TULSA, Okla. — They might not strike you as gamers, but the University Village Retirement Community seniors will tell you Nintendo is right up their alley.
"Now we can beat them young kids!" said resident Cecelia Basarich.
A few times a week, the University Village Wii bowling team, called the UV Okies, gathers for some friendly and fierce competition.
"If you can use one arm, you can Wii bowl!" said Wayne Wall, University Village Life Enrichment Coordinator.
"It's great exercise. Do you know how many times you get up and down from that chair to bowl? It's good exercise," said Basarich.
WATCH: POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals
With their gameday gear and game faces on, this team is on a roll! "We are currently 5 years in a row the champions of the Tulsa city-wide league," said Wall. And they tell 2 News they're undefeated for the last three years.
They all have nicknames. Like their leader, Coach Salty Cecelia Basarich. She said she's watched the team grow. "When I moved here 9 years ago, we had 8 bowlers; now we have close to 40!"
Dangerous Dorothy Salen is one of the founding members and one of two 100-year-olds on the team. She said, "I love the challenge. I've always liked challenges; I've had a few in my life. But trying to get a really good game is one thing I like; the highest I've gotten so far is 298."
More than half a dozen have rolled perfect games, but no one has done it more times than Davis Joyce. "My nickname? Auto because they like to say it's automatic for me to roll a perfect 300 score, but it's really not."
Like most at University Village, Joyce never played before moving in. "Never even heard of it. I thought, What's Wii bowling?" Joyce said.
The game has given him something to look forward to and a lot of friends. Joyce said, "That's one of the best things about it!"
The sensational seniors are so talented, they've leveled up. "To Nationals! I am so excited. I am so excited," said Basarich.
Up next, the UV Okies will take on the National Senior Wii Bowling League. That includes 24 states, 44 retirement communities, AND 140 teams. And the best part: the seniors can compete from their home theater.
Wall said, "We won't meet the National League people face to face, uh, we'll get to see them, but we won't be in person."
The league kicks off in September. Until then, the UV Okies will be turning up the heat, hoots, and hollers.
The UV Okies also play for charity and have beaten the University Village staff and a team from Oral Roberts University. We'll follow their progress as they compete this fall.
You can learn more about University Village Retirement Community here.
This is not the first group we've featured from this Retirement Community. You may recall another group there that spreads joy through the community with their Encouraging Cuff Jewelry. Here's their Positively Oklahoma Story.
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