Victoria Curlers Keep Shooting Through the Summer Season

The ice on the rinks inevitably turns to mush every spring but many Victoria curlers simply substitute the button with a jack and take their competitive spirit to one of the local lawn bowling clubs.

Players from the Saturday afternoon League, with the Victoria Lawn Bowling Pavilion in the background (Photo Louise Manga)

“A lot of curlers take part in lawn bowling in the off-season,” comments Louise Manga, Public Relations Director for the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club in Beacon Hill Park.  “Most people don’t realize it, but there really is common ground between the two sports … the bowl curves like a curling stone except the movement comes from a built-in weighted bias rather than the movement of the hand on release and the effects of the pebbled ice surface.” The games also share a similar strategy with a focus on placing the shooter – whether it’s a bowl or a granite stone – in the prime scoring position.  The jack is the sweet spot for the bowlers while the curlers have their eyes fixed on the button. The Host Committee for the 2013 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship, destined for the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre March 30-April 7, recognizes that the bowling greens are fertile grounds for generating awareness of this winter’s premiere sporting event. Promotional materials for the Ford World Men’s are available at local lawn bowling clubs starting with the Victoria where the game first took hold on Vancouver Island more than a century ago.  Interest has grown steadily through the years to the point where nine different clubs presently serve an active membership throughout the summer months. “You Gotta Be There” when international curling’s top shooters take centre-stage in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship.  A Full Event pass ensures you won’t miss any of the action… get yours today by clicking here.