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Health Net to Host First Statewide 'Virtual' Bowling Championship at 40 Senior Centers

Posted on: Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 09:00 CDT

Responding to widespread enthusiasm for the use of virtual bowling video games among seniors throughout Connecticut, Health Net of the Northeast, Inc. (Health Net) will stage a championship competition featuring teams from more than 60 senior centers.

The 'Health Net Senior Cup' qualifying events will pit four-member bowling teams against one another on a regional elimination basis beginning in August and ending in early November, with a final event in Wallingford, Conn., involving four regional winners.

The company began donating Nintendo's Wii(TM) game system to senior centers in several states last year, equipping more than 60 facilities in Connecticut, where virtual bowling is evolving into an organized sport.

The competition consists of four regions each containing approximately 16 senior centers teams with four bowlers and two alternates:

Region 1: Hartford & Tolland Counties Region 2: Fairfield & Litchfield Counties Region 3: New Haven County Region 4: Middlesex, Windham & New London Counties

The basic rules are the same as in regular bowling, with each team bowling two games and the winner advancing on a 'knockout' basis, with the eventual Cup Final contested among the four regional winners.

The Connecticut championship is believed to be the first on a statewide scale in the nation. Bob Beckwith, a Health Net community events planner and driving force behind the event, said, "This all started with a search for new fitness-related activities for seniors. The introduction of the Wii technology provided the inspiration that led to the first equipment donations and then the move toward organized bowling competitions at some centers in Connecticut, California, Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona."

Bowling proved to be the single most popular game among seniors using the Wii system. Health Net's Beckwith says that seniors love the ability to rekindle passion for a sport that many of them may no longer be physically able to manage. "The competitive element that has emerged so far is fostering team spirit and a lot of socializing that we hope will be a factor in the Senior Cup events," he says.

"For all of us to stay healthy, we need to remain physically active and mentally stimulated, especially seniors," said Steve Calabrese, chief Medicare officer for Health Net of the Northeast. "The success of the Wii bowling events is working wonders not only for participants but also their friends and family who enjoy the spectacle of competition, and this is what the new championship tournament is all about."

For more information, representatives of senior centers planning to participate may contact Bob Beckwith at 203.925.7423.

About Health Net

Health Net of the Northeast, Inc., headquartered in Shelton, Conn., employs approximately 1,600 associates in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Health Net of the Northeast, through its subsidiaries, offers full-service health plans that serve nearly one million members in the tri-state area. The Northeast health plans offer a wide array of products including: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Point-of-Service (POS), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), third-party administration, Medicare and Medicaid. With a physician network comprising more than 90,000 physician and provider office locations, Health Net is one of the largest health plans in the northeast, offering a full array of open-access products and coordination for multi-region employers.

Health Net of the Northeast is a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT). Health Net, Inc. is among the nation's largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company's health plans and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.8 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net's behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides mental health benefits to approximately 6.9 million individuals in all 50 states. The company's subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the company's Web site at www.healthnet.com.

Source: Business Wire

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