Evan Welsh is only 7 but he's already ranked as a "pro" bowler. "I've bowled a perfect game," he'll tell you proudly.

But, the Bethel Park youngster doesn't lift a heavy bowling ball. He uses a remote control to win games, earning "pro" status in virtual bowling on his Nintendo Wii game system.

Tomorrow night Evan and 35 other classmates from Lincoln Elementary School in the Bethel Park School District will team up with their grandparents to compete in a Wii bowling tournament. The event was organized by school librarian Denice Pazuchanics in conjunction with the library as a way to encourage interaction between generations.

Ms. Pazuchanics also said that it's important for students to build a relationship with the library as a lifelong resource.

"If the kids think of the public library as a fun, energetic place they'll continue to use it for the rest of their lives," Ms. Pazuchanics said.

The Wii Bowling tournament was well-received by the Lincoln students, who were asked to select someone "over 50" as their teammate to maintain the inter-generational theme. Ms. Pazuchanics did not expect the overwhelming response from 36 interested families.

"I think the grandparent angle helped generate interest, and the Wii is very popular right now,'' she said.

The event will be held 6 to 8:30 pm tomorrow at the Bethel Park Public Library, which will be closed to the public. Registration is also closed.

Public librarians Ingrid "Ing" Kalchthaler and Mary Mullen are helping with the event. Three Wii systems will be set up, projecting the virtual experience in large format onto the wall.

"They'll all have set times to bowl," Ms. Kalchthaler said. When teams are not bowling, there will be sports trivia games, snacks and socialization. "There will be music playing and we think it will be a festive atmosphere." Ms. Kalchthaler said.

Ms. Kalchthaler is an advocate of such intergenerational programming. "A lot of grandparents are taking care of their grandkids so we want to have a lot of programs geared to both,'' she said.

Practice bowling sessions were conducted at a variety of sites in the town over the past few weeks. Beth Welsh loved watching her son Evan and her father, Bill Goebel, 69, of Castle Shannon interact.

"It was great to see Evan explaining to my dad how to play. It's neat for a little one to have more knowledge about something than an adult," Ms. Welsh said.

Mr. Goebel bowled in a league years ago, so he caught on to the Wii bowling quickly.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I just hope I don't pull [Evan] down," Mr. Goebel said.

At the end of the training, his best score was 155, while Evan consistently bowls over 200 on the Wii. "But I should do well. I had a good teacher," he said.

Antonio Fontanna and his grandfather, Bill Ranegar, 59 of Castle Shannon are also gearing up for the tournament. Mr. Ranegar has been bowling on the Wii with Antonio during family game nights for months. He marvels at how similar Wii bowling is to the real thing.

Cassie Shelpman, 9, knew immediately she wanted her "Pap-Pap" Ed Henry, 65, of Bethel Park, on her team "because he likes bowling and he's over 50."

Mr. Henry usually bowls with the St. Valentine's Men's Club on Friday night, but he is happy to miss one night to "virtual" bowl with his granddaughter.

Another aspect of the competition was to design your team bowling shirt for the night. A committee of volunteers will judge the best design. Ms. Welsh was planning a top secret design that included bowling pins to replace the "I" in King Pin.

Bill Ranegar used his general contracting business connections to create polo shirts for Antonio and himself with their team logo. Ms. Shelpman said that Ed Henry went "all out" with air-brushed t-shirts for Cassie and himself touting, "I'm on Pap-Pap's Team" and "I'm Pap-Pap."

The event is open to the public.