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Syllabi for Success
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Basic Training Course for Coaches
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It isn't easy being a club lawn bowling coach and for that reason there should be some sort of a course to guide those who volunteer to do the job. Teaching the teachers is one of the jobs that the USLBA Instruction Committee has taken on and we now have a text book to help us. The "USLBA Training Course for Club Coaches and Instructors" is available to all clubs and divisions by the simple expedient of sending $6.00 plus applicable postage to Frank Ransome 1317 Ptarmigan Dr. #5 Walnut Creek, CA. 94595. The postage is always dependent on the weight and the area code.
The course is keyed to the "Summation of Syllabi" that is discussed in another article. All of these, the syllabi, "Helping yourself to be a better bowler" and various other offerings are contained in this one updated booklet. Every person that either volunteers or is drafted to be a club coach should be familiar with what it takes to do the job correctly.
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Almost every country where lawn bowling is played has a syllabus to suit their instructors. In the United States we don't have the finances to assemble a group of knowledgeable experts to publish a book but we can borrow something from every body else. This borrowed information is then put in a binder and called "Summation of all syllabi." Our efforts were guided by some good bowlers, a few coaches and a sports psychologist that specializes in geriatrics. In those days we thought that lawn bowling was a sport for older persons.
We start with the basic syllabus for new bowlers then to "Etiquette and Tactics. The third syllabus is for advanced lawn bowlers followed by a short remedial course to bring everyone up to snuff. This is all followed by some exercises designed to improve individual lawn bowling skill. The entire collection can be had by sending $10.00 plus postage to Frank Ransome, 1317 Ptarmigan Dr. #5 Walnut Creek, CA.
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A NEW PRIMER FOR THE THE SPORT
NOBODY KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT
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The revised lawn bowling primer has many uses at a very reasonable cost. Millions of people go to their doctors and search the magazine rack for something they haven't already read. How many millions of these people have never heard of lawn bowling? This 20 page booklet
could be their introduction to the sport. It should also be must reading for every prospective new member. No matter how many years they have been teaching, a coach can't anticipate all the questions that will be asked during the initial training course. How does this affect the number of first time graduates is a question we can ask ourselves, but there is no source for the correct answer.
If there was a contest to see how many times we visit our doctor, our dentist, our eye glass dispenser I'm sure that I'd finish high up in the standings. Now when I go I carry a supply of the Revised Primers with a return address label stuck on the top above the name. The #8160
1 X 2 5/8s Avery labels just fit above the name of the booklet. Our label has just 5 lines that also just fit.
"LAWN BOWL INFORMATION"
Richmond Lawn Bowling Club
Nicholls Park at 33rd Street
Phone 925-944-5649 Cell 351-9636
E-mail jackhi@sbcglobal.net
It would also be nice if we left our old copy of BOWLS magazine in that same rack just to prove that there is such a thing as lawn bowling.
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Thinking about a new Green
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Many older clubs are beginning to feel the burden of the increased cost of Greens maintenance. Some have sent for the USLBA materials that offer suggestions and others are looking to the manufacturers of synthetic turf for ideas and prices. Synthetic turf falls into two classifications. One is carpet laid over an underlay on a permeable base with adequate drainage and the other is composed of polypropylene fibers reinforced with sand also laid over a permeable base. World Bowls performance standards must be observed and fully adhered to before a green can be accepted. We suggest that the artificial surface be installed over a permeable concrete or macadam substructure and that one contractor be responsible for the entire project. (Note) WB specifications are available through the Membership and Ambassador program.
The Santa Cruz Lawn Bowling Club has just installed a new Balsam Pacific green.
Approved manufacturers and installers are as follows and can be reached by contacting them directly or through the membership committee at jackhi@sbcglobal.net.
Balsam Pacific, (SuperGrasse) ABS Surfaces, 3 Ashton St. Glen Waverly, Victoria 3150 Australia (011-613-9802-1331) email (dgolder@tpg.com.au)
Dales Carpet, Same as above
GreenGauge Carpet, All American Sports Group 275 Grove Street, Bldg. 2, 4th floor, Newton, MA. 02466 (617-663-5777)
Henselite Sportgrass 2000, Lawn Bowls USA, Los Angeles, CA. (310-440-9400)
email: bstudwell@earthlink.net
Mastergreen, Not sold in the US. Mfd. in England
Supergreen, Not sold in the US. Mfd. In New Zealand
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Are we having fun yet?
