Happy With The Present, Excited About The Future
We are fast approaching the Coronado Lawn Bowling Club’s 80th birthday and the five-year anniversary of the new championship quality green. For many of us who started bowling on the new green, it is hard to believe that we have now been bowling for nearly half a decade. A highlight of this year was Jim Olson leading our League Players to winning not only the South League but going on to win the Waterbury All League Competition. Our new Club Singles Ladder has been active throughout the year and we will continue that competition in 2015. Finally, some of our members were trained in the Australian method of teaching and we are trying to spread the knowledge and gain our stride with it.
Last year was a year of breaking many records in accomplishment by members, attendance and green use. This year, in accordance with the wishes of President, Bernie Roeder, we focused on increasing volunteerism. While we can still improve, we have gained new members who are showing strong support of the volunteer activities of the club. While overall membership has not shown spectacular growth, our new member numbers are steadily increasing enough to replace members who do not renew and gradually adding to the number of members who bowl on a regular basis. We are pleased that our new members also enter our club tournaments and attend our social events.
So, where do we go from here and what does the future hold for the Coronado Lawn Bowling Club? As time moves on, changes continue to occur. Our elementary, middle and adult school programs have not continued to draw large numbers. However, our Twilight Open Bowling, Free Lessons, and private events are taking over as our primary source of growth opportunities. A recent addition has been Oasis Classes geared to seniors not only in Coronado but in San Diego County. We also informally held after school sessions for students from Sacred Heart School.
The Coronado Lawn Bowling Club, like all Lawn Bowling Clubs must begin to re-invent itself in order to survive and thrive. We must look as far away as Australia where, over the last decade, the 2,000 lawn bowling clubs have been rejuvenated by the young twenty and thirty-something “barefoot bowlers.” We have been working with the City of Coronado to design a new “club house” which will be combined with an activity center for adults. This opportunity will lead to many additional changes and opportunities to become a really great lawn bowling club. Of course, we will have to live through the period when the old facility is demolished and the new one constructed, but we are excited, eager and definitely up to that challenge. We will all certainly miss Recreation Services Director, Linda Rahn, but wish her many happy years of retirement. We look forward to getting to know and work with the Interim Parks and Recreation Services Director, Roger Miller.
My goal, as your new President, is to maintain a positive environment as we face the challenges of construction of our new facility.
Sincerely,
Bob Grobe
Bob Grobe
President, Coronado Lawn Bowling Club
Benefitting the community through enhanced opportunities to play the game of Lawn Bowling
San Diego County Residents Free Lessons by Appointment
Call: 619-319-5509 www.coronadolawnbowling.com