Starting a Youth Program at your Club – ideas for success
submitted by Ken Bunner
A case study of the successful Oshawa Youth Program
GETTING STARTED - importance of a YOUTH PROGRAM
Oshawa had a thriving ‘Junior Program’ in the 1970,s and 80’s with some of our ‘then junior members’ still involved with our club and some still winning National Championships i.e. David and Rob Steffen returned as Canadian Pairs Champions in 2017. The proof here is that Youth return to membership with the club as Adult Members and do well in this sport - building upon their Junior Years.
Rekindled in 2012, our current Youth Program grew out of an interest from a small group of our Oshawa club members who recognized the potential for growth in overall membership. Our particular goal was to create a place where families could come together to enjoy the sport of lawn bowling by creating Family Days. The hope was that working parents would join along with their children. We also wanted grandparents who were already members to encourage their extended families to become members.
There were already other clubs in District #14 that were running successful Youth tournaments: Lindsay, Peterborough, and Cobourg. With that, now in its 40th year, we revived a long standing Oshawa Tournament for Youth, ‘the Jack Hunter Tournament’, which has grown over the past 6 years attracting more than 45 Youth Bowlers each year in August. All the tournaments for Youth in District #14 are well attended. That’s another point that has helped us to be successful, there are a good number of tournaments for Youth in District #14 creating a spirit of comradery through friendly competition.
It is through the example of several long-time OLBA members in our District that our program has grown, members such as: Gord Terwillegar (Oshawa), Andy Caldwell (Peterborough), Roy & Shelley McCartney (Lindsay), Sharyl Ann Milligan (Cobourg) and Ivo & Linda Nightingale (Peterborough). With their advisement, Youth Programs have continued to thrive in District #14 by providing a well-organized schedule of tournaments during the summer months. To hold Youth in a program, it is essential to provide and encourage regular competition. Competition tests skill development. It is also important to involve youths in tournaments that are usually restricted to the Adult members when the young bowlers are ready. Involvement in tournaments will foster ‘holding power’ for your Youth Program.
BOWLS to SUPPORT a PROGRAM
The initial conversation at our club was about the need to have suitable equipment to support a Youth Program. The target group for our Program is grade 5 and up. Most grade 5 students can handle a size 0 or size 00 bowl. When beginning, ensure that you have the proper bowls for your target group. Youth bowlers will not initially invest in bowls.When getting started, check out the available equipment and supplement what you have before embarking on a recruitment strategy.With that request at the outset, our Club Executive authorized the purchase of 6 sets of size 0 bowls and an additional 6 sets of size 00 bowls and we were given a storage area for the Youth Program equipment.
IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL COACHES & on being a HEAD COACH
Anyone that has a grandchild joining becomes an easy to enlist volunteer. Members with experience working with Youth will also be quick to step forward and volunteer. In our club, we have 10 members that show-up regularly to help at our Youth practices. Keeping these volunteers motivated and involved takes a lot of time and effort. Finding the right volunteers is a very important aspect to consider when starting up a Youth Program. When you take on being the ‘Lead Dog’ for this initiative, be reminded that it is not always going to be easy. Stick with it! Your personal commitment is needed first. Volunteers look for direction. In Oshawa, we have a dedicated group of caring coaches. That matters for success!
CREATING a LOGO & FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Early in the planning, we created a Youth Program Logo and purchased T-shirts, offered ‘free with a Youth Membership’, so that our young bowlers would start off with a uniform. We kept the membership cost low, only $25 for the entire season and have only recently raised the membership to $50. Youth usually pay an additional $6 - $10 which includes lunch for each Youth Tournaments that they attend and this usually amounts to about another $50 for the season. In Oshawa, we open the season with Youth Registration in late April so that we can begin practices early in May. Registration Day is a Family Day. We host a free Hot-dog Party with a celebration cake cutting. Families remain during the lunchtime to ‘meet and greet’ and everybody bowls. Some of our young members usually have a new set of personal bowls that they want to tryout. We also run a closing Family Pizza Party financed by our club to end the season in late August. At each event, parents who are non-members sign a release form and join in the fun.
