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Lawn Bowlers Membership Jumps

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By LAURA CONE

The Sun

Published: January 14, 2009

Suzanne Bellerose, the new president of the club, said lawn bowlers will have the chance this new year to literally bowl morning, day and night.

The Sun City Center Lawn Bowling Club experienced a 10 percent jump in membership this past year which marked the first increase in three years. It's not a small task for a club that is only one of hundreds of clubs sponsored by the Sun City Center Community Association.

"Sun City Center has so many clubs to join," Bellerose said. "Everyone is fighting for you. Lawn bowling is wonderful because you are outside in the fresh air."
Bellerose said lessons are free when people are learning how to play the game.

"Then the nice part is if you show up you bowl, if you don't show up it does not matter because we always bowl with different teams," she said, adding the group has about 225 members. Most of the people in the group live in Sun City Center while a few come from Kings Point. They usually play with three people to each side.

This is the third year Bellerose has participated in the club. She moved to SCC three years ago from Apollo Beach where she had lived for 14 years.

Although they bowl all year round, they take part in the tournament season through January, February and March.

"We travel to Sarasota, Clearwater and Lakeland to compete against local teams," she said.

March 7-13, the Sun City Center Lawn Bowlers will host the United States Lawn Bowling Association's Southeast Open.

People from all over the country will arrive in SCC for the tournament. They typically play two games a day during the weeklong tournament that includes mixed pairs, fours and singles.
Bellerose will play in the Southeast Open on the women's team.

This year, she plans to increase the number of social activities for Lawn Bowlers, including hot-dog roasts and dining out Tuesday and Friday nights.

"That's new this year," she said. "It's a very social club. Lawn bowlers are really nice people and very friendly. It's a nice way to spend your time."

During the winter season, they start bowling at 4 p.m. In the summertime, they start at 5 p.m.

Joe Coleman, the retiring president of the club, said the dues are $90 per member, which is the same as this past year.

At a recent meeting, Coleman paid tribute to Gretchen Meixner for her work with the monthly Lawn Bowling classes.

"She volunteers her time and runs a nice five-day class," Coleman said of Meixner. "People end up playing with regular members on the last day."

Coleman also runs a free clinic on occasion. He had 45 people show up for one clinic.

"We gave them an idea of what the game is about and explained the rules," he said. "We showed them the greens they played on. We let them roll. We had instructors for every couple people."

Coleman said he often stops to talk to spectators who come out to see them bowl.

Lawn bowling is not for everyone, according to Coleman. He said some people find out right away if it's not for them when they pick up the "bowl," or ball.

"Some people have arthritic hands and can't grip the bowl," he said. "They just can't take bending over and up and down. There are some who are natural athletes that come out and roll and have success immediately. Then we encourage them to come back for the five-day clinic."

For more information, call Coleman at (813) 634-5040.

Editor Laura Cone may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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