Liz Coxe was the first to take a swing during a Wii computer video game tournament held at the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizen Center one day last week. Officials were here from Aetna to conduct the official games. Some 24 seniors participated and their scores will be compared to others across the country. It could lead to someone from Lehigh going to a national tournament in Los Angles. Photo by Mel Toadvine

The auditorium of the Lehigh Acres Senior Citizen Center on Plaza Drive was filled with “bowlers” and their supports screaming to support their favorite bowler in a tournament sponsored by Aetna Insurance.

The event occurred on Aug. 25 and several members of the Medicare Wii Bowling teams were on hand.

If you don’t know what “Wii Bowling,” is, just stop by the Senior Center on any given day and you’ll find these alert senior citizens bowling, but not with a big ball and not throwing it down an alley.

They are bowling in virtual time, as it is called.

They stand facing a simulated bowling alley projected from a screen and with a device in their hand, they swing back and forward aiming to knock down the pins, just like you would in a real bowling alley.

Cheering at Wii tournament: These are some of the people who attended and participated in the Lehigh Senior Center’s Wii bowling tournament last week. They are shown here cheering. Photo by Mel Toadvine

It takes the same skills to drive that “virtual ball” down the alley, too. If you don’t believe that ask any of the many members of the Senior Center who attend every week to “bowl.”

Last week, they were doing some serious virtual bowling, competing with others across the country and those with the highest scores may get the opportunity to move forward and bowl at the Championship bowel-off on Sept. 23 in Los Angeles at AARP’s National Event and Expo, called Life@50+.

Scot Roskelly and others came to Lehigh to oversee and supervise the bowling tournament at the Senior Center. They brought elaborate high-tech equipment, too, for the Lehigh virtual bowlers.

He said that one of the key ways to staying healthy as we grow older is “not to fall.” It’s well-known that falls and broken hip s among older people often leads to a steady decline in life. Exercises that help with balance are import ant with every passing year as the body’s muscle mass slowly diminishes, Roskelly said.

And talk about enthusiasm, the Senior Center could boast that throughout the building, everyone was rooting for Lehigh’s virtual bowlers.

Theresa Perkins, director of the Lehigh Senior Center said there were six teams of “bowlers.”

“These people love bowling and it gives them great exercise,” Perkins said.

The six teams were: the Four Chicks, Off the Hook, Bowling Stars, The Lucky Spares, Riding the Rail and the Noise Makers, and the latter ones had plenty of loud supporters.

Among the bowlers were: Ann Simenton, Audrey Cormier, Dolores Curll, and Loretta Wilkinson of the four Chicks.

Elizabeth Stone, Jeanne Giddens, Liz Coxe and Cathy Olson of the Off the Hook team.

Danny O’Neill, Rick Cormier, Josephine Scotton and Lucy “Lulu” Gucofski of the Bowling Stars.

Carl French, Claire Campbell, Richard Gross and Walter Curll of the Lucky Spares.

Annie Lorenzo, Jean smith, Cecila Smith, and Jean Lindstrom of the Riding the Rail.

And Team six included Audrey DeArmond, Haydee O’Toole, Chet Olson and Marte McDonald.

“These seniors at the Senior Center take their Wii bowling seriously with a number of leagues that have been operating there for three years,” Roskelley said.

The championship bowling tourney began at 10:30 a.m. The highest score from the Lehigh Acres championship will be compared against high scores from other championships Aetna is conducting in the southeast.

Roskelley said the bowler with the top score will compete “virtually” with Wii bowlers from across the country. Audrey and Rick Cormier of Lehigh have been coordinating these leagues. They enjoy participating and they also enjoy and think Wii bowling helps their balance. Roskelley said Wii bowling is particularly helpful to people who no longer can handle the weight of a bowling ball.

Although there are some unpleasant statistics, Roskelly said that 24 percent of hip fracture patients age 50 and older die within a year of fracture.

“As we age, our bodies lose muscle mass of about 1 percent a year starting after middle age. More than one-third of adults age 65 and older fall each year. It is the leading cause of injury death in this population. Maintaining balance and fitness is very important for maintaining good health in the later years,” he said.

According to a CNN report, a new study suggests that playing the Nintendo Wii Fit could improve balance and help avoid falls in seniors. The University of Aberdeen, Scotland and the UK’s National health Service have embarked on a four-month study on people over age 70 to observe any changes in balance after regular use of the Wii device.

Many people have purchased Nintendo Wii games for their children. It is a video game console system that uses a remote, hand-held motion-sensing wireless controller, combined with a TV set.

Now it has become a popular game with grandparents and their grandchildren and many centers across the country that cater to senior citizens are using the video game to provide exercise to their members.

And from the looks of all of the members of the Lehigh Senior Citizen Center, the virtual game of bowling is becoming very popular, according to Theresa Perkins, its director.