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Staff writer

Lois Anderson loved going bowling, but the 90-year-old Ham Lake resident has not gone to the bowling alley for over 40 years.

Anderson and her friends are now getting a virtual experience of the sport while still enjoying the camaraderie it brings with every cheer for a strike and spare or groan for a close call.

Members of the senior centers in Blaine and Ham Lake the morning of Feb. 10 competed against each other in a Nintendo Wii bowling tournament at the Ham Lake Senior Center.

Many of the 16 senior citizens that participated had played the game before at either their senior center or at a relative’s home.

“It’s wonderful for seniors. It gets them moving and get their blood flowing,” said Rhona Marie, who attends the Blaine Senior Center, but lives in Ham Lake.

John Johnson of Ham Lake was exposed to the Nintendo Wii video gaming system when he was visiting his son in Georgia a couple of years ago. He had so much fun that he went to Target each weekend for three months before he finally found this hot commodity.

He has become an exceptional Wii bowler, getting a perfect 300-point game 33 times, he said.

When Aggie Gazvoda’s children heard how much she enjoyed playing the Wii at the Ham Lake Senior Center, they bought one for her this last Christmas. She has tried tennis, baseball and golf on the Wii Sports game.

“I love it,” said Ellen Simonson of Blaine. “It encouraged my husband and I to get out of the house. We’ve met so many friendly people.”

Each senior center has had its own Wii bowling tournaments, but this was the first time there was a tournament between the two senior centers.

The Mary Ann Young Senior Center in Blaine used funds from its donation account to purchase its Wii, according to director Shelly Johnson.

Ham Lake Senior Center Coordinator Jeannine Meyer said its Wii was purchased using the center’s memorial funds.

A unique twist to this Wii tournament, that was the brainchild of Meyer, was a bowler would get a card for each strike or spare. Once they collected more than five cards, they would discard a card to keep a five-card hand. The bowlers with the best poker hands won prizes.

Johnson hopes they can host the Blaine-Ham Lake senior center tournament in April if they can find a good date.

“I’m having a good time and it’s great exercise and socialization,” Johnson said.



Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it