TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Martha Barnett puts an 11-pound maroon bowling ball in her lap, rolls to the foul line and locks her wheels.

Holding onto her left wheel for balance, she leans to the right and swings her right arm backward, sending the sphere in an arrow-straight line toward the pins.

In one sequence Tuesday, she records three straight spares. In another, she earns a strike -- and a rivalrous glare from her older sister.

"I didn't think I could bowl anymore," says Barnett, 46, a local Army veteran who uses a wheelchair. "Standing, you have all the momentum. Now, it's all upper body."

For Barnett, the next proverbial pin in sight is the state's second annual Woman Veteran of the Year award, for which she was nominated by the Kern County Veterans Service Department.

The two award recipients, who will be announced in October, are chosen based on their military achievements, support for veterans and commitment to their communities, said Barbara Ward, state Deputy Secretary of Women and Minority Veteran Affairs.

If Barnett doesn't win that prize, however, she has accolades that showcase her positive outlook after being forced to use a wheelchair 15 months ago.

Barnett, who was born in Juarez, Mexico, joined the Army in 1984 after moving to Bakersfield with her mother. She fulfilled reserve and active-duty obligations until 2002, but she knew something was wrong when she began struggling with basic physical training tests.

For much of her life, Barnett has coped with muscle weaknesses and fatigue, which are often attributed to post-polio syndrome. The symptoms worsened when she injured her knees during an Army exercise in 1995.

"It felt like running through sand," Barnett says. "Out of the blue, my legs would give out on me. When my sister beat me in running, I drew the line there."

Braces and crutches could no longer support her, so Barnett settled into a black and blue wheelchair with a circular patch of the Army seal stamped onto the back.

Within weeks, she was competing -- and succeeding -- in several wheelchair sports, including bowling, handcycling, weight-lifting and discus-throwing.

Last month, Barnett won five first-place medals at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Denver.

"She's awesome," says her older sister, Maria. "I feel so proud of her. I'm just proud and happy that she's my sister."

Barnett, who drives a hand-controlled car to Los Angeles for physical therapy three times a week, is scheduled to participate in a handcycling race in Folsom next month.

Meanwhile, she's learning new ways to deal with routine activities such as driving, shopping and operating a vacuum cleaner.

"We're both on wheels -- I go one way, it goes the other," Barnett says. "It's hard. And I hate appearing like I need help."

Of course, she and her sister find time to meet for a few games of bowling about once a week. Barnett tallied an impressive 193 just last month.

"I've almost fallen out of the chair to throw the ball," she says. "But at least I don't have to wear bowling shoes anymore."