KING FERRY - Throughout his life, Bill Dockstader, owner of the King Ferry Bowling Center, has been deeply committed to the game. Whether it is on the lanes or behind the counter, he has seen the game from all angles.

“I've been bowling since I was 10,” he said. “I'm from Ithaca and I just always liked the challenge - the challenge to try and do the best you can and being good at something.”

With a passion for the game that hit him so early, it's no wonder he has carried it with him throughout his life, something that led him to pursue a serious career with the game.

“I've been in the bowling business for 26 years,” Dockstader said. “I've just always liked the atmosphere and the people and I knew that this was something I wanted to do.”

In 1992, Dockstader was asked to work at the King Ferry Bowling Center, and it wasn't long before he found himself right where he felt he belonged, which led him to purchase the business six years ago.

“It is a nice little center,” Dockstader said. “The people in the area are just nice people. Everybody knows each other; it is a tight-knit community. If I knew how good it was going to be I would've come here a lot sooner.”

While the center itself may be smaller, the closeness in the facility has allowed Dockstader and the community to create an environment Dockstader believes helps create a good time and good bowling.

“This is a place for people of the area to come,” Dockstader said. “They are very dedicated. There are a lot of people who have been coming here for years. Everybody tries to help each other out. It makes it a nice atmosphere and people can have a good time here.”

Year in and year out Dockstader said he sees the same faces and the same leagues who have made King Ferry Bowling Center their home.

“The leagues really support everything we do here,” he said. “They have for a long time. We get people from Ithaca, Cortland, Groton, they all come here and help support us.”

The intimacy of the place also allows Dockstader to be very hands-on and lend a little help whenever anyone needs some assistance.

“I love watching people bowl,” he said. “It's fun to see people bowl good and watch the expressions on their faces. I don't like to see bad bowling, but I always try to help as much as I can; if I see someone struggling I try to help.”

His dedication to the game has made Dockstader extremely active in youth bowling, hosting leagues and instructional events for kids from 4 to 18.

“We really try to get the kids involved,” he said. “We go to all the local schools and hand out flyers and really try to get as many kids in as we can.”

This season more than 60 kids eagerly swarmed the alleys every week.

“We're really proud of all the kids,” he said. “They are our future. Really the future of everything is in our kids. Hopefully they keep bowling.”

One area Dockstader has found increasingly successful for drawing bowlers has been hosting tournaments.

“We have a lot of tournaments,” Dockstader said. “We've had a lot of luck with best ball tournaments and king of the hill tournaments.”

Throughout March the center will be hosting qualifiers with the finals on March 28 for the seventh annual Handicap No-Tap Tournament for teams for five with men's, women's and mixed divisions and a guaranteed first prize of $1,000 going to the winning team.

“We've had good response to this tournament, usually with 18 or 19 teams,” Dockstader said. “We'd love to get more people and there is always room for more and still time to get a team together and qualify.”

With so much going on and so many options for bowlers, Dockstader sees a bright future.

“I just hope people keep coming in and enjoying themselves,” he said. “Try not to take things too seriously and just have some fun with friends. We have a really great bunch of people here and I think things are going to keep on getting better.”

For more information on the Handicap No-Tap tournament contact King Ferry Bowling Center at 364-8009.