Bowls development programme a success

Busi Vilakazi

The Rhodes Park Bowling Club held a Christmas party for the bowls development programme to close the bowls season and celebrate the children’s progress in the sport.

“When the children first came in they did not know anything about bowls. I wondered if they would stick around and they have and love the sport,” said Johannesburg Bowls Association district coach Cindy Hoffman.

The development programme was launched in June and classes are held every Saturday from 9am to 11am.

“The classes have been a success and six months later it’s growing strong. The programme is all about getting the young generation interested in bowls.

“The sport is dying and we want to revive it, and the best way to do that is teaching young people about the sport, and the nice thing about bowls is it’s easy and not expensive,” said Hoffman.

The programme is an initiative of the Rhodes Park Bowls Club to give back and get the community involved in the club.

“Clr Carlos da Rocha suggested to us as a club to get the community involved and we thought what do we do best and that is bowling. We decided to start this programme to share our skills with the youth,” said club member Terry Wilson.

Wilson said the programme so far has been training children from Johannesburg Children’s Home.

“The children are amazing on the green. We see them growing in this sport. We would like to invite more young people to come and join us – they might even enjoy it,” said Wilson.

The plan for the programme is to extend it to the schools in the area.

“We would like to see schools in the area getting into the bowls programme. We can have national players come from this programme. We encourage every child to get involved,” said Hoffman.

The children have been making so much progress over the months and are fit to compete.

“We will be selecting four children to compete in the provincials in April. They have proven themselves that they are ready to grow in the sport and competing is a way to measure their progress,” said Hoffman.

She said the programme is aimed at helping youngsters achieve goals through dedication.

“They came in with no idea of how to play. But now they get onto the green and enjoy playing. They have dedicated themselves and worked hard and I’m very proud of them,” said Hoffman.

She said the team is doing well and they now need sponsors for T-shirts, balls, shoes and sunblock.

“For any player to perform their best they need the right attire and equipment. Most of the children in the programme come from a disadvantaged background and cannot afford it. We would appreciate if the community can support us,” said Hoffman.

Johannesburg Children’s Home head of operations Fiona Duke said she is proud to see the children make so much progress in the sport.

“We always encourage them to participate in the community and network with people outside the home. When the club invited us to this programme it was an opportunity for them to learn a new skill and they enjoy themselves,” said Duke.

The programme will be closed for the festive season and resume on January 27.

For more information email terrywilson632@gmail.com