By Beverly O’Shea
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

They were having all the fun and making all of the movements of bowling, but  they were missing one thing: the ball!

An eight-person team from Seabrook and an eight-person team from Cedar Crest faced off in a cross-community bowling match, but they were doing it through the technology of Nintendo Wii, a video gaming system that virtually simulates a sports game such as bowling.

Cedar Crest won the Tinton Falls competition, scoring 1,082 points in the four games to Seabrook’s 937. The tournament is scheduled to continue with another match at Cedar Crest, in Pompton Plains.

Friendly competition
The friendly bowling competition gave the bowlers a lot of exercise as well as entertainment. The Wii calls for competitors to use the movement of their arms, legs, and torso with a wireless remote control. Participants go through the motions as if they were playing a game, be it tossing a bowling ball or, in other versions, swinging a baseball bat, tennis racket, or golf club.

“Playing against Cedar Crest is definitely fun, but there’s only one problem—they’re better than us!” says Seabrook bowler Avis Stolp. “The truth is that it doesn’t matter who wins, we all just had a wonderful time meeting each other and playing.”

“I used to bowl, and this is the closest thing to doing it again,” says Hal Wherner of Cedar Crest. “All of this fun and laughter makes for an even better time.”

Have fun, get fit
“There are many health benefits for older adults who are physically and mentally active, and this also holds true for those who may have a disability that limits them from conventional exercise,” says Seabrook executive Director Art Sparks. “A gaming system like this can give someone who has mobility issues an important opportunity to keep busy and have a solid physical, cognitive, and enriching workout.”