National Championships Change in Progress
Ottawa, ON. | Nov. 24, 2016
Representatives of the Competition Review and Restructuring working group met this past weekend in Ottawa, Ontario. Darryl Fitzgerald (Kitchener, ON), Dave Cox (Calgary, AB), Jake Schuknecht (BCB) and Anna Mees (BCB) reviewed and analyzed all the material that had been submitted from the various survey’s, national competition summit, provincial mini-summits, and submitted proposals.
After a long two days, the working group has come up with the first step towards recommendations for a revitalized championship structure. Their work will now be validated by the National Operational Committees who will continue the process of filling in any gaps and ensure the recommendations are sustainable and meaningful. From there, the proposed recommendations will be presented to the BCB Board of Directors before going to the Provincial Bowls Associations for their feedback. Pending the length of the feedback cycle, BCB is on track for a final decision to be made by the Board of Directors before the start of the 2017 season.
“It is time to refresh and renew the Championships” stated Darry Fitzgerald, working group member.
The mandate of the federal government, and many of the provincial governments, to clearly align the national competition structure with long-term athlete development principles provided the organization an opportunity to adjust the sustainability gaps that currently exist within the national championship structure.
The recommendations were weighed against several competition principles before being deemed a worthwhile proposal. These were the same principles that were reviewed and validated at the national bowls competition summit in February 2016. The concepts included the need for a clear pathway for development, the ability to run quality events, meaningful competition for the participants, and the need to support clubs and provincial bowls associations. In addition, all potential recommendations were also analyzed against their ability to address existing concerns, such as decreasing overall participation, increasing costs to run events, difficulty in securing hosting facilities, volunteer burnout, and no clear link between national competitions and bowler development.
Any changes to national championships will take effect no earlier than the 2018 bowling season.
For more information, please contact:
Katie Gardner, Communications and Promotions Manager, Bowls Canada Boulingrin
kgardner@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.
