The Elora Rocks Lawn Bowling Club has enjoyed a proud tradition of Sportsmanship in the village of Elora for more than 100 years.
The membership roll reads like an historical who’s who of the community; a tribute to a great local tradition.
Today, its members are working hard to ensure the club has a future. To do that, they have to change the perception about the game they love.
“It’s not a sport for wimps,” laughs Evelyn Robson, who has been enjoying lawn bowling at the club for 10 years.
She said people misunderstand the physical nature of the game, which involves walking, stretching and, in competition settings, long days in the summer heat without the comfort of natural shade. None of those challenges deters Robson from enjoying the sport, because she enjoys being active.
“You have to be able to bend, so you need a good back and knees,” she said. “It’s a long way to throw that bowl down the green.”
Robson and many of her Elora Rocks club mates describe the physical nature of the sport as not necessarily strenuous, but requiring enough physical and mental activity to contribute to a healthy, active lifestyle just the same.
“It’s not strenuous, which is why youth and older people can play,” explained Ian Burns, who inherited the sport from his parents, who were also members of the Elora club.
Forty years into the sport, Burns has a keen skill for the game and passion to see his club continue. “It’s not a throwing game, it is a bowling game,” Burns said. “There are not a lot of rules to remember, either.”
Norma Seibert, president of the club, added, “You have to be a little bit fit. You have to know how to throw the bowl. You have to be stable on your feet too.”
Robson said lawn bowling is “like anything else” – it requires a lot of practice.
“There are a lot of mental strategies in the game … the more you do it the better you get at it. Then you start thinking about the strategy and the draw.”
Burns compares lawn bowling to curling, except played on the grass – known as greens – as opposed to a sheet of ice. Both Sports take turns playing ends on a rink and have teams with skips and vice skips.
“In curling, you are throwing stones to hit the button. In lawn bowling, you are throwing bowls to the small white ball called a jack (or kitty), to see who gets closest. In curling you try to land on the button. In lawn bowling, you aim for the jack, only in our sport, the jack can move.”
Burns adds many curlers make this sport their summer activity.
“They understand the finesse involved. Lawn bowling has the same kind of strategy, the same finesse,” he explained.
The bowls, Seibert said, come in different sizes and weights suited to the needs of the individual player. Each bowl has a bias, meaning that one side is slightly flattened, causing the ball, or bowl, to travel a curved path. The bias of the bowl is a challenge to master. Knowing how to handle the bowl and the force required out of the draw to propel it up the natural grass rink keeps the sport interesting.
“It’s a longevity sport,” said Burns. “Once you start, you can play it for life.”
Seibert agreed, acknowledging several members of the club are in their 80s and 90s, some of whom have been life-long members of Elora Rocks. Many more have been members more than 25 years. Seibert attributes this to a sport that keeps you “fit and alert,” but also to the companionship of the club.
Both have inspired Ann Dalziel to become a certified coach for the club. She has been playing for 25 years and insists lawn bowling “was in her blood,” growing up with a father who loved the sport in her native England.
Now she plays the game year round, enjoying it at her winter retreat in Florida.
“Because I love the sport so much, I get a lot of pleasure teaching people the right way to bowl,” Dalziel said. “Seeing the pleasure on people’s faces when they realize they are coming on in the game is really good.”
She added, “I like the competition too. There is the social aspect in that, because when you travel to compete, you get to know people from all over, and that is great fun.”
Robson admits that for years, a friend tried to get her to come out and try the sport, but Robson wasn’t interested. One day, she acquiesced.
“I knew the moment I threw the first bowl that I liked it,” she said. “I like the competition because I am a competitive person.”
Yet she is quick to add the social nature of the Elora Rocks club is what keeps her playing.
“I have met a whole bunch of new people. For me, it’s all about the experience,” Robson said. “We have a really friendly club but the executive works really hard at that, to keep our club a positive, friendly place.”
Robson cited the creation of a buddy system, so long-standing club members help new members learn the rules of the game, feel welcome in the club house and are kept aware of important social events. They focus on a sense of community at play.
“Our club has one of the best reputations for coaching, friendliness, social events and for welcoming outsiders into the club,” said Seibert. “We really do welcome people. That’s because of our community and the fact that this sport has been around here for a long time, and our members really want to pass it along to other people to enjoy.”
That sense of pride and community tradition began with the Elora Lawn Bowling Association, originally formed in 1906.
Augustus Hobbs, a local hardware store merchant, decided to take up the sport on the advice of his doctor, to improve his health. Intrigued by lawn bowling, he called upon friends to meet at the Elora Town Hall to discuss the possibility of starting up a club. Hobbs got the bowl rolling.
On April 19, 1906, Hobbs and John C. Mundell inaugurated the Elora Lawn Bowling Association. Mundell became the first club president, with Hobbs as vice president and Dr. William Kerr as secretary. Membership cost $5.
Hobbs purchased a plot of land on David Street in Elora, for $75. A formal opening was held that June, and the club boasted 20 members.
The association sent their first competitive team to the Dominion Bowling Club tournament in 1908, with a rink that consisted for Dr. MacGregor, a local dentist, Hobbs, R.H. Harvey, and Dr. W. Kerr. The team won the championship and the local momentum for the sport grew.
In 1928, the membership took a steep jump when the Ladies Club began. The thriving club included 100 active bowlers.
In 1936, Art Bradley and John Burt invested in the sport, spending two summers working to perfect the bowling greens before opening their first season of play on May 30, 1939 on the same grounds Seibert and her club mates use today at 74 David Street East, in Elora.
Since 1987, the club has adopted the name the Elora Rocks Lawn Bowling Club. They are part of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association, governed by Canada Bowls, and are part of District 7, alongside Ayr, Elmira, Guelph, Kitchener, New Hamburg and Preston.
While that sounds impressive, Burns points out, “three clubs in the area have folded due to a lack of membership.” He attributes this to several factors, including the stereotype that lawn bowling is a seniors’ sport or that it is uninteresting – attitudes the club hopes to change.
“It’s hard for us to compete with summer Sports,” Burns said. “There is soccer and baseball, and all these other Sports and families are busy.”
Club member Judy Preston says of the recruitment efforts, “This is very important for the longevity of the club.”
Through outreach programs in local schools and community groups, the Elora Rocks club has tried to recruit new and younger players.
“It is important because the majority of the club is either retired or semi-retired,” Burns explained. “This club is important, especially in such a small community.”
Seibert agreed, adding, “Our club is still healthy, [with 70 active members]. We’ve done well to maintain our members, but we want to keep our game going.”
With an annual fee of $130 and a season that runs from May to September, there are opportunities for both social bowling and league play. Monday and Wednesday nights are for open bowling, with leagues for men, women and mixed teams on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
“You don’t need to have a spouse or a partner, either. We will pair people up,” Seibert said. “You get a chance to meet new people, keep healthy, exercise and have some fun.”
Added Burns, “People just have to come out and try it. There is a little bit of skill involved but anyone can learn. And it’s a great thing to do on a summer evening.”
All that is required are flat shoes and attire similar to golf or tennis. White attire is only necessary for tournament play.
With monthly social barbecues, awards banquets and social bowl nights, the Elora Rocks Lawn Bowling Club has created an atmosphere of friendly competition, serious skill and genuine fun in a healthy, challenging sport imbedded in not just the history of this town, but hopefully its future.
“It is part of Elora, and to our older players, it has always been a very important part of the village,” said Robson. For her, the pleasure of her sport is simple. “There is nothing better than to stand on those greens on a warm summer evening … it’s just so nice.”
For more information on the Elora Rocks Lawn Bowling Club contact Seibert at 519-843-7964.
