Former Garza County Sheriff and bowler Kenneth Ratke calls bowling one of the two greatest sports ever invented — baseball, in his opinion, is the other.

A friend introduced the Oklahoma native to bowling when he was 10 years old, as Ratke was experiencing troubles after his parents’ divorce.

“I was a young boy with a typical bad attitude,” Ratke said.

He credits bowling for putting him on the right path in life. Through the sport, Ratke learned self-respect and the value of other people and their property. Also, he said, bowling is good for everyone and can be a great stress reducer.

Ratke believes bowling has clear social benefits.

“The kinds of friends you can make in bowling aren’t short-term friends,” Ratke said. “They’re your friends for the rest of your life.”

Ratke suffered a heart attack about 21/2 years ago. His bowling friends were the first people to contact he and his family.

“They’re a little on the clannish side,” Ratke said. “They really look out for each other.”

Ratke drives to Lubbock several times a week to bowl. He said some people in the area drive up to 50 miles to reach the lanes, and many of those make the drive with their families.

And the sport is fun for all ages.

“You can compete when you are 92 years old,” Ratke said. “I’ve got friends in their 80s who bowl competitively.”

The sport can be intimidating for beginners but, Ratke said, they shouldn’t be afraid to ask more experienced bowlers for tips on the game.

“None of the pros started shooting 300 games the first game out,” Ratke said.

One such expert, Ratke said, is Lubbock resident Julius Sheffield, a youth bowling coach with more than 40 years of experience. Ratke views Sheffield as “one of the finest instructors in this part of the country.”

The retired truck driver and manager at U.S. Foods picked up bowling in 1968.

“I’ve always tried to teach not just bowling, but being a good person,” Sheffield said. “It is a lot of fun giving back.”

The 70 year old has actually created his own competition through the years, and he now finds it difficult to beat many of his former pupils.

But he doesn’t limit his knowledge of the game to youth. His pupils don’t have to be in a league, though many of them are.

“People always ask me, I like to help people,” Sheffield said. “I don’t charge anything. I just give.”

In his opinion, bowling is harder than many people might believe. Bowlers who want to get better need to work at it, he added.

Another key, he said, is selecting the right ball. It isn’t just about a ball being too heavy or too light — the ideal ball is customized for each person. A ball with the proper finger holes and the right span between them to match their hand is important.

Timing might be the toughest element to master. When approaching the line, a bowler takes multiple steps, and slides with the foot opposite the throwing arm. When releasing the ball, the weight should be on the bowler’s sliding foot.

The pins, Sheffield said, contain a “pocket” between the No. 1 and No. 3 pins that bowlers should aim for to knock all the pins down — or score a strike.

While bowling is described as a social sport, it doesn’t require a group of people.

“It is something you can do by yourself,” Sheffield said. “You can challenge yourself.”

Sheffield bowls frequently at South Plains Lanes, where Jim McClain is the manager. It has been almost 50 years since McClain began bowling at the age of 16.

“The whole family can do it, from ages 4 to 104,” McClain said. “You can’t play baseball, basketball or football your whole life.”

McClain said many students in Lubbock earn money for college through bowling. Some, he said, have even earned enough to pay for a master’s degree.

“People think all bowlers are beer-bellied smokers, who have outlived their competitiveness in other sports,” McClain said. “What you see at the bowling alley on a nightly basis is your recreational bowler, not your competitive bowler.”

McClain said the sport is growing in popularity and is a great, cheap, family-friendly activity.

And those shoes you have to wear? Well, they have leather soles designed to make the slide on the last step easier. Many bowlers bypass the rental route by purchasing their own.

Landon Lamb and his sister Courtney rented their footwear when they bowled at South Plains Lanes last week.

Lamb, now living in Virginia, was in town to visit his family. He hadn’t bowled in years, he said.

“It is just a relaxing thing to do,” he said.

Lamb learned bowling from his father when he was younger. He took after his father on this particular visit by teaching his 11-year-old sister. Like others, bowling is a social and friendly sport to him.

“You can do it with anyone,” Lamb said, “even someone you don’t know, and have a good time.”

Lamb said bowling is more of a precision sport, which enables more people to be active bowlers.

“It is challenging,” Lamb said. “But, it doesn’t take a lot of physical strength.”

For Regina Rodriguez and her family, the activeness in bowling is appealing. She has bowled since she was a child.

“You can move around,” Rodriguez said, “as opposed to sitting there in a movie and you can’t even talk to each other.”

Long-time bowler Scotty Pope, who grew up in the sport, said there is only one reason people believe old ideas of bowlers like McClain discussed.

“If you have that stereotype,” Pope said, “you haven’t been to a bowling alley in a long time.”

Angela London is a clear contradiction to the stereotype. Like Pope, she grew up with the sport, learning it from her grandparents at 5 years old.

“We’re all in it for the same reason — the love of the game,” London said. “I just like to throw the ball really.”

London believes women are equal in bowling — perhaps more equal than any other sport — and added it is easier than other sports.

Maintaining composure, she said, is key.

“If you let it get to you,” London said, “your game is shot.”

Walter Hanel served on the board of directors of Lubbock’s chapter of United States Bowling Congress for the last 10 years before leaving the board in August. He is also a part owner of South Plains Lanes.

There are about 1,200 sanctioned bowlers and 40 leagues in the region around Lubbock, he said. The USBC hosts six tournaments per year, with participating teams representing most of the surrounding communities.

“How many sports are there you can go out at night and compete?” Hanel said.

That’s important for bowlers, Hanel said, because most people work during the day. He also praised bowling as a sport in which participants of all ages and ability levels can excel.

“It isn’t like track and field,” Hanel said, “where you have to be physically blessed.”

Hanel views the bowling community as a big family that is always willing to help new bowlers. That mentality, he said, also ensures the sport will continue to grow.

“They want to see them do good. They want to see them bowl at 300,” Hanel said. “Bowling is on its way back.”