St. John’s keeps rolling — one bowl at a time

St. John’s

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/07/2024 (632 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As years come and go, this Winnipeg lawn bowling club just keeps rolling along.

In Manitoba, lawn bowling season opens in May and runs until September. This provides apt time for a variety of leagues, championships, and workshops for those who are already involved or looking to get into the sport.

For some time, a leading force in opening up lawn bowling to everyone — not just the older population, with which the sport is most commonly associated — has been St. John’s Lawn Bowling Club, located in St. John’s Park on Main Street across from Mountain Avenue.

The club was organized in 1904 and became a mixed club in 1951. Since then, it’s remained a welcoming and accessible placed for anyone who wants to play.

“It’s an evening out, to have fun and to socialize,” said Doreen Lloyd, a member of the club’s executive committee.

Lloyd is relatively new to the sport. The club was great at making her feel welcome and secure when she was first starting out, she said.

“We try to play by the rules, but we’re not really strict with them … It’s more for fun.”

Some members play competitively in other leagues, she said, but come back to St. John’s for a nice environment.

In the last year, the club has actively welcomed kids — notably the Rozmai Ukrainian Dancers, who utilized the club’s and its sport as a way to create safe bonds between younger newcomers and longtime Winnipeggers last August.

St. John’s is not the largest club in the city but it strives to keep up its supportive environment and welcoming nature, even without the prolonged enthusiasm of key player and longtime lawn bowling promoter, Ben Hochman.

Hochman died last October following a cancer diagnosis. He had been involved in the sport, whether it be through playing or coaching, for the majority of his life.

As a way to celebrate Hochman’s influence at the club and within the sport, St. John’s will be hosting a recreational lawn bowling match, open to friends and fellow club members, in his honour in August.

“Ben was instrumental in (helping people) start out in lawn bowling,” Lloyd said. “That’s what he always did for us … (this will be) kind of like something he would do for us, in honour of him.”

In the last couple of years of his life, Hochman pushed for the larger age demographic. Since last year, many new faces at the club have been younger players. The youngest are in their 20s.

“(One member), who’s new with us, Ben really got him into the sport,” Lloyd said. “He’s in his mid-30s, (and) he’s become a very good bowler. It carries on Ben’s legacy, in a sense.”

Hochman’s picture will also be hung in the clubhouse, added Lloyd, and a public bench plaque in St. John’s Park is in the works.

The day in August will also be dedicated to the memory of Phyllis Gridley, a past-president of the club who died in December. A clubhouse picture and bench plaque will also be installed in her honour.

St. John’s will also be hosting a Fours Tournament on July 31, which will be open to a maximum of 10 teams, with members 65 and older, from in and around the city. The invitation is also extended to clubs from as far as Brandon, Man., or Gimli, Man.

At press time, registration had just opened, Lloyd said.

Alongside the special events, the club will operate as normal: on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., and on Tuesday and Friday mornings at 10 a.m.

For more information on tournament registration or St. John’s, in general, visit bowlsmanitoba.com or reach out to club president Caroline Tuan, at cl.tuan@hotmail.com