Old Tappan seniors steamrolled past the Paramus seniors in a decisive bowling win, beating their opponent 211-177.
Seniors of Sunrise Assisted Living at Old Tappan geared up Feb. 20 for the three-round competition against seniors of Sunrise Assisted Living at Paramus.
Paramus activity coordinator and scorekeeper Nicole Oliver said that the two teams square off once a month, vying for "a serious trophy that they’re all crazy about."
"Everybody at the home was like, ‘You better come back here with that trophy,’" Oliver added.
A long, carpeted bowling strip divided the two teams clad in uniform. The yellow Old Tappan "Oldies but Goodies" sat facing the green Paramus "Sunrise Hot Shots" in the second floor Old Tappan activity room.
The tournament gave way to a slow start, with equally measured praises from Sunrise staff saying "Nice, very nice pickup" and clapping from fans. Old Tappan activity coordinator Mary Cheuvront would clear and realign the pins after each try.
It wasn’t long before the game quickly picked up speed, soon after Sunrise resident Sal of Old Tappan Sunrise knocked down nine pins in the first frame. Sunrise resident Ralph from Paramus then bowled the first strike, enjoying hoots and hollers from fans.
During the second frame, residents whispered, "Oh, she knows what she’s doing," as they watched Claire of Old Tappan clear nine pins.
The players readily offered words of encouragement to their teammates. A majority of the players use walkers and struggle with vision and other age-related problems.
"You can’t help it if the ball doesn’t know what to do," said Mickey to her Paramus teammate nicknamed Neat.
The second round ended with resident Florence from Paramus boasting "I ate my Wheaties [cereal] this morning" and an overall excitement in the room.
There was no sign of a clear winner in the third frame, even after the audience applauded Lorraine from Old Tappan for landing an open frame.
At the end of the tournament, Cheuvront tallied up the scores and then double-checked the figures on a calculator. She announced Old Tappan as this month’s reigning champions.
Handing the golden trophy to the "Oldies but Goodies," the activity coordinator invited everyone for snacks and refreshments in the downstairs bistro.
"It was truly a pleasure," said Cheuvront to the losing "Sunrise Hot Shots."
E-mail: gonzalezso@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6711
