ADAMS TWP — The GReat eSCape turned into a GReat victory.

Gary and Ruth Geller, owners of Mars Lanes, recently won the handicapped division of the 22nd annual PA State Mixed Bowling Tournament at Terrace Lanes in Somerset.

The Gellers have been competing in the mixed doubles tourney with friends Chuck and Sill Batykefer for 12 years. They had never before finished in the money at the event, let alone won it.

“We wear shirts every year we go, calling it our Great Escape with our four initials in upper case,” Ruth Geller said. “Before now, we kept that annual trip a secret. No one even knew we went every year.”

Finding time to partticipate in tournaments is difficult for the couple. Due to celebrate their 30th anniversary Sept. 17, the 1973 Mars graduates have owned Mars Lanes for 12 years and have been managers of the facility since 1989.

The state mixed doubles tournament is the only time they bowl as teammates.

“We put teams of bowlers together every summer for men's and women's state tournaments, men's nationals and the county tournaments,” Ruth said. “We support all of those events.”

When they joined the Batykefers for the weekend of competition July 20-21, however, it was all about them.

“We didn't do all that well in (four-person) team, but this was Gary and Ruth's year,” Chuck Batykefer said. “They deserve this.”

The Gellers placed first in the mixed doubles handicapped division with a total handicap score of 1,499. There were 453 mixed doubles teams in the competition.

Gary carries a 178 average and rolled a 208, 279 and 194 in doubles. Ruth carried a 138 average and rolled a 160, 154 and 170. Gary Geller picked up an award for bowling a game 100 pins over his average.

“The pins just fell, that's all I can say,” he said. “I had the first eight strikes before rolling a nine-count in the ninth frame.

“I rolled a 299 once, on fun night in a league,” added Geller, who has never bowled a perfect game.

Ruth had her left hip replaced in 2009, her right hip replaced in November of last year. She returned from the latter surgery for the final month of her league's play.

“I didn't feel comfortable, though,” she recalled. “This tournament marked the first time in a long while I didn't feel pain while bowling.

“I felt strong and solid, thought of bowling instead of pain. I really enjoyed it.'

Leaving Somerset after that weekend, the Gellers knew they had the tournament lead — but there was one weekend of tourney play remaining.

“Who knows how many couples were bowling that last shift?,” Ruth said. “We didn't know if our scores would stand up or not.”

They did. The Gellers won by an 18-pin margin over the second-place duo.

“I was happy ... But I didn't go around bragging about it,” Gary said. “We're not used to bowling success ourselves. We're a two-man band here (at Mars Lanes). This (tourney win) is new to us.”

His wife agreed.

“We didn't know how to feel,” she said. “We're used to working with other bowlers, helping them, clapping for them. That's what we do.”

Batykefer described the couple as “modest people who care about promoting the sport, not themselves.

“They go out of their way to teach bowling etiquette when they see a bowler not following that courtesy. They are good folks for bowling.”

Now they are state bowling champions.

“I guess our secret's out,” Ruth said of the GReat eSCape. “But that won't stop us from going.”