Lawn Bowling: On a roll

Steve Virgen

Picture playing chess on a low-cut lawn. Imagine a joyous athletic

experience without displaying much physical skill. Envision ecstasy

arriving in the marginal of feats and you have lawn bowling.

“It’s like sex,” says Ed Quo, a member of the Newport Harbor Lawn

Bowling Club. “You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it.”

Quo, 67, has found peace of mind, exercise and championship success in

his underrated sport.

For Katy Stone, lawn bowling is actually a break from the norm. She

fills her life with so much activity some would think she was a

25-year-old. She has ran in five marathons in the past two years and she

also moonlights as a ski instructor.

Stone would not disclose her age.

“Who cares,” she said with a laugh. “Is (age) important? I’ve always

wondered ... is it important?

For the past year, Quo has taken Stone as an understudy and both have

benefited. In November, Quo won the National Singles competition for lawn

bowling in Florida’s World Bowls and Stone was crowned the champion in

the women’s field.

The titles helped the two earn selections as U.S. representatives in

the World Indoor Bowls Championship in Belfast, Ireland on March 28

through April 1.

In a game which mental strength is key, Quo and Stone have flourished

because of their brilliant personalities. At the World Bowls in Florida,

Quo experienced some of the mind games firsthand.

He received a bit of trash talking from an opponent who joked with

Quo, saying his bowls were not proper for the competition.

“You should know better than to come with those bowls in Florida,” the

man told Quo.

Quo went on to roll past the competition with scores of 21-5, 21-6,

21-15, 18-21, 21-8 and 21-9.

“I just said, ‘Uh-oh, he’s in for a long day,’ ” Stone said. “This is

just like any other sport. Everybody tries to work your mind over. Lawn

bowling is more of a mind sport than it is an actual physical sport.”

But, lawn bowling does require physical skill.

Said Quo, “You need to be coordinated to do this. You can’t be a good

bowler and be clumsy. You don’t need a lot of strength. But, you do need

some physical ability.”

Quo knows plenty about physical ability. In 1994, Quo had both of his

knees replaced. He endured the rehabilitation and lawn bowling aided him

in the process.

Since the surgery, Quo has won three major titles -- the National

Pairs Open with Bob Nunes in 1997, the National Pairs Open with Dick Talt

in 1998 and November’s World Bowls.

Stone, who is still learning about the sport, has won five major

titles. She is a four-time champion in the fours national competitions of

1996, ‘97, ’99 and 2000. And, she collected her first singles title in

November.

When Stone won her national title she actually shut out her opponent,

a rare feat. To clinch the championship, she pushed her opponent’s bowl

in for her last shot and scored all 22 points in a 21-1 victory.

Stone’s youthful spirit helps her in her game. She still uses “cool”

and sometimes “dude” in her vocabulary as she is from Long Beach. She has

never married because she believes in being free, she said.

“It’s all about relationships,” said the charismatic Stone.

Quo and Stone said they have improved their game at the Newport Harbor

Lawn Bowling Club. Quo, who has played all over the world in winning the

four major titles, calls the Harbor club the best around.

They are members who pay $100 in dues for the year and $1 a day to

play.

INFO-BOX

*Lawn bowling is a game for the mentally strong. It is played on a

bowling green which is approximately 120 feet squared. The game consists

of four balls or bowls, a jack and a mat. Players roll the bowls so that

they will come to rest as close as possible to the jack (just as in

horseshoes). The side that has the bowl nearest to the jack scores one

point in a game to 21.

*For more information on the Newport Harbor Lawn Bowling Club, call

Jan at (949) 640-6049.