55 Plus Games

4 MANITOBA 55+ GAMES presented by Playnow.com Health Issues Used to Control Our Lives ... Now We Do. Skills to Cope. Support to Thrive. Find a free workshop near you: getbettertogether.ca p 204-632-3927 13 TH AN N UAL F R E E A D M I S S I O N ! LEARN MORE AT AOEXPO.CA A & O : S u p p o r t S e r v i c e s f o r O l d e r A d u l t s ' 5 5 + H o u s i n g & A c t i v e L i f e s t y l e s E x p o p r o v i d e s o l d e r M a n i t o b a n s a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s w i t h a v a r i e t y o f h o u s i n g o p t i o n s , a c t i v e l i f e s t y l e o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d s u p p o r t s e r v i c e s n e c e s s a r y f o r a g i n g w e l l . F R I D AY, M AY 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 1 0 : 0 0 A M – 4 : 0 0 P M V I C T O R I A I N N 1 8 0 8 W E L L I N G T O N AV E . BY DANA BALUK ■ Jack Dubnicoff knows exactly the reputation lawn bowling has and he's out to smash that misconception. "Everybody thinks, 'Lawn bowling? I'm not 80 years old. I gotta have a hip replacement or a heart transplant, then it's time to lawn bowl,'" he says. The truth is, anyone can (and does) enjoy the sport. There happens to be a growing number of junior players in the city. "Lawn bowling is for everybody and it's for life." Dubnicoff asserts. It is a social, idyllic activity played on an expanse of grass much like a golf green. Because it's not a strenuous sport you can have grandparents, parents and their children all playing alongside one another, walking and talking in a gorgeous outdoor setting. The word bowling is a somewhat of a misnomer though. The game more resembles curling on grass. As with any game played on grass, the surface can be an added challenge — you take it as it grows. To make it even more exciting, the bowls you are trying to roll with some accuracy are oval, not round. The game is played by delivering the bowls in a motion somewhat like in five-pin bowling towards a target referred to as a 'jack.' The jack is a small white ball which is delivered at the start of the game and it remains in place as the target throughout each end. The bowls are constructed with a bias which means that their trajectory will curve either from the outside in or the inside out depending on how they are delivered. Thus, the sport is very much a game of finesse. Games can be played in a singles, doubles, triples or fours format and they take about 90 minutes to two hours to play. Anyone interested in giving lawn bowling a try is treated to a personal coaching session at St. John's Lawn Bowling Club. "For the new bowlers, we take them aside on a separate rink and teach them the basics, so when you get into the game you know exactly what to do and you don't have to feel intimidated. That's very important to us," says Ben Hochman of St. John's Bowling Club. The non-strenuous nature of the game is appealing to an older demographic. It is, in fact, one of the events featured in the Manitoba 55+ Games presented by PlayNow.com which will be held in Selkirk June 16-18 this year. With no lawn bowling facility available in Selkirk, the St. John's Lawn Bowling Club at 1199 Main St. in Winnipeg will host the event, supported by members of all eight affiliated lawn bowling clubs from Winnipeg, Gimli and Brandon. The Manitoba 55+ Games presented by PlayNow.com will feature women's, men's and mixed doubles events. There will be separate competitions for those with less than two years of experience and for those with more than two years of experience. This is in the hopes of levelling the playing field and ensuring a positive and fair game experience. Winners in each category will qualify to represent Manitoba at the Canada 55+ Games in Kamloops, B.C., Aug. 25-28. There is even a world championship for lawn bowling held every four years. So far the closest lawn bowling has made it to becoming an Olympic sport was as a demonstration event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Hochman and Dubnicoff would love to see it on the roster. Their passion for the sport is convincing. "Come out and try, then you can judge for yourself!" Hochman said. Lawn bowling for life THE ST. JOHN'S LAWN BOWLING CLUB WILL HOST COMPETITION IN THE SPORT AT THE MANITOBA 55+ GAMES PRESENTED BY PLAYNOW.COM. SARAH TAYLOR / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

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