Wii love our bowling

Ninety-seven-year- old Elizabeth Preiss was a bit bowled over by it all: the cheerleaders, the decorations, the hand-painted bowling shirts, the applause from fans.

And she was thrilled with her score of 154. Perhaps it wasn’t as high as it might have been in the heydey of her 45-year bowling career, but it was impressive nonetheless, considering that she uses a walker and hasn’t picked up a bowling ball since 1989.

So what’s her secret? Well, it’s not in the bowling ball. For this tournament, she didn’t even get near one. Nor did she put her feet into a pair of bowling shoes. In fact, she never left Winslow Court, the senior center she calls home, because there, bowling comes courtesy of a Nintendo Wii gaming console that has the whole place buzzing.

A senior center seems an unlikely place for a device that’s marketed to those young enough to be this group’s grandkids and great-grandkids.

But the Wii is increasingly being used to help seniors stay active and provide physical therapy. The system includes remote controls that respond to movement, whether it’s pretending to throw a bowling ball or swing a golf club. For bowling, contestants hold the remote and sweep their arm back and forth as if they’re really bowling.

Winslow Court is part of Seattlebased Leisure Care senior living communities, which recently partnered with Nintendo to put the games in the centers they manage nationwide, says Matt Edwards, Leisure Care spokesperson.

“It’s stimulating and rewarding and brings them together,” he said.

Other companies are tuned into Wii, too. Kathryn Curry, owner of Colorado Springs-based Home Instead Senior Care, purchased a Wii, and her staff often takes it along to patient visits. “It’s a way to get people out of their shell,” she said.

Wherever the games go, excitement ensues.

At Winslow Court, there’s a long list of people signed up for the bowling league. The recent tournament took almost four hours to finish because there were so many bowlers.

For the tournament, the Strikeouts wore red, and the Wild Turkeys were in blue. In bowling, Wild Turkey refers to three strikes in a row. But Gladys Beals, a competitive 79-year-old, gave a nod to another definition:

“Wild Turkey is whiskey, but we don’t have any of that,” she said. “It knocks you flat on your butt and we’re here to win.”

The living room, which had been converted into “Winslow Lanes,” was packed. Almost all the residents were there to play or watch. They groaned over gutter balls, applauded over strikes and chowed down on typical bowling alley food: nachos dripping with cheese, popcorn, diet sodas. A history of the sport was posted on the wall. Trophies awaited team winners and those with the highest and lowest scores. Everyone got certificates.

The official cheerleaders were Shirley Sides, 78; Rubye Garrett, 74; Margaret Lehl, 87; and Joy Middleton, 79. They jumped to their feet when there was a strike, flung their orange pompoms about and gustily sang their newly made up fight song, which they had printed out for those in attendance:

“Wii love our bowling, Oh yes we do. Wii love our bowling that is true. And if we’re not bowling we’re blue. Oh, bowling, Wii love you.”

“We practiced it a week,” Sides said.

“I’m hooked on the bowling part, but I’d rather be a cheerleader,” Middleton added.

In the audience, Gertrude Earl was having a problem that plagues sports fans everywhere: not enough good seats. “I can’t see the screen. They need some of tiered seating,” she said. “It’s good to see all this enthusiasm.”

Giving the spectators something to cheer about were bowling veterans, including Preiss, and newbies like 80-year-old Viola Ackley.

“I’ve never even had a bowling ball in my hand,” Ackley said. “It’s the most fun I’ve had. I like the fellowship. I bowled 154 in practice. Everybody knows about it. I’m a yeller.”

Ingrid Demeo, Winslow Court’s program supervisor, said this group has laid to rest the notion that the elderly don’t like video gaming. The facility is adding golf to the Wii competitions and will hold a spring golf tournament. Residents are already practicing their swings.

For Preiss, however, Wii bowling is enough.

“I never dreamed I would be bowling again,” she said.