SEDRO-WOOLLEY — It was a Thursday afternoon of boxing at Country Meadow Village.

Yes, Country Meadow Village is a retirement community in Sedro-Woolley. And, yes, the pugilists were in fact a pair of feisty tenants, one of whom was in a wheelchair and the other who got around with a walker.

Bernadine Salsman, with her walker perched in front of her, had no idea what hit her. Janet “The Rebel” Monk wasn’t really sure either.

But it didn’t take Monk — rocking and rolling in her wheelchair with each thrown haymaker — long to figure it out. Once she did, it was lights out for Salsman.

“I just kept throwing punches,” Monk said after the fight ended in a first-round knockout. “I figured one of us was going to go down.”

Salsman, Monk and the other Country Meadow Village tenants gathered weren’t boxing in the tradtional sense.

They were duking it out, swinging for the fences and looking to pick up spares on Country Meadow Village’s latest purchase — a Nintendo Wii system.

It’s the latest fad on the retirement community scene.

The Nintendo Wii uses a motion-sensitive controller that requires those playing the game to move. In other words, no more simply getting a thumb and finger video game workout.

With the Wii, those playing can be on their feet or simply sitting and moving their arms — depending on the game being played.

People swing the controller as they would a tennis racket, golf club or baseball bat. They can even throw a football.

Showing the group the nuances of the Wii were two boys roughly a sixth the age of most of their pupils.

Hunter Mavar is the 12-year-old son of Tracy Willis, the executive director at Country Meadow Village. It was Willis’ idea to purchase the Wii. Mavar was joined by a seventh-grade classmate at Immaculate Conception, Jake Mitchell.

The Wii remote controls are unlike anything the seniors were used to.

They caught on quickly, however, and a big reason was the caring, albeit persistent teaching methods of Mavar and Mitchell.

“I’ve been practicing for weeks,” Mavar admitted. “I had my mom pretend to be a senior citizen. I asked a lot of questions about their skills. I mean, I was nervous, really, really nervous. I really didn’t know how they would react if I screwed up. I didn’t want them to make fun of me.”

Mavar said he and Mitchell enjoyed teaching the video game.

“It was really a lot of fun,” he said. “We had a great time and it was good to see they were having a good time, too. Helping them is a really good feeling.”

Mitchell echoed his fellow instructor’s sentiments.

“It was a lot of fun,” Mitchell said. “I really think they liked it. We both had a great time.”

Besides boxing, the group of restless retirees gave bowling and baseball a shot.

Baseball is where Salsman exacted her revenge. A wicked screwball and split-finger fastball kept her opponent at bay.

“He (pointing to Mitchell) showed me how to do it (throw the two pitches),” Salsman said as she threw another pitch past her opponent. “It’s actually pretty easy. This is the only way us old-timers can do it. It really takes you back to your childhood.

“It puts us back in competition. I am now a big fan of the Wii.”

Robert Benham was one of the few men in attendance. He said it was a lot of fun despite a nagging shoulder injury and the fact he’d had a heart attack awhile back.

“It’s nice to have something different to do inside when it’s so hot outside,” he said.

Playing baseball took Benham back to his high school years.

“I wanted to play baseball,” he recalled. “I wanted to turn out for a lot of sports, but I had cows to tend, so I couldn’t. I had to get home. So we formed an intramural team that played at noon. I played on that team.”

Many seniors who were active in sports when they were younger now have a more sedentary lifestyle.

In some ways, the Wii is changing that.

Seniors across the country are lining up to compete against each other in the Nintendo Wii sports games. It has become so popular that many senior centers are setting aside additional time for Nintendo Wii.

This is the first video game system Country Meadow Village has purchased.

“I had seen some things on television in regards to the Wii and how seniors were using it for rehabilitation,” Willis explained. “I thought it would be a great fit for here at Country Meadow. As it turns out, it’s perfect.

“The residents have been very excited about getting to use it. They’ve been talking about it for weeks. After seeing this, we are probably going to have to add a game hour just for the Wii.”

From the looks on the faces of those giving the system a shot, it certainly was a hit.

“We all need to let off a little steam now and then,” said Monk, looking for her next opponent. “Now I want to box again.”

It certainly beats Chinese checkers.

“This is great,” said Monk. “I’d like to try some of the other games. For now, I’m happy with the boxing and bowling. And I did all that after a couple beers at Lorenzo’s. Imagine what I could have done after a couple margaritas.

“I had an awful lot of fun. At our age, you have to have fun. It’s something completely different.”

Asked which game she liked the best, Monk said boxing, adding she never was much of a bowler.

Monk said Muhammad Ali was her hero. The video character on the big screen television perched on the community grand piano certainly seemed to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

And the controls?

“Once you get the hang of it, anybody could do it,” said Monk. “It’s great for people in walkers or wheelchairs. Next time, I think I will try and stand up. I thing that would improve my swing. All I know right now is everyone is excited about it.”

Willis was surprised by the Wii’s popularity.

“It’s a big change,” she admitted. “It’s old school meets new school. But so far, it’s been awesome. It’s more than I could have ever expected. Usually, it takes a while for something to catch on. But this is taking off quickly.

“They really got into it. I never thought they’d be into it this much. That’s great to see. It’s another way to integrate an activity into their lives. And the kids were a great bridge across that generation gap. I guess it just goes to show they are still athletes inside no matter what the age.”

Monk added her own opinion.

“Never underestimate the power of us seniors,” she said. “We are a tough bunch.”

Vince Richardson can be reached at 360-416-2181 or by e-mail at