AUSTIN, Texas — At the Lanier household, it's story time all the time. There are certainly a lot of them, and that's because Evelyn Lanier has experienced a lifetime's worth of memorable moments.
Lanier is 93 years old, though if you ask her, she'll tell you she's 35, which happens to be the peak of her professional career.
The former pro bowler first learned when she was 19 and would go from bowling alley to bowling alley in South Austin and compete in men's leagues.
“It was all men and I was the only woman. Women wouldn’t bowl,” she said.
Asked why that was the case: “Because I would beat them,” she quickly replied.
Lanier beat so many of them she joined the Texas Women's Bowling Association, and shortly after became the first woman from Austin to bowl a perfect 300 game.
"I think my name was in the newspaper," she said. "I don’t know if they just didn’t have anything else to write about."
Even after all these years, Lanier has managed to stay in the news cycle.
Part of the reason she tells such good stories is because her story is far from finished. She's gone from the lanes to the links, and instead of bowling strikes, she's now striking a golf ball. It's part of her effort to not act her age.
“I have to do something. I can’t just sit around, OK?” she said.
Lanier had to call it quits on her bowling career after suffering a broken elbow 30 years ago. But her competitive spirit kept calling, which led her to take up golf.
"I know what you’re thinking," she said. "As old as I am, [you'd think] I’d sit on my rear end and stay at home wouldn’t you?"
People say that age is just a number. For Evelyn, it's also her golf score.
She tells KVUE she's golfed her age more than once.
“I cannot believe I’m that old. I think my mother made a mistake,” she said.
At 93 years old, there's still lots of life to live and lots of stories to tell.