George Zimmermann has been living the bowling dream for years

POLSON — When 84-year-old George Zimmermann steps up to the lane for his turn in bowling, he not only brings a 185-pin average but also 50 years of experience in the sport. It would be pretty easy to say that he knows a thing or two about competing in the local leagues in Polson.

“We don’t hit each other but we glare at one another,” Zimmermann said.

He said that his favorite thing about bowling is the friendships that develop while playing with people. Zimmermann currently plays in a mixed league and a handicapped league.

“They were going on here when I moved to Polson,” he said.

Zimmermann has been in town for 27 years, but he had his sights set on the place well before that. Working for the Union 76 oil company, he managed gas station truck stops across seven states, meaning that he traveled a lot.

When he was in the marketing division for the company, he was able to see the Mission Valley and instantly fell in love with it.

“I would have moved up here back in the 60s,” Zimmermann said. “I knew when I retired I would come here.”

He retired in 1983 and 30 days later he moved from Phoenix to Polson. Having lived in seven states and being constantly on the move, Zimmermann said it was hard to bowl on a regular basis.

Once he settled down in the Mission Valley, he was able to focus on bowling and his other hobbies.

Zimmermann likes making radio-controlled airplanes to fly around. He builds the battery-powered flying miniatures from kits and then flies them at the Polson airport and in Pablo. He said that he could get them up to 200-300 feet in altitude.

“Then they get so small you can’t see them,” Zimmermann said.

Along with being a radio-controlled aviator, he also is an avid golfer. Just don’t expect him to be on the PGA tour anytime soon.

“I’m a hacker,” Zimmermann said of his golfing skills. “It’s a nice way to pass the summer and when you can’t do that, you bowl.”

Living in the area with his wife, Betty, Zimmermann gets into bowling mode during the winters when others are looking to move south for the season.

“I stay here in the winter and I think it’s the greatest time of the year,” he said.

The best game that Zimmermann ever bowled was a 290, just ten pins short of a perfect game.

“I think old age has caught up with me,” he said. “It’s brought down the bowling score a little bit.”

However, it’s the competitive nature of the leagues that keep him interested. He likes the desire to win that it brings and how it challenges not only him but his friends in the league.

“This is where all the fun is,” he said. “They all have a good sense of humor. There are a lot of dedicated bowlers in Polson.”