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During her days selling insurance in New York, Ann Wichern was a pretty good bowler. She rustled up those skills Thursday for the Intergenerational Games at the Doak Walker Care Center.

The center's fourth annual games provided senior citizens the opportunity to compete in physical events. It also gave them a chance to get together with staff members, volunteers and the toddlers from the GrandKids Child Care Center next door. Some participants, like Wichern, enjoyed the throwback to earlier athletic days.

"All these games I used to do before," Rosa DeVault said. "I was really good at them, but as years go by :"

DeVault, a longtime softball enthusiast, used to play, coach and manage.

"For my last game of softball, I was 73," DeVault said. "And I'd probably still be playing. But I love this. This is great."

Wichern also enjoyed the chance to compete with other residents. She once bowled for the Metropolitan Life team in New York and bowled a strike at the Doak games.

Wichern was celebrating her birthday Thursday, though she said she didn't remember which one it was. That garnered her the honor of lighting the torch to start the games - no flames involved - with her sister.

"This is great fun, being here," Wichern said. "And it's great to see so many people turning out here, and all participating, too."

Participants wore red, white and blue leis, and many were decked out in patriotic colors and hats. They cheered and did the wave during competitions.

Nearly all of the Doak's 60 residents joined in, said Laura Oslowski, a recreation therapist. She and Community Life Manager Celia Buckley helped organize the Intergenerational Games.

Games included a beanbag toss, the limbo, golf, darts, water balloon basketball, obstacle races and a child-senior relay race. About 25 children from GrandKids came over for the event. For the relay race, each carried a hard-boiled egg in a spoon to a senior partner. The senior then carried the egg to a finish line.

Five-year-old Travis Steitz participated in the race.

"I ran really fast, and I went so fast, I went 100 speed," Travis said. "Then I ran with the egg, and the egg stayed on all the way to the finish line."

Abby Linner, 5, also raced carrying an egg. She said it was tough to keep her speed under control.

"I can walk faster, but I don't really want to drop the egg," she said. "I was, like, really trying to not get it falled."

The games reinforce the Eden philosophy, where people live and work together without divisions between staff and residents, Buckley said. The event promotes spontaneity and that closeness, she said.

"I think they love being together as a community with the staff, children and all of them," Buckley said. "I think it's being together."