MERIDEN, Conn. -- Throw away the heavy bowling ball and stinky bowling shoes. Some seniors in Meriden have taken up Wii bowling to keep active.

You might not associate a whole bunch of hootin' and hollerin' with a senior citizens center, Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Len Besthoff said. But give them Nintendo Wii controllers, and that's exactly what you get.

More than a dozen seniors in Meriden gave their best throw in the first annual Wii Bowling Tournament for seniors.

The tournament, sponsored by insurer Health Net, gets seniors to play the virtual video bowling game that's as close to the real game as it gets. At the same time, the seniors get mild physical exercise that actually helps strengthen their bones and joints.

Nancy Flagg, 62, said it's a lot of fun.

"Its a little hard trying to keep the ball to go straight down the aisle, but sometimes you get it straight down and you think you're going to get a strike, and then it goes off," Flagg said with laughter.

Health Net sponsored several events, from which the winners of each tournament get to go to a statewide competition.