The family that bowls together, stays together — and wins together.

At least that's the case with the Atkison brothers: Jim, Rich, John and Jeff.

All four men are in their 40's, live in the Butler area and bowl for the same team, RCA Upholstering Shop, of the Auto Dealers League at Bon-Aire.

"We all have families and we're all pretty busy," Rich Atkison said. "I guess you could say Thursdays are our one night out together."

The brothers have bowled on the same team since 1992. A fifth brother, Ron, and their father, Jim Sr., used to bowl on the squad as well.

"They gave it up about five years ago," Rich said. "Dad was having trouble gripping the ball and Ron stopped bowling when he and his wife had kids."

But the family's winning tradition goes on.

RCA Upholstering has won seven league titles in the past 13 years and the team is in first place again this season.

The Atkison brothers have a lot to do with that success. During last year's championship season, Jim averaged 207, Rich 197, John 195 and Jeff 193.

Other team members include Ron Jackson, Mike Haefner and Paul Lonchena.

"I've got jackets made with 10 pins on them," John Atkison said. "Inside each pin is a year we won the championship.

"We need to win it three more times to fill out the jacket."

The Atkison brothers have not been bowlers all their lives. Jim Atkison, the eldest of the group at age 49, is the only one to bowl in junior leagues. He got involved in the sport at age 14.

He recalled watching the Pro Bowler's Tour on television every weekend. He took lessons at Meridian Lanes as well.

"I basically taught myself how to bowl by picking up tips from those guys on TV," he said.

Jim Atkison has rolled five perfect games, the most recent being March 1 of last year. He had an 815 series in September of 1996.

None of his brothers has rolled a perfect game. John Atkison bowled a 299 last season.

Jim Atkison's highest single season average is 215.

"Jim's the big dog," his brother John said. "When it comes to bowling, he's like a robot out there."

Once they were adults, Atkison's brothers eventually began bowling as well. Rich and Jeff Atkison formed the RCA Upholstering team in 1992 and decided to get their brothers to join them.

With Jim's help, his younger brothers became quality bowlers.

"I gave them pointers here and there and we worked together as a team," he said. "There was nobody who could help me … When I'm struggling, I'm struggling."

John Atkison admitted to averaging in the 140's during his first few years on the team.

"I switched to a hook ball in 1997 and just took off from there," he said.

Rich Atkison averaged 135 when he started out.

"I got a couple of different balls and finally figured out how to throw them," he said. "It just kicked in one day."

Rich bowls in three leagues per week. Jim and Jeff bowl in two leagues while John only bowls in the Auto Dealers league.

One season, Rich averaged 199, 200 and 201 in his three leagues, all at Bon-Aire.

John Atkison works three nights a week. Otherwise, he said he would bowl in more leagues.

He has tendinitis that may require surgery, but not until after the bowling season. He underwent knee surgery last February.

"You have to keep the priorities in order," John Atkison said. "Working three nights and one night for bowling, that's enough time away from family.

"I'm not going to have any surgery until after bowling's over … again, priorities," he joked.

The competition in the Auto League is no laughing matter, however. Averages throughout the league have elevated in recent years.

"We've gotten more competitive as bowlers because we've had to," John admitted.

Jim Atkison estimates that league averages have gone up 10 to 15 pins across the board over the past few years.

"I attribute that to the lane conditions and upgrading the oil on the lanes through new machinery," he said. "That's made everybody better.

"As brothers, we've all worked at improving our game. We're competitive with each other, but only because it benefits the team."

And this team of brothers will likely stick together on the lanes for a long time.

"We're all young enough, we enjoy the game and spending the time together," Rich Atkison said. "And we're winning. I see no reason to change."