'Truly an amazing woman': 83-year-old bowler perseveres through cancer to inspire family and community
The crack and clatter of tumbling bowling pins is a familiar sound for Sharon Udall.
For the past 55 years, Udall has found solace among the glistening oily lanes, geometrically patterned carpets and aroma of cheese pizza. The 83-year-old heads to North Bowl every Tuesday and Thursday, determined to take her league teams to the top of the leaderboard.
"I like competing. I'm a competing person," Udall said.
Udall has become the embodiment of resilience to Spokane's bowling community, as her love for the lanes shows no sign of diminishing, while battling Stage 3 colon cancer.
The genesis of Udall's bowling journey can be traced back to her days as a regular at the Lucky Strike Lanes in Ronan, Montana, right after the birth of her two daughters in the early 1970s.
Udall's daughter, Terri Steele recalled some of her earliest memories being in awe as she watched her mother close frame after frame at the Montana bowling alley.
The competitive drive has always been part of Udall's DNA, Terri Steele said.
"Even when we're playing cards, she always seems to win," she said.
Udall moved to the Spokane area in 2020 to live with her other daughter Lee Ann Ochsner and husband Preston.
She quickly became a household name in the Spokane bowling community, snagging first -place trophies at various tournaments at North Bowl and Lilac Lanes & Casino, Terri Steele said.
Udall was first diagnosed with endometrial cancer 1973 and had several surgeries to remove it. She went into remission until 2021 when abdominal tumors were discovered and she began radiation treatment. In December 2024, Udall made a trip to an emergency room for a bowel blockage, which turned out to be the cancer spreading to her colon. Udall had surgeries to remove a large portion of her colon and to put in a colostomy bag, leaving her bedridden for three months.
She's currently undergoing immunotherapy infusion once a month.
Despite the grueling recovery process, Udall had her sights set on returning to the lanes as soon as possible, she said.
"A physical therapist came out and worked with me, so I could get back to bowling. That was my goal," Udall said.
Udall received no shortage of get-well cards from her bowling buddies during her recovery, she said.
After countless hours of physical therapy - which could surely be edited into a training montage that would rival the one in 1976's "Rocky" - Udall was ready to make her triumphant return.
Udall walked through North Bowl's velvet wooden doors, ready to show the Lilac City's bowling scene that she's not going anywhere.
"When I came back, they all thought that I probably died," Udall said, "but when I came back, they were all just you know, amazed that I came through it and that I was back."
Even Terri was in wonder of her mother.
"I swear she has more than nine lives" Terri said, "I mean, we all thought, 'OK, this is it.' Next time, 'OK, this is it.' Next time, 'This is it.' And she always keeps coming back and fighting and wanting to get back to bowling."
Udall's cancer returned shortly after and spread throughout her abdomen. Udall had no intentions of giving it the time of day and continues to compete in three leagues. Udall is more concerned about letting her teams down than her own health, she said.
Udall brings her three 14- to 15-pound bowling balls with her every time she visits the lanes, flinging them more than 60 to 70 times a night with ease, Udall's son-law-Rocky Steele said.
"Oh yeah, I can do eight strikes in a row," Udall said casually, as if it was a light walk around the block.
Udall's scores average about 180 for regular bowling and 225 for no tap bowling (which is when knocking down at least nine pins during the first roll is considered a strike). Her personal record was reached when she bowled a 298 during a no-tap tournament at North Bowl in 2025.
Udall's competitive nature made its way down the family tree, as Terri's two daughters competed in sports throughout their childhoods and each played Division 1 beach volleyball. The granddaughters were no exception of being astonished by Udall, Terri Steele said.
"They think that she's an inspiration. ... She's like that little energizer bunny that just keeps going," Terri Steele said.
Terri Steele's husband, Rocky, knows what it's like to walk a mile in Udall's shoes, as he has battled Stage 4 lung cancer since 2025. He knows the adversities she goes through on a daily basis and is in disbelief of how she keeps pushing, he said.
"I always admired her toughness," Rocky Steele said, "when you get slapped upside the head with it yourself it really becomes clear what an obstacle it can be if you allow it ... She's truly an amazing woman."
Terri and Rocky Steele live in Saint Amant, Louisiana, but always make time to go bowling with Udall when they visit Spokane. Rocky will help Udall carry her three bowling balls to lanes. But when Udall finishes up lacing up her shoes, dries her palms with the ball return fan and locks her eyes onto the targeting arrows just beyond the foul line, there's no obstacle that will break her composure.
"I really don't dwell on it. I put it in the back of my mind, and I go bowling to compete with my team and have joy with all my friends," she said. "I really don't have anything that deters me at this point."
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 8:04 AM.