BAD BOY MAKES GOOD: Rash Making Dreams Come True

Written By: bowlingball.com | Written On: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 | Updated On: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Sean Rash has been known to have a temper to match his pin-shattering power on the lanes. Outbursts against his fellow Professional Bowlers Association Tour bowlers and fans alike are well documented and plentiful. That does not, however, mean that the 29-year-old five-time PBA titleholder is without a heart. Rash recently showed his softer side while making dreams come true for a pair of ailing youngsters. His budding friendship with 8-year-old Dan McCarty, whose battle against brittle bone disease confines him to a wheelchair, was on display in the televised finale of the Johnny Petraglia Division of the PBA World Championship. After spending a number of hours with McCarty, Rash aided the youngster in throwing out the ceremonial first ball prior to the start of the finals, which Rash eventually won. Several weeks later Rash was back in Las Vegas giving pointers to 16-year-old Benjamin Doyle, who has brain cancer, prior to the USBC Masters. Doyle, of Casper, WY, professed to being a Sean Rash fan from the first time he saw Rash on tour, and expressed his desire to bowl with his hero to the Make A Wish Foundation. “I love watching him,” Doyle said of Rash. “I want to be like him.” With a few helpful tips from his hero, Doyle came close, rolling a 228 game at Sunset Station. “One thing athletes do well is give back,” said Rash. “I enjoy opportunities like this. It’s touching to work with these kids. They battle through things that are life-threatening, but they’re just like you and me, and that’s what matters most.”