First Championships of the 2023 Season Wrap Up
The first two national championships of the 2023 bowls season have come to a close. The second ever Para-Bowls Championships, featuring bowlers with visual and physical impairments, finished up play at the Stanley Park Lawn Bowling Club in Calgary, AB. The Canadian Youth Championships, featuring athletes in Under 18 and Under 25 divisions, wrapped up at the Regina Lawn Bowling Club after four days of fierce competition.
Para-Bowls Championships
After formal classification took place before the competition began, six athletes with visual impairments and seven athletes with physical impairments took to the greens at Stanley Park Lawn Bowling Club for the second Canadian Para-Bowls Championships. After its inaugural showcase in 2022, players from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick gathered in Calgary to compete for a Canadian title.
Visually Impaired (B1-B4)
On the visually impaired side, British Columbia’s Randy Fred (B1) and Dave Ruckman (B4) took home undisputed gold medals, while the B2 and B3 categories were hotly contested. Louise McLean (ON) defeated Heather Hannett (AB) in the B2 final, winning 4-3 and 9-4 in straight sets. Vivian Kwan (AB) and Jay Gatley (BC) went to a tiebreak in the B3 division with Kwan coming out on top 12-5, 4-6, 2-0.
Physically Impaired (B5-B8)
In the physically impaired divisions, Jack Smart (AB) defeated Chelsea Robertson (ON) in the B6 classification 7-2, 10-1 to take gold in straight sets. Andy Caldwell (ON) capped off an undefeated run, defeating Anne Hibberd (AB) 8-0, 7-3 to claim the B7 gold medal.
Youth Championships
With the support of MVP Sports, the Youth Championships took place from July 26th-30th in Regina, SK. 38 athletes from six different provinces gathered to compete over four days in the Under 18 and Under 25 divisions.
Under 18 Division
Nine Under 18 girls played a full round robin, with Alberta and British Columbia dominating the podium. Defending champion Kiera Schaelow (AB) defeated Gwyneth Chang (BC) 18-7 to claim gold once more, while Teryn Mitchell (AB) defeated Rhian Wilson (BC) 18-16 for the bronze.
With 11 Under 18 boys, two groups were needed. Local Saskatchewan native Lo Wong defeated Ontario’s Jacob Hyatt 18-3 in the semifinals, while defending champion Logan Saunderson (BC) took down Clayton Hui (BC) 18-10. In the repeat finals matchup from 2022, Saunderson and Wong put on a show with the final score being 18-16 in Saunderson’s favour. In the bronze medal match, Hui defeated Hyatt 18-15.
Under 25 Division
The Under 25 Men’s field had 11 athletes across two pools. Erik Galipeau (ON) took down Curtis Wartman (ON) 21-6 in the semifinals, while Auzzie Chambers (BC) defeated Yu Hang Hui (BC) 21-19 to advance to the finals. In the medal rounds, Galipeau claimed gold 21-14 over Chambers, while Wartman took bronze over Hui 21-11.
The Under 25 Women’s field saw seven athletes complete a full round robin. Current National Team athletes Baylee Van Steijn (ON) and Jordan Kos (SK) duked it out in the finals, with Kos taking the gold 21-14. PEI’s Amy Spence defeated Luci Ewen (BC) 21-17 to take the bronze. Kos and Van Steijn will join forces later in August when Team Canada departs for Australia’s Gold Coast to compete at the 2023 World Bowls Championships.
Forster-Lang Pairs
In addition to the singles events, a pairs event named after long-time youth supporters Henry Lang and Irene Forster took place. Mixing the Under 18 participants with the Under 25 participants, a field of 19 teams competed across four groups. Ontario’s Erik Galipeau took home another gold, alongside partner Aghyad Barakat (AB), defeating the Ontario duo of Jake Masterson and Dekker Ly 11-6 in the finals. Curtis Wartman and Clayton Hui both secured additional bronze medals, taking down Jordan Kos and Kiera Schaelow 10-4.
As the official awards and recognition supplier for BCB, Nothers The Award Store provided all medals for the event.
For more information, please contact Jake Schuknecht at jschuknecht@bowlscanada.com.
About Bowls Canada Boulingrin
Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB) is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada. The BCB mission is to advance the sport of bowls in Canada. For more details on Bowls Canada Boulingrin and the sport of lawn bowls, visit www.bowlscanada.com.
About MVP Sports 
Proud supporter of the Canadian Junior and Under 25 Championships and National Bowls Day, MVP Sports is Canada’s leading lawn bowls equipment distributor since 1985. MVP Sports is the inventor, developer, and sole distributor of the world’s best bowls delivery aid, the Ubi-Launcher. Revolutionizing the bowls world, MVP Sports assisted in the development of the SRPM, the world’s only accurate tool for testing green speeds. For more information on MVP Sports please visit www.mvpsports.ca.
About Nothers The Award Store
For more than 50 years, Nothers The Award Store has been a supplier of awards and recognition products to Sport Associations, Schools, Professional Associations, Corporate Markets and Service Clubs. Servicing the likes of Western University, Volleyball Canada and Pet Valu to name a few, Nothers has the capacity to service everything from National Championships to local leagues with custom medals and awards, signage and promotional products. The company is Ontario-based and services Canada-wide.