RECRUITMENT PAMPHLET & TEAM UNIFORM
We used the Youth Program Logo, ‘a caricature of a bowling family’ drawn by one of our members, to prepare our first recruitment pamphlet for the Youth Program. We have since introduced a brochure, called ‘the Bulletin’ to highlight the past accomplishments of our Youth members. This is handed out by our Youth members to friends, family and schoolmates. I have made inroads with the local Youth Program at our community Alley Bowling facility where we net a sizeable number of new young members. Also, we now have everyone suited up in a team crested golf shirt which is our team uniform. This competitive uniform was introduced as optional team attire but all families instantly invested in this competitive jersey at an additional cost of $50. The interest was much to my surprise! The crested golf shirt gives us additional ‘holding power’ and commitment from our Youth bowlers. Pay and Stay.
PRACTICE TIMES & SCHEDULING
We start training at the beginning of May twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30pm – 7:00pm. The Adult Evening Program begins at 7:00pm. This means that our Youth Program is always seen by our members making it special for everyone. Our Adult members often comment on the great bowling by our Youth. Week by week, the Adult members can witness a measurable improvement in the performance of our Youth. Our young bowlers are permitted to stay and bowl with the Adult League until 8:30pm if they wish. Having an overlap of scheduling also helps for our Adult members to see how much discipline the Youth Program has encouraged. Everyone is focused and no one is ‘out of control’. Some Adult Members initially had a concern that the club would become a place where young kids would take over and run around causing havoc. Not so. For the most part, kids want and need structure; they respond appropriately with politeness, courtesy, and orderliness.
TOONIE TOURNAMENTS – IN-HOUSE
About 5 times during the season last year, we mixed Youth and Adults making teams for a ‘Toonie Tournament’ during practice time. Usually, we had about 50 members involved. We set teams so that most of our Youth bowlers were skips. Each time the format varied from doubles to triples to fours etc. The entry fee was a toonie. The winning teams took home the money, twice the entry fee. This brought Youth and Adults together. It allowed Youth to have more tournament experience. Our Youth were always getting good advice and complements from our Adult Membership. It was easy to organize, just another jitney involving any Adults that showed up that evening. This idea will continue to be used.
SCHOOL PROGRAMS to RECRUIT YOUTH
For 6 years, we have run an Elementary and a High School class excursion program with time on the Greens so that everyone can ‘give it a try’. Each group spends about an hour and a half at the club. I believe we have had at least 50 classes visit our premises over the past 6 years. Initially we went out to schools and did carpet bowling in the school gyms but it takes an army of volunteers to do all this. Our programs were very good at providing exposure of our club and facilities to a large number in our families and youngsters in our community, many of whom had no idea that we existed. The concern with putting time into this exercise is that it has not netted more than a handful of our Youth membership over a six year period. This is a huge investment of time with little return at our club.
BRING a FRIEND – a RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
For us, the most profitable Recruitment of new Youth Bowlers has always been through word of mouth by our members and by our ‘Bring a Friend’ initiative. Youth Bowlers are encouraged to bring a friend, a classmate, or a neighbour to a regular practice. We encourage this with everyone during May and June. We give these new faces a lot of personal attention. When we start-up next season, we will introduced a rebate of $15 to anyone that brings a friend who joins it is like a ‘Finder’s Rebate’. New members will be able to join for an introductory fee of $35. Returning members can also join for $35 by claiming a Finder’s Rebate of $15. The full membership for others in our Youth Program will be $50. Hopefully this incentive nets some more members. Our Youth can use the $15 to help finance tournament entry fees.
FINAL ADVICE
Be prepared to give up some of your own Tournaments in favour of attending as many Youth Tournaments as possible in support of the Youth Program and the participants. Keep your parents informed so there are few surprises that affect their family schedules and plans. Use good communication skills relying on both verbal and written forms. Make good use of your club bulletin boards to display accomplishments. Try to get the local media to provide coverage and support. Have your club Executive fully engaged and fully in support at all times. Advertise! Promote! Partner!
Respectfully submitted,
Ken Bunner, Youth Program,
Oshawa Lawn Bowling Club
