SANDPOINT — Seniors take their bowling seriously — Wii bowling that is.

"Turkey" and "hambone" are not names the seniors were calling each other at Alpine Vista Senior Apartments Thursday — well, maybe on occasion — but are actually bowling lingo for three and four strikes in a row. "Grandma's teeth" is a term for when a random, gap-filled group of pins are left standing. A few more terms such as "barmaid" and "mother-in-law" were used as well.

A six-member team from Alpine Vista took on the four-member SASi team in a six-round elimination Wii bowling tournament. SASi, Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc., took home the gold, but Alpine Vista put up a good fight. With cheerleaders, matching shirts and winning attitudes, the teams spent the entire morning, and part of the afternoon, bowling, laughing and eating pizza.

Although SASi took the top three spots in the tournament, Julie Perchynski, activities director for Alpine Vista, said the Alpine Vista team practiced every chance they got.

"This Alpine Vista group has improved a lot," said SASi member Rich Williams.

"They are improving slowly," added Merrill Longpre of Alpine Vista.

The social aspect of the event is one thing Perchynski said is a benefit for the seniors. The teams joked back and forth and the cheerleader for each team would make light jabs, but always applauded each other when someone got a strike or a "hambone."

"And it's a sport that many of them can keep playing," Perchynski said, adding that some of the team members have done actual bowling, whereas some have never bowled before. "It's familiar to some and new to others, so that makes it kind of fun."

Perchynski said the main benefit of Wii bowling for the seniors physically is balance, and although some of the team members would lightly hold a chair to stabilize themselves, the movement required with the remote is much the same as with an actual bowling ball.

On the Alpine Vista team, members like Longpre never did much actual bowling but held the record during Thursday's tournament for the highest score at 234 until the last round. Due to the style of tournament play, he was still eliminated before the final round. Peggy Knowles, also an Alpine Vista member, said she has done quite a bit of bowling in the past and really enjoys getting together with the teams and Wii bowling. She made it to the final four Thursday, though she lost third place to Williams. In second place was Norma Pierce, also a SASi team member, and Williams' wife Gayle took first.

SASi has a bowling team that meets at Huckleberry Lanes every Wednesday, which members of the Wii bowling team take part in as well. 

"Wii bowling has helped my regular bowling game," Gayle said. "As far as following through, I never used to do that, but it's really helped."

Perchynski said Wii bowling has been an activity at the facility for six or seven years. The current team has been together for a couple years, and about six months ago began competing against SASi.

Gayle said the senior center used to have Wii bowling regularly, but stopped for awhile and only started back up this year. This was the first tournament between the teams, and also the first time they bowled at Alpine Vista. Typically the meet the last Thursday of every month at the senior center.