TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa’s U.V. Okies are six-time undefeated Wii bowling champions of the Tulsa Senior Inter-League — and now they’re leveling up.

Nintendo America contacted University Village Retirement Community after the senior bowling team’s story went viral- thanks to their Instagram reels, and features by news outlets like the New York Times and 2 News Oklahoma.

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POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals

Inspired by their story, the company is donating Nintendo Switch 2 systems to each retirement community in the Tulsa league.

Wayne Wall, Life Enrichment Coordinator at University Village, said the outreach came as a surprise.

“I did not expect to hear from Nintendo at all,” Wall said.

GALLERY: “ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC!” Tulsa’s U.V. Okies level up with Nintendo donation

The company reached out to Wall about what the team had come to represent.

“They contacted me and said we’re excited about how Wii bowling is bringing people together at this stage of their life and helping them to have that camaraderie and have fun in this stage of their life and we would like to do something to contribute to that, to be a part of that,” Wall said.

Nintendo donated two Nintendo Switch 2 systems for each retirement community in the league, along with additional gear like extra Joy-Cons, and games. Teams from across Tulsa picked up their gifts at the championship celebration on July 16, 2026, at University Village in Tulsa — and the timing could not have been better. The old equipment had run its course.

“The Wii systems were becoming obsolete and hard to replace,” Wall said.

Come spring 2027, the Tulsa league will make the switch to bowling on the Switch 2. Competing Tulsa teams hope the new systems evens things out.

Fritz Gernandt of the Town Village Strikers had a message for the six-time champions.

“I can only say it once and really loud, look out,” Gernandt said.

The U.V. Okies are not intimidated. Phyllis Wimer, 95 — known on the lanes by nicknames like “The GOAT” and “The Killer” — has already been putting in work on the Switch 2.

“I’ve got the new system at home, and I have bowled a 300 on it, and I’m the only one so far that has,” Wimer said.

Dorothy Salen, 101, who led the U.V. Okies in the national league last fall and goes by “Dangerous Dorothy,” is keeping her trademark outlook heading into the new season.

“Always optimistic!” Salen said.

For the U.V. Okies, the game — and the fun — is never over.

The team has one more Wii bowling match planned before their equipment gets retired. They will play the staff at University Village to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness next week.

2 News Oklahoma was the first to bring you the story of the U.V. Okies success, and we’ve been updating you along the way.

You can learn more about University Village HERE.

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklah. — Deadly flooding in Texas has prompted another wave of Oklahoma first responders to head south to help with rescue and recovery efforts as the death toll continues to rise.

Days of relentless rain have battered the Texas Hill Country, an area often called “Flash Flood Valley,” turning rivers into violent torrents that ripped out trees, washed away roads, and left communities underwater.

In Kerr County, floodwaters tore apart a roadway, leaving twisted pavement and debris behind.

The devastation comes one year after catastrophic flooding that claimed more than 130 lives across Texas.

Hundreds of rescue crews from across the nation have mobilized to Texas, including teams from Oklahoma and the United Cajun Navy, to save lives and limit further loss.

On Tuesday, Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management deployed 25 members of Oklahoma Task Force One to Texas. Brad Smith, an Oklahoma Task Force leader, said, “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. We know what to expect.”

By Thursday, another Oklahoma team rolled south, made up of Oklahoma City firefighters, an Oklahoma City police officer and members of the Yukon Fire Department. Guymon’s specialized swiftwater search and rescue team also responded. “This is a highly trained group of people, very experienced,” Smith said. “We’ve been to out-of-state deployments on this type of thing before and feel very confident in the type of work we’ll be expected to do down there.”

The crews are joining a growing interstate response centered in the Texas Hill Country, now the epicenter of the flooding disaster.

Amy Metz, chief meteorologist with the United Cajun Navy, described the intensity of the flooding and the challenges it has created for rescuers. “They couldn’t get boats to somebody who was submerged in a vehicle in a tree, and so I did hear later after about an hour and a half there were able to get that man to safety,” Metz said.

Metz also described damage caused by the force of the water. “It picked up a barge, one that was there to do some cleanup from last year’s floods, got lifted and thrown down the dam probably a half mile up to a mile away, crashing into a bridge that is now gone,” she said.

At least two people have died, and more than 200 people have been rescued.

Several rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms during the past two days have flooded six Texas counties.

Metz said the rainfall totals have been extreme. “Since Monday, the Hill Country has seen at least 20 inches of rain. That could very well have gone up to 30 in some places and with it river rise. The gauges did show within one hour it shot up 25 feet,” she said.

Metz said the United Cajun Navy is prepared to help with boat ferry deliveries and highway cleanup with chainsaws once flooding subsides.

A local star will arrive at Oklahoma a year early.

Juliana “Goose” Hutchens, the No. 1-rated player in the 2027 recruiting class per Softball America, is reclassifying. She will join the Sooners this fall, and will be eligible to start her five years in Norman for the 2027 softball season, Hutchens and the program announced on Thursday.

Hutchens played third base, catcher and shortstop at Wagoner High School, and her ability with the bat turns heads every time she steps onto the field.

Hutchens originally committed to Oklahoma on Sept. 11, 2025.

“Wow it’s so surreal to be here now,” Hutchens wrote at the time of her commitment. “This is one of the moments every little girl dreams of getting to experience. Words couldn’t describe how thankful I am for The Oklahoma coaching staff. They are taking a chance on me that I’ll forever be grateful for. BOOMER!!”

Hutchens will be able to fill a major need immediately.

The Sooners need a backup catcher behind Kendall Wells after Isabela Emerling graduated from the program.

OU added Loyola Chicago catcher Abbie Gregus out of the transfer portal, but Hutchens is SEC-ready.

Hutchens will be in the mix to serve as OU’s designated player from day one, and can back up Wells to prevent the star catcher from having to catch every single inning behind the plate for Patty Gasso in 2027.

Hutchens played travel ball for Iowa Premier Fastpitch, and she also played for the 2026 United States U-18 Women’s National Team. The national team won the World Baseball Softball Confederation gold medal, and Hutchens was the MVP of the tournament. She finished the tournament batting .800, and totaled eight RBIs with two home runs.

OU already had the top-rated 2026 recruiting class, a group that will only be bolstered by the addition of Hutchens.

The No. 2 player in Softball America’s 2027 player rankings, outfielder Finlee Williams, is also pledged to Gasso’s Sooners.

Oklahoma also signed the No. 1 player in the 2026 recruiting class, per Softball America, in outfielder Payton Westra. Westra will immediately compete for playing time in left field after the graduation of Abby Dayton and Kasidi Pickering’s departure via the transfer portal.

Both Kai Minor and Ella Parker will return to OU’s outfield next season.

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