Wii video game turns suburban seniors into bowling champs

If a third grade boy played his grandparents in a Nintendo Wii video game, who do you think would win?

You might want to put your money on the seniors. The Wii Sports bowling game has become wildly popular in local retirement homes and senior centers, turning many suburban seniors into video game bowling pros.

Irene Sheridan, 92, who lives in the Beacon Hill retirement community in Lombard, can break 200 on Wii bowling. Flora Dierbach, 74, a resident of the Sedgebrook retirement community in Lincolnshire, has bowled more than 20 perfect 300 games.

"The stereotype that seniors don't want technology, or are afraid of computers, went by the wayside when this game came along because of all the fun we were having," Dierbach said.

Jack Roche, an octogenarian who lives at The Garlands of Barrington, even blogs about the Wii bowling league at www.thegarlands.com/blog/labels/Jack%20and%20Rita.aspx

The first retirement communities in the area to try Wii bowling were Sedgebrook and Monarch Landing in Naperville, back in 2005. Dierbach said it was so easy to play - and so much like real bowling - it became an instant hit with residents.

Some seniors are a little apprehensive to try the game at first, but once they do, they're hooked.

"One night we were playing at 12:30 a.m. The executive director came by and couldn't believe it," Dierbach said, laughing.

All players have to do is hold a lightweight wireless remote control and swing their arms like they're actually bowling. They can aim the ball, and if they don't throw straight, the ball on the TV screen will veer. When the ball hits the virtual pins, it sounds like real bowling, and the pins move and wobble.

"It's just like being in a bowling alley. All that's missing is the beer and pizza," joked one Beacon Hill resident.

Retirement community directors say the game provides social, physical and mental benefits. It lets people who once loved bowling, but can no longer lift and throw a 14-pound bowling ball, feel like they're actually bowling. Because it's not necessary to stand up, people in wheelchairs and walkers can play.

"It puts everyone on an even playing field," said Lee Anne Randell, Beacon Hill's director of leisure services.

The game invites friendly competition, and spectators often come to watch and cheer. Sheridan and her teammate, Bill Ryan, 83, exchanged friendly hand-bumps during a tournament last week at Beacon Hill. Their team is named "The Two Irishmen."

"People who have never done anything before - who used to just come eat dinner and go back to their rooms - are coming out to play, or even just to watch. I've met so many new people," Ryan said.

The game even helped Ryan find true love. He became friendly with his wife-to-be while playing in Beacon Hill's Wii bowling leagues. They married in August.

"It all came about because of Wii," he said. "I'd watch her play, she'd come watch me play, and we became friendlier and friendlier. (The game) was an excuse to get with her. Otherwise I'd be too shy."

Additionally, the video game provides a common bond between seniors and their grandchildren. Several grandparents proudly boast that they've beaten their video game-savvy grandchildren in Wii bowling or Wii golf, one of the other games in the Wii Sports package.

"When we have grandparent days or holidays, there are kids up here all the time playing with their grandparents," said Lorraine Willmot, the public relations director at Sedgebrook and Monarch Landing. "It's so nice to see everyone enjoying themselves, and having so much fun."

Most retirement communities have since started Wii bowling leagues and tournaments, some of which compete with other nearby retirement communities. Jason Lee, who works at a retirement home in Decatur, is in the process of coordinating a regional Wii bowling tournament for seniors that will encompass all of northern Illinois and maybe neighboring states.

Some teams have bought matching bowling shirts, and at Sedgebrook, they celebrate their tournament victories with dinner banquets, complete with trophies, prizes and wine or champagne.

Bob Maxey, 75, who suffers from Parkinson's, is in charge of setting up the game on Beacon Hill's two big-screen TVs and creating "Miis" (characters that are customized to look like the person who's bowling). Even though he can't stand for long periods of time, he loves to play.

"I won the first season, and everyone called me 'Champ' for a long time," he said. "It's not hard to play. And once people try it, they're hooked."