Is Lawn Bowling Not Sufficient Entertainment?

There’s a big problem brewing at the Sun City Center in Florida that has got a lot of lawn bowlers pretty upset. The Center needs to be expanded in order to include an entertainment building that would fit the needs of the community and others who use the centre for purposes other than lawn bowling. While this sounds like a great project at first, the expansion also means that one of the three greens the Sun City lawn bowlers are now using would need to be destroyed – so that the entertainment building could be built right over top of it. This news has the 1,500 bowlers that use that green pretty upset. But what might be even more upsetting is that no one was consulted about the new project.

John Bailiff, president of the lawn bowling club said that there are two big problems with the centre’s new project. The first is that the lawn bowling club uses all three of its greens when outdoor tournaments are held – a regular occurrence in sunny Florida. And the second problem is that by taking away one of the greens, bowlers will need to rely only on the other two, greatly adding to the wear and tear and soon rendering the two remaining greens useless, as it won’t take long for them to become destroyed simply from overuse.

But the director of the board, Al Alderman has other arguments. He says that the committee who made the decision did in fact consider all other options before deciding to use the green. And the fact is, there’s no where else to put the new entertainment building. Placing it on the property, away from the third green that’s now in danger, would take up valuable parking space and would soon create a parking shortage. And that would be a huge problem. Alderman has also said that the committee considered putting the building off-site at a nearby intersection, but in fact, that proposed site isn’t so nearby after all; it would leave members walking almost an eighth of a mile.

But the site alone isn’t the only problem Bailiff has with it. One of the biggest problems is that the lawn bowling club was never consulted or asked about the move. Bailiff says, “We were called and told this is happening. That was it.” But that might not be it. Bailiff, along with others at the Centre, have now created their own committee to petition against the new entertainment building and try to stop it from ever crowding out their greens.

Spain Wins European Bowls Championship – by a landslide!

When it came time for countries to place their bids for the European Bowls Championship, one of the most prestigious bowls event there is, and an event that only comes once every two years, Spain was one of many that threw their hats into the ring. Germany, Holland, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, Switzerland, and Portugal were just some of the countries that placed a bid to be named host of this year’s event. After a great presentation, backed by professionals and experts in the sport, and facilities that are up to the task, Spain won it by a landslide. In fact, they won it before it was even announced!

John Muldoon, National Director of Lawn Bowls Spain outlined the initial bid, and the reasons why Spain was the perfect choice to host the event. Sr. Jose Luis Boto, the President of Federacion Espanola de Bolos, then went to Madrid to make the presentation, based on Muldoon’s bid, and while there, also enthusiastically backed the bid. Bob Donnelly, Regional Delegate to the Federacion de Bolos de la Comunidad Valenciana, then outlined the facilities that would be used during the event, and showed how they were more than capable of handling the event.

In addition to showing that Spain was able to host the event, they also showed how it would help the local economy. The value of Spain’s bid, and the way it outlined everything that Spain had to offer, was so appealing and powerful that the other countries withdrew their bids, giving Spain the event.

With so much momentum already building towards such an elite event, Spain has people talking about it this year now more than ever!

Bowls for a Cure!

In Cabramatta, they care about their bowlers! Taking note of the fact that breast cancer is the leading disease among women lawn bowlers, the Cabramatta Bowls Club is hosting an event to raise awareness – and money – for breast cancer research and of course, in the hopes that one day there will finally be a cure.

The Taylor Bowls Corporate Celebrity Bowls Day will take place at the Cabramatta Bowls Club on November 22, at which time there will be a 16-game tournament to declare a winner. Proceeds from the event will be going to support the McGrath Foundation, an organization built by Jane and Glenn McGrath after Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, Jane lost her fight in June 2008, but the name of the foundation is now one that’s common around households in Australia, as it’s done incredible work in helping with the fight against breast cancer. Hosting events like the one at Cabramatta is just one example of the work that the McGrath Foundation has done. And the event’s not just all for a good cause, there’s some real star power behind it too!

A celebrity skipper will lead every team and names such as Craig Lowndes, V8 supercar driver; Kevin Sheedy, AFL Coach; and of course, world champion bowler, Steve Glasson. If you want to be one of the lucky players who gets to compete alongside one of these big names, it costs $2500 to register and you can do so by contacting Taylor Bowls Australia general manager, Tim Howard, at tim.howard@taylorbowls.com before November 15.

