Wii bowling strikes it big with seniors

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Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:32:21 -0400

The Flint Journal, Michigan USA
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

By Holly Klaft

Interactive console proving to be good exercise alternative

QUICK TAKE
What are Wii playing?

The Nintendo Wii (pronounced "we") is an interactive video game console that
allows players to handle remote controls like the equipment on screen. Players
must move their arms, and sometimes their entire bodies, to play the games.

For more information on the Krapohl Senior Center's Wii bowling leagues, call
(810) 785-2270.

MT. MORRIS TWP. - Sharon Linton stared intently down the long glossy alley at
the 10 gleaming white pins at the end.

With the concentration of a serious competitor, she swung her arm back,
releasing the bowling ball with the click of a remote, letting it shatter the
triangle of virtual pins.

"That's the way!" she shouted, high-fiving her grandson after her second strike
on the Nintendo Wii Sports bowling game at Krapohl Senior Center.

Linton, 62, was helping kick off the senior center's first Wii bowling league
Tuesday night along with five other competitors and a handful of spectators.

"It saves my knees and my arms because I don't have to pick up a 12-pound
ball," Linton said of virtual bowling.

You wouldn't be able to tell by her bowling score that the Flint resident is
legally blind. Linton can see only straight ahead and must zoom in on the pins
to choose the correct trajectory for her bowling ball. She still managed to
blast the target apart with dead-on aim.

Competitors and spectators sipped on soft drinks and water instead of beer
during the league's games, laughing and cheering each strike or spare.

The console's interactivity and user-friendly games have made video game
junkies out of not only the younger set but also the seniors.

The Wii video game system costs about $250 and comes equipped with a wireless
controller that can be wielded with one hand and used as a tennis racket,
baseball bat, paddle or bowling ball for video sports games.

The console offers a low-impact alternative to playing sports, which can be a
perfect exercise option for seniors, said Sandy Stevens, executive director of
the Center for Gerontology, an affiliate of Genesys Health System.

"We're hearing more and more about the value of having seniors use it," Stevens
said. "It's very therapeutic. A lot of the computer stuff we've thought was
great for young people, but it definitely has value for older adults as well."

Wii requires only a swing of the arm toward the TV for some games, allowing
players to remain seated if necessary. But extended play can leave Wii athletes
with tingling muscles, and some of the games, such as boxing, require more
movement.

Motion-oriented games also can improve mental health and help ward off the
effects of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, said Gayle Reed, director of the
Krapohl Senior Center, 5473 Bicentennial Drive, Mt. Morris Township.

"It's a way to keep active and have fun," Reed said. "If we left it set up all
day, people would be playing with it all day."

The center has three leagues of six bowlers each who compete against one
another in light-hearted matches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Reed charges players 50 cents a game or $1.50 a week to play, with the money
going toward food and prizes for a single-elimination Wii bowling tournament
planned for November.

She said she began organizing the leagues about four months ago after hearing
about other senior centers and retirement communities nationwide offering the
game.

Judith Hill, 63, of Flint Township participated in dozens of bowling leagues
before a knee injury and heart problems forced her to stop.

She said bowling on the Wii is easier than going to a bowling alley and gives a
good feel of actually playing the game.

"It's something any age can do," Hill said.

But there are some challenges. The hardest part of the game: Learning when to
let go of the button to release the ball, she said.

After learning to bowl on the Wii a few weeks ago, Charlotte Finkbiner, 72, of
Mt. Morris is already averaging about 200 points per game and showing friends
how to play.

"It's a lot of fun, and you don't have to dress up for it," Finkbiner said.
"It's the best thing there is going."

Holly Klaft hklaft@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx . 810.766.6249

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Wii bowling strikes it big with seniors

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