AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Strike! Seniors in Onondaga are bowling on Wii Sports
Nicholas Waley: If you were born after the millennia like me you would have spent much of your childhood bowling on the video game Wii Sports. Well, these guys have done it too every Wednesday for over 10 years at 10 30 a.m Each week a group of four seniors come to the senior center in Onondaga to bowl a few games before lunch Jane Carroll, Frank Witkowski and Diana Sands are here every week They formed a friend group which takes them back to their elementary school
Jane Carroll: It’s a lot of fun and we always said that that last table and it’s like kindergarten We sit in assigned seats We always come to the same seats
Diana Sands: Sometimes we act like kindergartners too
Waley: The town of Onondaga Senior Center is one of the oldest in the area for 35 years senior citizens have come here for fun parties and a sense of community program director Barbara Michalski publishes a newsletter every month with all the activities laid ahead and what gets the patrons most excited are the day trips including, the casino.
Barbara Michalski: We’re going to the turning stone a couple times this year and I did it on a school bus. It’s dirt cheap. You know, we’re going to go for a day. It’s a nice. It’s a nice day But people came in looking for that a few days ago We had people coming and looking for the newsletter because it wasn’t out yet because they want to know what the trips are going to.
Waley: The center is free for all seniors in Onondaga county. to close, I’ll ask you this, could you throw 6 strikes in a row? Well Diana did. For NCC News, I’m Nicholas Waley.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – If you are a millennial or part of Gen Z, you would’ve spent many hours playing your Wii console. Specifically, you would’ve played Wii Sports.
The game made by Nintendo is the third highest selling game of all time with 82 million copies sold. Of the hundreds of millions that have played, a group of seniors at the town of Onondaga Senior Center have played Wii Sports bowling every Wednesday before lunch, for the past 10 years.
Jane Carroll, Frank Witkowski and Diana Sands have formed a friendship at the senior center through video games. For Frank, it’s “a reason to get out of the house because [he] doesn’t know where [he’d] be without it.”
All three are in their mid-80s and still make the effort to come to the senior center every day. Each has leadership potions on the board at the center, helping Baraba Michalski, the senior program director, with each week’s events.
We publish a newsletter every month with all the events planned with a calander and everyone birthdays. The day trips are what get most excited.
The town of Onondaga Senior Center is open to all citizens in Onondaga county.