Roll on Year 9 PASS
Lawn bowls has a reputation for being a genteel sport, generally played by older people clad in white. However, as our Year 9 PASS students demonstrated, lawn bowls is how the youth of today roll!
The sun was shining down on Ms McFetridge鈥檚 Year 9 PASS elective students when they headed out to The Greens in North Sydney along with PDHPE Teacher, Mr Kapsalis on Thursday to take part in the first of two lawn bowls masterclasses. As lawn bowling is not normally the preserve of the young, this was an opportunity for them to challenge the stigma and perception around the sport.
The two masterclasses are all part of a unit the Year 9 PASS students have been studying called 鈥楾he Australian Sporting Experience鈥, which examines the role of sport in shaping Australia鈥檚 identity and reputation.
PDHPE Teacher, Ms McFetridge said, 鈥淪tudents have been investigating the factors influencing Australia鈥檚 sporting identity and the implications these factors can have on players, spectators and Australia鈥檚 identity. They have been exploring current and future perspectives and how they could impact on Australia鈥檚 sporting identity. As part of the Physical Activity and Sports Studies course, the girls have been provided with the opportunity to explore a local recreational and sporting experience (Lawn Bowls) to supplement their understanding of the syllabus.鈥
Sarah in Year 9 said, 鈥淔rom our excursion I learnt about lawn bowling 鈥 not only how to play but how significant it is to Australian culture. I thought it was interesting to learn about the history behind the game and the greens. I discovered how difficult it is and how fun it is. All in all, I had an amazing day filled with laughs and I think this brought our class together. I am looking forward to next Tuesday鈥檚 lesson we can learn more about the sport and have another opportunity to play.鈥
Lottie said, 鈥淚 enjoyed being able to get outside and spend time with my friends while also trying something new. I learnt many different things today, however, the thing that most surprised me was how much harder lawn bowling is. It is a very technical game. I think it is relevant to the unit we are studying as it is a part of Australia鈥檚 sporting history, both in the past and today. It has had a significant impact on our history as a country and has become a game for everyone to enjoy.鈥
Jess said, 鈥淚 really enjoyed being out and about. I found the atmosphere calming and the sport enjoyable and relaxing. This was a really cool social sport to play, and we enjoyed trying new techniques and trying to master our throws. I learned about the bowls themselves 鈥 I never actually knew that the ball had a heavy and light side. I also learnt about the techniques used to play, the age of The Greens, and even some aspects of the history of the sport. I think this relates to what we have been learning in class because we have been looking at the history of sport in Australia and how sport influences our culture. Lawn bowls has been around for a very long time and is a sport that has brought, and still brings, people together, particularly the older community. Playing lawn bowls ourselves gave us a visual representation of what we have been talking about in theory and gave us new insights into the sport.鈥
Ella said, 鈥淚 enjoyed hanging with my friends while playing a competitive and fun game of lawn bowls. It was great to experience a different type of sport that isn't usually played by a younger age group like ours, but it was also inspirational to see older people playing it together and having a great time. I learnt that The Greens is the oldest lawn bowls venue, that there are 21 ends, which many older people spend the whole day playing with their friends. The game of lawn bowls is relevant because we are looking at how sport has shaped our culture. Lawn bowls brings older people together for hours while they play it. It is also relevant because lawn bowls has been around for a long time in Australia. Like many of the sports in our culture, it has derived from a British influence.鈥
As our Year 9 students discovered, lawn bowls is not just a game for older people. In fact, lawn green bowls would appear to be, quite literally, how the youth of today roll!
Bravo PDHPE Department!