Kelvingrove Park Preparing for Commonwealth Games

Ever since Glasgow won the bid for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 Kelvingrove Park, the park that will be hosting the bowls competition and will undoubtedly have some of the best step onto its field, has been busy preparing for the event. And recently they’ve gotten the stamp of approval from Gary Smith, World Bowls chief executive himself, when he visited the field to see what preparations had been done .

“Seeing how advanced Glasgow 2014 are in their planning and preparation, we are confident the city will stage the best lawn bowls competition the Commonwealth has seen,” Smith said after visiting the field. So far the greens have just finished their construction phase, and new turf has recently been put down over those top-notch greens. Over the next three years building up to the Games, there is still more work that will be done and Smith said that he’s excited to see what those changes will be. The City Councillor’s executive member for the Commonwealth Games, Archie Graham, concurred with the chief, saying that “very pleased with the progress being made at the Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre.”

Smith also said that he thought Kelvingrove Park was just what was needed in order to bring the international lawn bowling community together. He’s also looking forward to showcasing Scotland, where World Bowls is based, with some of Scotland’s most famous and most beautiful landmarks thrown in as a backdrop to the field to boot!

2011 United States Lawn Bowling Championships Currently On

Players from all over the United States have gathered in Seattle, Washington to compete against other players in the 2011 United States Lawn Bowling Championships. And while it’s just the second day of the four-day tourney, this one has already had its fair share of excitement and promises to see much more as a winner is crowned this Sunday.

This year the championships are being held at Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club in Seattle and some of the biggest names to compete include Diane Denton, Charlene Harmon, Maxwell Cavender, and Earl Shaner, to name just a few. Opening ceremonies were held yesterday and included a parade of the division championships along with a moving rendition of the national anthem by the choir “Men with Big Bowls.”

Today round robins are being held to determine which teams and singles will compete against each other. The following two days will comprise of tournament play as determined by the round robin, with the playoffs  and closing ceremonies taking place on Sunday.

The 24 men and 24 women that are competing in the national championship have been partaking avidly in their own sub-divisional clubs in order to qualify for the nationals. The tournament is one that not only competitors, but also spectators and lawn bowling fans all across the country look forward to every single year.

Bowling Often Comes at a Cost

There’s nothing but bad news for New South Wales lawn bowling clubs, and many of them are up in arms about it. The RNSWBA, Royal New South Wales Bowling Association, made the announcement this week that all clubs in the region will need to pay a $5,000 fee in order to be able to host state pennant finals. $5,000 may not seem like a lot of money, especially when you’re talking about lawn bowling clubs that get monthly or yearly revenue from their members. But when you consider that the fee for hosting the finals used to be $500, you can easily see why so many club organizers are irate over the substantially increased fee. So why the spike in price, and is it really as unfair as the clubs are claiming?

The hike in the finals fee is ultimately to benefit all members, according to the RNSWBA. This money will be placed into a pool so that other clubs, as well as the hosting club, can withdraw from it whenever their club needs it, such as when they need to travel and cover expenses for it. With current travel expenses for one club being $7,000, one can see why a better solution is necessary. But because of the enormous cost already, will a pool of $5,000 really be enough to solve the problem; especially when that price alone isn’t enough to cover the costs of one club’s travel expenses?

The other side of it, says the RNSWBA, is that smaller clubs need not worry about being able to pay the new price of $5,000. It’s the smaller clubs, especially those in Zone 8, that are especially worried about not being able to meet the new fees. But, the association comes back at those remarks saying that small clubs would never be able to put on that kind of tournament anyway. With state pennant finals so huge and encompassing so many different players, the association says that smaller clubs wouldn’t be able to afford it, with our without the hefty cost just to host it. But, that’s also not the case, says arguers against the increase. Small clubs did in fact host these finals before, and there’s no reason they should be cut out from hosting eligibility because of ridiculous costs.

So who’s right? It’s really hard to say. It is hard to argue that lawn bowlers don’t need help with traveling expenses when they clearly do. But should smaller clubs really be the ones to pay the price? Is $5,000 really a reasonable price to expect clubs to pay, when it’s so much more costly than it once was? It doesn’t really seem so.

Bowls May Soon Come to Jamaica!

