Competition was fun and light on the greens Tuesday morning.
Four teams of four players were trying to roll their bowl as close to the white jack (target) as possible as two games were underway.
"Who's shot?" comes the question from one end of the green.
"We are. We're sitting two for sure," said the skip, the player at the other end.
A couple of bowls surround the jack.
"OK, one more for the road."
The bowl is thrown and when it comes to a stop, three points are scored.
There's laughter and giggling, and sportsmanship too.
The sport? Lawn bowling. And with the cutbanks providing a backdrop overlooking the greens of Prince George's facility on 3rd Ave. between Wainwright and Watrous Streets, conditions were perfect under warm, sunny skies on Tuesday.
"It's great to be out here on a day like this," said club member John Warner. "There's the camaraderie, exercise, and we're a good bunch. We're very welcoming."
About 30 members belong to the Prince George Lawn Bowling Club. New players are always welcome to check the game out for themselves four days a week: Tuesdays (10 a.m.); Wednesdays (7 p.m.); Thursdays (1 p.m.); and Sundays (2 p.m.).
The first two games are free and, after that, participants can pay a $25 membership fee plus $5 per game or $100 per year, which covers everything.
Bring-a-friend day is slated for Father's Day on Sunday, June 15, at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend the hot dog barbecue as well as play a game or an end or two.
"It really is an inexpensive sport," said Warner. "The only thing we ask people to have are flat-soled shoes and no grippers. The club has a good assortment of bowls for players to use.
"We're very lucky with the winter we had of freezing and thawing. There's not as much winter-kill and the greens are in good shape."
Even for those who don't know the game, have no fear: everyone is willing to teach you the rules. Teams are made up prior to the games.
The object: roll your bowls closer to the jack than your opponents. It's similar to curling, except it's on grass and there aren't any sweepers.
Teams of between one to four players throw bowls (balls) that have running surfaces that cause them to curl as they roll down the green toward the jack.
The bowl that's closest to the jack earns a point.
"Unlike curling the weight remains constant," said Warner. "Weight is the last thing that people master. And men don't have an advantage over the women. I don't think either [gender] has an advantage.
"It's like any sport, you can't expect to go out and be good at it right away. You try to improve every game."
Games are comprised of 12 ends and as many as eight games can be played at once on the Prince George greens.
Players take a break after six ends and relax with juice, water and cookies under the Rotary gazebo.
"We try to keep it fairly casual," said Wayne Scoville.
"It's a good summer sport, everybody can play," added Jeanne Moffat.
But there's a competitive side to the game as well.
Joy Warner, John Warner, Grace Vallee and Scoville comprise the Zone 9 lawn bowling squad that will compete at the B.C. Seniors Games Sept. 9-13 in Langley.
The club has a rivalry with Quesnel's lawn bowlers as well. Prince George players will compete in Quesnel's tournament in July, and those from the Gold Pan City will return the favour when they compete in the Prince George tournament in August.
A toonie tournament wraps up the season in late September.
For more information on the club, contact John Warner at 250-563-4888.
