Megan Grittani-Livingston/The Question

Marion Ayers, 90, takes part in a game of virtual 10-pin bowling on the Wii console as fellow participant Jolene Green looks on during a session on Monday (June 15) at the Pemberton Youth Centre.

It’s high noon on a sunny Monday, and the new youth centre in Pemberton is filled with the exhortations that often accompany social rounds of video game play. In the room with the big-screen TV, some skillful Wii bowling is going down, with each of the three players rolling their way to strong scores.

The bowlers are something of a surprise: the players are Pemberton-area seniors, having some fun with the Nintendo Wii game system donated for their use by the Pemberton Health Care Foundation.

Marion Ayers, who will turn 91 in July, took to the on-screen bowling with gusto, playing against Jolene Green and Chris Timm.

“I love it. It’s lots of fun,” she said, adding that one of her granddaughters got her interested in the game system.

The three players cheered and advised each other in Monday’s (June 15) games while working on the coordination and direction of their bowling swings. Timm said she wasn’t sure about the value of the Wii at first, but she’s come to appreciate it.

“I’m actually quite impressed with how it gets people of all ages actually moving… You get really into it,” she said, amused.

It’s good that the trio is getting warmed up, because the seniors need to be ready for a serious clash: A seniors-versus-youth Wii bowling battle has been scheduled at the youth centre as part of Pemberton’s Canada Day celebrations.

Lindsay May has been their guide in getting used to the wonderful world of Wii. May has been working as Pemberton’s supported living coordinator for Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) since last November, when VCH and the Pemberton Seniors Society brought together the position. May now puts together a roster of events for seniors in the area for each month.

Recent activities have included diners’ club outings to local restaurants, movie nights, digital photography workshops, trips to destinations such as the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, rounds of card games — and, of course, the Wii playing.

The Pemberton Seniors Society has been active for many years and is growing, May said, but it does help to have the VCH backing and financial support to offer more activities for local seniors.

May said the idea behind her position is “to really draw in seniors who might be isolated,” and she puts together no-obligation opportunities that are open to all. The Wii games are just one example, as the seniors have been allowed to play the video games in the youth centre facility during hours while it isn’t open for the kids.

David Midgley, president of the Pemberton Seniors Society, hasn’t connected with the Wii games himself: “I’d rather go skiing,” he admitted, but he said other members have been having a grand time.

Including the Pemberton library’s programs, “I think there’s so many things going on that (local seniors) have to pick and choose sometimes,” Midgely said, adding that he thinks May is a great asset.

The ElderGo! bus service, funded by a $35,000 Union of B.C. Municipalities grant applied for by the Village of Pemberton, the Lil’wat Nation and the Pemberton Seniors Society, was scheduled to end in June but has been extended to run until September. Initiated to address the issue of inadequate transportation for local seniors that was identified in the 2007 age-friendly community report for Pemberton and Mount Currie, the well-received service has helped seniors access all of the activities on offer.

Anyone who wants to join in or receive the calendar of events can contact May at (604) 698-5380 or lindsay.may@vch.ca.

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