BARLING, Ark. — If you've just met World War 2, and Korean War Veteran Troy Pike, you've likely met a man of few words. But if you get the ball rolling, you'll find a bowler who couldn't slow down if he tried— like a bowling ball on a freshly oiled lane.
Pike is turning 97 on April 6, and he and his family attribute his good health to his favorite hobby.
Pike's nephew Robert said "I know people that are my age that are barely moving around. Here he is, 97, still bowling, and he could out-bowl me ... Hopefully, I'm like that, if I make it to that age."
The Army and Navy vet said he started playing after his service in both World War 2 and the Korean War, but left the wooden lanes for a while to traverse the cross-country lanes as a trucker.
In 2011, at the age of 84, he became a Kingpin, playing in three leagues, three days a week, and three games a day.
Pike said he bowls for two main reasons, "Associating with people is number one. Exercise is number two ... I've got to keep these old bones limber."
While there are many stories he could tell you about adventures like selling cigarettes to Germans, it's the way Troy has no handicap in his life's lane that has others checking their approach.
"I've not known Troy not to be at the bowling alley ... if there's bowling, he's here," said Melissa Bowa.
Bowa said Pike reminds her of her great-grandmother, who "was 88 when she quit bowling. Troy holds a special place in my heart ... He [reminds me] not to give up."
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