge@thepccourier.com

EASLEY — Easley resident Todd McKinney, 48, won big at this year’s National Special Olympics last month in New Jersey, bringing home two medals for bowling.

Special to The Courier
Easley resident Todd McKinney poses with his recently earned National Special Olympics medals for bowling and a past trophy for softball.

Todd and his partner, David Wolf, won the gold medal in the Unified Doubles division, coming in with a score of 297. McKinney also won a bronze medal in the Singles division with a score of 370 points.

McKinney, a past gold medal winner in softball unified and bocce, said he has been bowling for about four years, and picked up the sport just to try something new.

“I like to play bocce, too, but bowling is my favorite now,” he said.

McKinney uses a different technique than most when he holds his bowling ball, using his index and middle fingers instead of the typical middle-and-ring-finger approach.

“I practice every day, and my favorite place to bowl is at Star Lanes in Easley,” he said.

McKinney also has plenty of advice for new bowlers.

“Don’t use too heavy of a ball, and try using different fingers and releasing the ball different ways,” he said.

McKinney also bowls in a league with Wolf, his teammate and coach.

McKinney remembers the special moment when the medal was placed around his neck in New Jersey.

“It made me feel very happy inside,” he said. “I have a lot of medals because I’ve been participating in the Special Olympics so long I don’t remember when I started.”

Along with being a gold-medal athlete, McKinney still makes time to hold a daily job at the Pickens County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs sweeping and mopping.

With his gold medal at the National Special Olympic games, McKinney will be included in the random drawing to participate in the World Special Olympic games in 2015.