I’ve never known much about lawn bowling, but there’s something appealing about those ultra-flat grass plains and shiny balls that glide smoothly across them.

There are a few lawn bowling venues in San Francisco, including North Beach and in the Sunset alongside 19th Avenue. But the one in Golden Gate Park near the Children’s Playground is one of the nicest places to play.

The Examiner recently profiled Al and Cheryl Minvielle who took up the sport post-retirement. They both have the Richmond District in their blood; they met as high school sweethearts in George Washington High School’s class of 1965.

Since taking up lawn bowling, the couple is hooked. It gives them something they can enjoy together and, well, they’re good at it. Cheryl has earned a couple of trophies in various tournaments. “I’m becoming more competitive here than I’ve ever been in my life,” Cheryl said.

Cheryl also volunteers her time to keep the lawn bowling club looking nice, pitching in on landscaping projects.

“Being a part of this is more than just a game,” said Al, who grew up in the Richmond district and settled with his family in the Inner Sunset. “It’s our neighborhood, our park, our clubhouse and our sporting community.”

Read the full article at sfexaminer.com

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club welcomes new members anytime. For about $100 a year, members get a key to the clubhouse and open access to the three bowling greens. Visit their website or call 487-8787 for more information.

Sarah B.

Have you ever pulled on a pair of rollerblades, or inline skates as the kids call them these days? I did once and cruised through Golden Gate Park. How hard could it be, I thought?

If you saw a woman yelling with arms outstretched as she plowed through a downhill intersection, with no hope of stopping – that was me. I appreciate you for not running me over with your car. Needless to say, my skates are gathering dust in the garage…

Thankfully, some real pros will be in the park this weekend for the 4th Annual BattleUS, the premier freestyle skating event in the country. Both men and women will battle it out in a variety of competitions, including:

- Men’s Freestyle Slalom Battle
- Women’s Freestyle Slalom Battle
- Speed Slalom
- Slalom Trick Ladder
- Slides & Jumps
- RollerSoccer Mini-Tournament

The skate-fest runs from 10:30am to 5:30pm on Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday at Golden Gate Park’s famous ‘Skatin’ Place’ at 6th Avenue and John F Kennedy Drive (full event schedule).

Check out some of the finalists from last year’s battle in the video below. Elvis had nothing on these swiveling hipsters!

Sarah B.

[via FunCheapSF]

This Thursday night, Green Apple Books welcomes the editors of the new book Glorious World Cup, the definitive and humorous guide to this year’s international phenomenon.

If a guide book was a riot, then this is it. The Glorious World Cup is a smash and grab read with propellant laughs and wicked satire. Expect some crunching tackles on the establishment with profiles on hooligans, World Cup villains and serious national grudges. Stuffed with country and player profiles, bags of footie history, and all you need to know about South Africa.

On hand at the event will be editors Allen Black and David Sterry. Stop by Green Apple (506 Clement Street) at 7pm to meet them and pick up a signed copy of the “balls-out guide” to the 2010 World Cup.

Sarah B.

Sure, running from one end of the city to another is a chore. But how about swimming it?

That’s what members of the city’s South End Rowing Club did this morning, when they swam from the Bay Bridge to Kelly’s Cove at Ocean Beach as part of their 2010 Long Swim Schedule.

The 10 mile swim took them about 2.5 hours. According to their website, they “swim year round in all conditions with only a swimsuit and a thermal cap.” Brrrr!

If swimming in your skivvies doesn’t appeal, this hardy group, that’s been around since 1873,also offers handball, rowing and running.

Congrats to the South End swimmers and thanks to ob-kc.com for the great photo. See more pics at stokereport (thanks Hugh!).

Sarah B.

Photo by AGrinberg

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the craziest running race of the year, The Bay to Breakers, hits the Richmond District on Sunday. The last half of the race will wind its way through Golden Gate Park’s JFK Drive to the finish line on the Great Highway at Ocean Beach (see course map).

If you’re planning to cross the park via car on Sunday, keep in mind that the only thoroughfare that will be open all day is 19th Avenue / Park Presidio.

Routes in the park that will be closed:

John F. Kennedy Dr. | Closed between Stanyan & Transverse: 5am – 6pm
John F. Kennedy Dr. | Closed between Transverse & Great Highway: 5am – 3pm
Great Highway | Closed between Fulton & Sloat: 12am – 3pm
Lincoln Way | Closed between Great Highway & 32nd Avenue: 5am – 3pm
Martin Luther King Dr. | Closed between Great Highway & Transverse: 5am – 3pm
see course map

If you’re a fan of the wild floats that enter the race, note that official entries will be starting at Civic Center this year and ending near the Conservatory of Flowers. So if you want to watch them, be sure to position yourself accordingly.

Another big change this year is the location of the post-race celebration (“Footstock”). Normally it’s held at the Polo Fields but organizers have moved it to MLK Drive where racers usually engage in the post-race, cooldown walk. The two booze booths, Anheuser-Busch Beer Garden and Barefoot Wine Bar, will only be serving from 9:30am – 1pm.

Good luck to all the runners! I look forward to the crazy photos and stories.

Sarah B.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for surfing videos. Especially when they’re of waves in my own backyard.

This video has 8mm footage of surfers at Fort Point and Ocean Beach in 1975. Included is a 1972 surfer arrest by the Presidio Military Police. More from the videographer, DrAbalone:

At 3:20 film on me and Jeff Chamberlain being arrested by MPs in 1972 when it was illegal to surf there (but uncrowded). We were cited with “trespassing on military property for purposes unlawful.”

Thanks to Hugh over at ob-kc.com for sharing this.

Sarah B.

This Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of soccer players will descend on Ocean Beach for Soccer in the Sand, a tournament for both kids and adults.

Games are 5 on 5, including a designated goalkeeper for each side, and consist of 3, 11 minute periods. Thankfully they offer 2 minute breaks between periods because if you’ve ever tried to do anything in the sand, you know it’s three times as exhausting.

It’s too late to register for the tournament, but come out and watch the teams each day from 9am to 4pm as they battle for sand soccer supremacy. Divisions include U9-U18 girls and boys, men’s open, adult co-ed, and women’s open.

Click here for the complete schedule for each division.

Sarah B.

[via FunCheapSF]

A reader sent me a helpful website last week that makes it easy to browse the summer camps for kids that are available in the Richmond District (and elsewhere).

The website, Sign Up For Camp, offers an easy to use search feature to find camps within your zip code. You can also search by timeframe, the age of your child, as well as more specific criteria like activities provided and the type of camp.

The site has listings for dozens of summer camps that range from acrobatics to adventure to sports to the arts. There’s even a chess camp in there. So no matter what your kid is into, you’re likely to find a camp close by that they’ll enjoy. I did a quick search for 94118 for 1st graders and up and found 58 camps.

Not included on the site are day camps run by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Departments, but you can visit their website for more information on the many programs they offer at local parks, playgrounds and recreation centers in the summer.

The de Young Museum also offers “Art in the Summer” where children ages 4 to 12 are taught by professional artist-teachers, explore works in the museum’s galleries and engage in hands on visual art activities. Click here for more info (PDF).

So there was this one time at band camp…

Sarah B.