In the movies it was bobsledding that shocked the nation of Jamaica. But now the winter sports can move over because a sport that’s more suited to the country’s climate may be the new face on the sports scene – lawn bowling! With all the lush greenery to be found everywhere and the hot, sunny climate, you’d think that lawn bowling has popped up all over Jamaica. But currently, there’s not one club to be found. Not yet anyway;  If Andrew Newell, a born and raised Jamaican himself has his way, there will be one very soon.

Newell fell in love with the sport of lawn bowling after seeing several live matches take place on the many fields scattered throughout London, England. This, coupled with watching any match he could tune into on television, fueled Newell’s love of the game and inspired him enough to get out on the green and start lawn bowling himself. With no club in his homeland though, he had to move across the pond and join the Warlingham club. Now though, Newell wants to represent his home country, in an international setting; and he wants others to do the same. That’s why he feels that now is the time to start getting serious about lawn bowling in Jamaica.

The first stepping stone on his journey to get a lawn bowling club in Jamaica is his visit to his home country, which will take place from July 24 until August 10. Newell is hoping that during this time he will be able to meet with others who are interested in starting a Jamaican lawn bowling club, and searching out areas that would be best suited to the idea of the club.

If you live in Jamaica and are interested in helping Andrew Newell start up a bona fide Jamaican lawn bowling club, he asks you to contact him at mrbrownbeard@aol.com.

Maleny, Australia Paves the Way with Artificial Greens

The Maleny Lawn Bowls Club in Australia has been the first club in Australia to install artificial greens; and the chairman of the club, Ian Hansen, thinks that from the response its gotten before it’s even been played on, and the low maintenance costs, this is an exception that’s going to turn into a standard.

The Maleny Lawn Bowls Club has already had many visitors stop by to check out the artificial greens and see for themselves how they look and feel. Hansen said that the natural green was replaced in the first place because it was running pretty slow and he chose artificial greens to replace it because they had a “truer surface.” And he said, artificial greens also don’t take nearly as long to dry. Even after a heavy rainfall, folks can still be back playing on the new greens in about 20 minutes. In addition to that though, Hansen says that there are many other benefits to artificial greens.

One of those benefits is that there is almost no maintenance cost. While the Maleny Lawn Bowls Club did go into $165,000 worth of debt installing the new greens, they were also able to eliminate the upkeep maintenance services and they were able to get rid of the old equipment for maintaining their natural greens that were constantly breaking down and needing repair or maintenance themselves. And another benefit and eliminated expense? The lack of chemicals that artificial greens need! Of course these greens don’t need any fertilizer, pesticide, or any other toxic chemicals that normally comes with greens.

Maleny, Australia may be one of the first on the Sunshine Coast to install artificial greens in their lawn bowling club, but they’re pretty sure that they won’t be the last. And from the way people are already talking, they’re right! Mooloolah Valley, Mooloolaba, and Pelican Waters are all lawn bowling clubs that are considering having artificial greens installed in their clubs.

Popularity of Lawn Bowls in Malaysia Increases Need for Umpires

Avid lawn bowlers are always saying that the popularity of the game greatly needs to be diversified, and that the game needs more participants and players. But, that popularity has come in grand form in Malaysia and while it’s good news for the local clubs, it also brings a huge need in a key area: umpires. The shortage of umpires in Malaysia right now is huge, and it presents a problem when there are only six umpires in the entire region who can referee international competitions. 

This also spells trouble for the Sumka 2014 competition, the large annual sporting event that features lawn bowling, and that is set to be held in Malaysia in a few years. And, the Sumka 2010 event is bound to only attract even more attention to lawn bowling. Great for lawn bowling clubs and participants in the area, but not so great when there might not be enough umpires to go around. 

Both Level 1 and Level 2 umpires are needed, and interested individuals should look up the local Sarawak Lawn Bowls Association. The Association holds courses throughout the year for those who want to train to become an umpire and move on to becoming an umpire for many years, and continually advancing on to higher levels of lawn bowling umpiring. The latest course was held from July 18 – July 20 and was attended by 24 coaches, teachers, and players. However, the Association has reported that only ten of these have gone on to become an umpire.

If you’re interested in lawn bowling and you live in Malaysia, then contact the Association. Not only is the area desperate for lawn bowling umpires at the moment, but lawn bowling is a great sport and jolly fun to become a part of!