(Members and guests of the Ottawa Short Mat Bowls Club located in Stittsville, gather to celebrate the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant provided to the club. Photos: Stittsville Central)
The Ottawa Short Mat Bowls Club was established in 2018 by Wayne Harding, the current President of the club and a resident of Stittsville, along with a few friends. The group wanted a winter activity that would link in with the summer sport of lawn bowling. They started the venture with the first game played in December 2018 on two very old mats that were borrowed from the Nepean Lawn Bowling Club. The club members spend Monday and Wednesday afternoons at the Johnny Leroux Arena where they gather to enjoy a few sociable games of short mat bowling – a Canadian indoor sport from October to April when lawn bowling clubs are closed.
Since 2018, interest has increasingly grown for the sport and the Stittsville club has expanded from a mere 12 players to a current membership of about 40 – fostering the development of two additional short mat bowling clubs in Nepean and Deep River. The membership includes those who travel to the Stittsville club from Galetta, Nepean and further, with the oldest being aged 91, just wanting to play a social game during the winter. Some of the members look forward to possibly representing Canada at the 2028 World Short Mat Bowling Championships to be hosted for the first time by Canada in St. Catharines, Ontario. To participate in the Championships, players must first be selected to play by the Canadian Short Mat Bowls Association.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, Gary Thomas, Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) for the Champlain District, which encompasses Stittsville, was in attendance to present a grant in the amount of $10,200.00 for a new short bowl mat, bowls and related equipment.
“I am pleased to be here in Stittsville to provide this funding to the Short Mat Bowls Club. This year, the Ontario Trillium Foundation is celebrating 40 years of providing funding to projects such as this that support and encourage physical and social activities for the community,” stated Thomas. This funding will assist the club to increase its ability to provide short mat bowling to a rising number of people in the Ottawa area.
Gary Thomas shared with Stittsville Central that 40 years ago the OTF were working with a grant budget of $10-15 million per year. Today they have a grant budget of $100-115 million per year for the 16 OTF regions throughout Ontario and have invested in over 1,022 community projects. The OTF is one of Canada’s leading granting foundations with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario.
“The sport of Short Mat Bowls is a version of lawn bowls only played indoors on mats that are 45 feet long. The mats and bowls are very expensive, with mats costing $3,000 each, and would be well beyond the ability of most clubs to acquire without support through government grant programs such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation,” said Wayne Harding, President of the club.
Harding told the members and guests, “with the funding received today, more members of our community will now be able to get out and socialize during the winter months while participating in an active sport. I thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their contribution to a healthy sport and our community.”
On hand was Carleton MPP, Goldie Ghamari, who stated, “Our government is investing in the health of adults and seniors in Carleton by expanding opportunities for them to be physically and socially active throughout the year. Ottawa Short Mat Bowls Club, with funding from our government, will purchase new equipment that will enable lawn bowling participants to play a modified version of the sport in the winter, and continue to enjoy the company and community that this program fosters.”
Councillor Glen Gower shared, “it was great to meet the participants and learn more about the sport. What a great activity to help keep older adults active and connected in the community. We’re proud to host their weekly games at the Johnny Leroux Arena Hall.”
Not only was the funding being celebrated, but it was also member Bill Sheffield’s birthday. As Bill donned his birthday hat, a round of applause with Happy Birthday being sung by the members made for a special day for the Ottawa Short Mat Bowls Club.
If you wish to try short mat bowling, the cost to bowl is currently $2.00 per session, but new bowlers are welcome to come and try the sport for free. Interested in learning more about the Ottawa Short Mat Bowls Club visit their website at: https://ottawashortmatbowlsclub.weebly.com/.