THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Jan. 29, 2014

Age is just a number in some sports.

No matter how young or old you are, there's still someone doing something that nobody else can accomplish.

DENNIS BARNES has put a lot of time and effort into the sport of bowling.

Some 50 years later, Barnes celebrated a milestone recently by rolling his 50th perfect (300) game.

Barnes began his bowling career in California, throwing his first perfecto when he was 20 years old in San Francisco.

"It's been a lot of work," Barnes said. "It's kind of a milestone, I guess, for what my age is."

Barnes, 70, moved to North Idaho from California in 1984.

"I probably had 13 to 14 perfect games before I moved up here," Barnes said.

His son, Dave, is right on his heels as far as perfect games go with 47.

"He hasn't been keeping track like I have," Barnes said. "But we both bowl on the same night (Thursdays). It's pretty cool that he's involved with it too."

Barnes ran a bowling alley in San Francisco before moving to the area and working with cattle on his ranch in Careywood. Semi-retired now, Dennis also works at the Sunset Bowling Center part-time.

"Dave and I basically grew up in a bowling alley to get started," Barnes said. "Neither of us bowled for five years and went to work in Post Falls running cattle."

During the 2013 USBC tournament in Reno, Dennis threw a 161, 238 and 216 to finish 86th in singles. In doubles, he shot 171, 194, 224 to finish 54th, alongside his son, who threw a 158, 206, 190.

BARNES ALSO enjoys golfing, and has a pair of holes in one, the first at Avondale Golf Club in Hayden Lake and the second at Twin Lakes Village Golf Course.

"Both of them are tough, but throwing a perfect game is probably tougher," Barnes said. "There's lots of luck involved with just that one shot, but on the other hand, you've got to throw 12 strikes in a row."

Currently, Dennis competes in at least one or two leagues in Kootenai County.

"I really want to keep doing it until I can't bowl anymore," Barnes said. "We'll go to the USBC tournament in Reno and used to bowl in the scratch tournaments, but there hasn't been as many in the area as there used to be. Especially up here, if you don't ski, it's the best thing to do. I just kind of grew up with it. My dad bowled and got me started in California. It's just something I really enjoy."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer from the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.