Byron Nate is the tournament director at the Kelowna Lawn Bowling Club and shares this article about their yearly Ann and Helene Memorial Kelowna 5s tournament.
In the heart of the Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia we find the city of Kelowna nestled amongst some of the most beautiful fruit and wine orchards in North America. From May 1st through September 30th, you will find a hub of lawn bowling activity located alongside the Okanagan Lake in Kelowna’s City Park – The Kelowna Lawn Bowling Club.
During the last week in August for the past 7 years (well not in Covid 2020), the Kelowna Lawn Bowling Club hosts an interesting and extremely popular 3-day tournament:
The Ann & Helene Memorial Kelowna 5s.
The tournament was named in honor of two of our most dedicated and loving sisters, Ann Paterson and Helene Hlokoff who continue to watch over us from their lawn bowling greens in heaven. Both the Paterson and the Hlokoff families continue to support our club financially and graciously donated the cherished Ann and Helene Memorial trophy. As well, Helene’s daughters and their husbands are active members of the club and one couple are active within the Executive. The helping tradition carries on.
Each team entering the Ann & Helene Memorial 5s tournament is made up of five players, 3 men and 2 ladies or 3 ladies and 2 men. Over the 3 days, each 5-member team will be playing singles, fours, pairs and triples. For each draw slot, the team captains must submit how their team of 5 will be split into their respective four and single or pair and triple. Each day, the team split must be changed from the day before, so all the players will be participating in more than one category – singles, pairs, triples and fours. It is quite a mixer.
As the draws progress, the computerized scoring system quickly ranks the results and splits the teams into four events of 4 teams each – A-Event, B-Event, C-Event and D-Event. The cash prizes are distributed to the top two teams in each event. Therefore, even newer players who are not yet as skilled as the A-Event players can be totally competitive in a lower event and stay excited right to the end of the tournament.
The social and kitchen genius of our beloved sisters Ann and Helene still continues to this day. When we get a full slate of 16 teams, 80 bowlers enjoy the best of food, comradery, and lawn bowling competition for 3 fun filled days in our beautiful Okanagan summer.
Kelowna Lawn Bowling Club: https://kelownalawnbowlingclub.com
