2008 Canadian Blind Sports National Lawn Bowls Championships

September 8th - Canadian Blind Sports 2008 National Lawn Bowls Championships were held under sunny skies at the Courtenay Lawn Bowling Club, on Vancouver Island B.C. between September 2 – 5th. Twenty-five Lawn Bowlers from Alberta, BC, and Ontario competed in both men’s and women’s divisions of all three of the official International Blind Federation (IBSA) sight classes.

More information and complete results

Lawn Bowls

Lawn Bowls is a fantastic outdoor game for sport enthusiasts who are blind or visually impaired.  Besides providing great social opportunities, Lawn Bowls features plenty of bending, stretching, and walking, resulting in a good cardiovascular workout that develops and maintains both arm and leg strength.

For players who are blind and visually impaired, Lawn Bowls also helps with the retention or development of coordination, sense of direction and distance, and helps all players improve concentration and focus – not to mention it’s a lot of fun!

Lawn Bowls for people who are blind or visually impaired

Lawn Bowls for people who are blind or visually impaired is played the same way as sighted Lawn Bowls with only two key differences: an orientation string will be laid out in the middle of the rink, and each player is allowed a sighted Director to assist with lining-up and describing shots, as well as measuring and scoring the game.

Bowlers and Directors need to work together—much like a golfer and a caddie—so that the Director can become familiar with what descriptions best assist the bowler, and in turn the bowler can become accustomed to the Director’s verbal cues.

Duties of a director include:

• The Director will help orient the player on the mat.
• After the bowl travels down the green, and while the player is still on the mat, the Director will describe its path and its final resting position in the head (area around the jack) as well as any action it might have caused (such as knocking another players ball).
• At the conclusion of the end.  The directors will then escort the players down the center of the rink and position them in their places.
• The Director will keep the players continually informed of the progress of the game.
• The directors will rake in, sort and set the bowls for the players.
• The director will discuss with the player, the placement of the mat, the player will make the decision on the distance it will be placed from the ditch.
• Through verbal instruction and guiding, the director ensures that the player’s feet are in the correct position on the mat and that their grip, bias and alignment are correct for the shot being played. The director must be satisfied that all are as correct as possible before allowing his player to deliver his bowl.
• The director will describe any changes that have taken place in the head when the player again comes to the mat and advise him on what shot is best to play, however the final decision of the shot selection is to be the player’s.

How to play Lawn Bowls

Lawn Bowls is played on a square green measuring 120 feet by 120 (roughly 37 m), which is then divided into 6 rinks that are each 18 feet wide (5.5 m).  Players bowl from a rubber mat measuring 14 by 24 inches (35 by 60 cm), and must have at least one foot on the mat when the ball is released.  The bowls weighs 3.3 lbs (roughly 1.5 kg), and has a slight bulge called the bias, so that the ball follows a curved path.

In lawn bowls for players who are blind and visually impaired an orientation string will be placed exactly half way across the width of the rink and will run the entire length of the green to assist with lining up the shots.

The game begins with a coin toss, and the winner throws out the jack (little white target ball) which must travel a minimum of 75 feet (23 meters).  The players (or teams) then alternate bowling until each player (or team) has thrown all four balls which marks the conclusion of the end.  The Director will guide the bowler down the center of the court to their position around the head (the area around the jack).  The player whose ball is the closest will score one point for each ball that is closer than his / her opponent (it is scored the same way as curling). Therefore if all four of one player’s balls are closer, they would score four out of four possible points for that end.  If three of one player’s balls are closer they would score three of four possible points for that end.  If each player has two balls that are closer each player would score 2 points.

Singles games are usually scored in points and go to 15, 21, or 25. Doubles and triples are scored in ends (meaning the team with the most points at the conclusion of each end receives 1 end) and doubles games go to 18 or 21 ends, and triples 18 ends. 

Canadian Blind Sports Lawn Bowls Nationals

The 2008 Canadian Blind Sports Lawn Bowls Nationals will feature singles competition only, with all games finishing at 21 points.

To be eligible to participate, the bowler must be classified into one of three official International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) sight classifications – B1, B2, B3, and have must have qualified through one of Canadian Blind Sports provincial member associations.

There will be a men’s and women’s division for each of the sight classes.

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