Mac McBee was ready to pack it in after his first two games.

“I was bowling so badly, I wanted to go home,” McBee said.

The Kettering bowler is glad he stuck it out as the 96-year-old wrapped up the afternoon with a 178 game – a spare in every frame – in the Senior Leisure League at Poelking Woodman Lanes.

“It’s a lot harder to throw all those spares because you have two chances in every frame to miss,” McBee said with a smile.

There were congratulations aplenty but no one was more proud than his daughter, Sheila Sellers, who is both amazed by and incredibly proud of her dad.

“Everybody is, how can you not be,” Sellers said. “Just the fact that he is still bowling amazes me.”

McBee was a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to bowling. He didn’t get much time on the lanes until he retired from his job as a truck driver in 1973 at the age of 57. He has been a regular in the Senior Leisure League for close to three decades, usually bowling twice a week and maintaining a 130 average.

When McBee starts something, he is in it for the long haul and that isn’t limited to his job as a truck driver or bowling. He and his wife Bessie, who have one child, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, will celebrate their 75th anniversary this summer.

The 96-year-old has a distinctive bowling approach. He walks with his cane toward the foul line, gets lined up and sets it down before throwing the ball. What he lacks in mobility, he makes up for in determination and enthusiasm.

“It’s good exercise and I have a good time,” McBee said. “Sure, I get aggravated when I’m not bowling well, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Camaraderie is a major component of Poelking Woodman’s leisure league.

“We keep their averages but they don’t have to bowl a certain number of games,” manager Denise Morgan said. “They’re in here 52 weeks a year to bowl and have a good time.”

The league meets Tuesday and Thursday afternoons year-round and has about 30 regular bowlers, but there’s always room for more. For more information on the league, call Poelking Woodman Lanes at 937-293-3179.