There are many ways to enjoy the sport of lawn bowling besides following the format outlined by the rules of the game or the U.S. Championships.
The Australians have what they call bare foot bowling. They invite non roster bowlers to play at the club at no charge.
The Southwest Division plays a short game similar to tennis matches. It takes four out of seven games to win a set and 4 out of seven points to win a game. This really speeds up the competition.
Some PIMD Clubs have games where the members of the team switch playing positions during the game. Leads become Seconds and the Skips become leads as the game progresses.
One South-Central Division club plays 16 end games that are broken after 8 ends for refreshments and then resumed with the leads moving one rink to the right or the Skips moving to the left thereby setting up completely different teams.
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Remedial Classes
| Remedial classes cut bowler attrition by a big percentage. Lessons offered by the club or the Division can help bowlers learn the game, become good bowlers, overcome personal problems and have a better time on the green. The more you know about the sport of lawn bowling the more you find to learn and the easier it is to become one of the team. |
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Help Yourself to be a Better Bowler
| Can't seem to get any better or having trouble with your back hand there is one easy way to solve your problem. Roll the Jack properly and you will roll a bowl properly. Stand on the center of the mat, feet parallel but comfortably apart. Stand erect facing down the center of the rink holding the jack with 4 fingers under and the thumb at 1 o'clock. Now an easy step straight ahead, hand goes on front knee and the jack finishes a pendulum swing when the knuckles almost brush the ground. The hand continues the swing until it obscures your aiming point and the jack goes right where you want it to. |
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No Such Thing As Backhand
| When your Skip calls for you to bring your bowl into the head from the left side he is not asking you to change anything except your aiming point. (NOTE* Left handed bowlers would read right side.) You don't change anything in your delivery when you bowl with an opposite hand. You just change the position of your feet and your aiming point. Take the same step, the same arm swing and the same follow through and the same required weight to follow the Skip’s instructions. |
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Need Help Recruiting?
| The membership committee has a good supply of the Australian suggestions about recruiting. This is an ideal program for any club to follow if you are concerned about declining membership. The Ambassador will be glad to work with you to get the most out of materials. |
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Ads and Posters
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The USLBA Membership Committee has worked with the Lake Hodges Club and their advertising agency to develop a set of new posters suitable for use anywhere and for any reason. Some of these were shown in the Spring 2004 issue of Bowls magazine. The headings are: "If you think pitchers throw good curve balls, you haven't tried lawn bowling," "Mind if we throw you a curve," "Lawn bowling. It just looks expensive," "Lawn bowling. It's not just for seniors anymore." The posters can be had by contacting the Membership Committee at jackhi@sbcglobal.net. Be sure to include the message you wish to display on your posters. Suggestions would be the date of your open house, the name of the person to contact for lessons, the days your club is open for bowling and your location or street address.
Ads for your local newspaper can be prepared by contacting Larry Hirsch at larry@hdesign.com Larry will include your message in the ad and forward it to your newspaper in the proper form for printing. This service costs very little and saves all sorts of time and aggravation.
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Working With Kids
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The USLBA Membership Committee has worked with the Lake Hodges Club and their advertising agency to develop a set of new posters suitable for use anywhere and for any reason. Some of these were shown in the Spring 2004 issue of Bowls magazine. The headings are: "If you think pitchers throw good curve balls, you haven't tried lawn bowling," "Mind if we throw you a curve," "Lawn bowling. It just looks expensive," "Lawn bowling. It's not just for seniors anymore." The posters can be had by contacting the Membership Committee at jackhi@sbcglobal.net. Be sure to include the message you wish to display on your posters. Suggestions would be the date of your open house, the name of the person to contact for lessons, the days your club is open for bowling and your location or street address.
Ads for your local newspaper can be prepared by contacting Larry Hirsch at larry@hdesign.com Larry will include your message in the ad and forward it to your newspaper in the proper form for printing. This service costs very little and saves all sorts of time and aggravation.
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