“It is a little unusual,” John said. “So many people my age were good bowlers 30 or 40 years ago but their back gives out or their knees give out. I’m fortunate.”
The 80-year-old is proud of the fact that he has bowled in eight decades. The longtime Centerville bowler is averaging 181 and 191 in league play.
“I can’t bowl quite as well as I used to, but two months ago I had a 298 at Woodman,” Zengel said. “It had been 31 years between my first and second 298.”
The family patriarch shared his love of bowling with all five of his sons when they were young.
“I was so into the sport, how could I not teach them?” Zengel said.
He also watched his grandson Robbie get started in the game more than a decade ago. The hall of fame bowler can’t help but smile when he thinks about the evolution of Robbie’s game.
“We bowled together when he was 7 or 8 and he just rolled the ball,” Zengel said of his now 20-year-old grandson. “By the time he was in the seventh or eighth grade, he started to be a cranker.”
The difference in technique is one of the greatest changes Zengel has seen since he first took to the lanes decades ago.
“In those days, we were strokers, aim for the second arrow and let it go,” he said.
“Now, you’ve got the crankers. They put some serious revs on that ball, it’s so different from what it used to be.”
Equipment is another major change in the game. Zengel knows some old-school bowlers who still use vintage rubber or plastic balls — not always successfully.
“You have to keep on top of it because if you use up-to-date equipment, you will bowl better,” he said.
But for Zengel, it’s not just about the scores. Bowling is family time. With Bob back on the lanes after a lengthy rehabilitation following knee replacement surgery, the Zengels get that family time every week.
“Here I am, 80 years old, and I’m out there with them,” he said. “It’s something special.”