Traditionally, lawn bowls is perceived as a geriatric (apologies) day out  — but not the way Gtribe does it! On 22 May 2011, Gtribe and Voltaren hosted an “Extreme Barefoot Bowls” day at the Bryanston Sports Club in Johannesburg. The aim was to raise money for the Little Leaps School for autistic children — and the turnout was amazing!

The day was clearly not about age. Our entrants ranged four-years old to almost 70 — all out to have a little fun.  Teams were made up of three players each and just naming our teams turned out to be a blast.  Gtribe’s personal favourites were Two and a Half Men (featuring two 6 foot 6 giants and a 5.6 foot mate) and team Barefoot and Rolling (featuring two pregnant ladies).

After some drinks in the warm Sunday sun, a delicious buffet meal and a quick lesson from some bowling pros, we were ready to hit the two greens.

At first the talent was a bit all-over-the-place with over-zealous bowlers abusing the gutters and ‘over curvers’ dispatching their balls on to neighbouring greens. But it all added to jovial spirit and it wasn’t long before we all got our groove on — some more than others.

At the end of the bowling day, as we all gathered on the green to enjoy a sundowner and watch the thrilling final, it was clear that this day was less about the competition (although we congratulate Team X on their remarkable win) and more about a fantastic day out. And that’s what the Barefoot Bowls concept is all about.

Previously, bowling facilities were dominated by small groups of older bowlers and club members who used them only for very formal league matches. Members of the general public never contemplated playing bowls because of the perceived formality and obvious bad outfits.

But now, greens are open too everyone. Families who are looking for a relaxed way to spend the day together, corporate companies looking to build teams or even a bunch of students (slash middle-aged hooligans) desperately searching for a more interesting way to drink, lawn bowls is where it’s at! And if your good time can benefit a good cause then you should absolutely do it.

Thanks to our main sponsor Voltaren for making our barefoot day out a reality. Thanks also to Digital Planet for the Digi-Speakers for prizes, Diesel for the Ralf Lauren fragrances and Nike for the sunglasses.


A Bit About Little Leaps

Little Leaps is a school that caters to the very specific needs of three to seven-year old children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and other communication disorders.

All the kids have a combination of impairments to their language, social skills and thought processes, which places them on the “autistic continuum”. This means that their individual strengths and difficulties vary according the severity of their autism and associated learning difficulties.

Little Leaps currently has two classes, with seven children in each and five members of staff.

The school offers the following:

* Individual Educational Programmes (IEP) tailored for each child’s unique needs.
* Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Makaton (sign language) to aid their communication.
* Ongoing assessments of the children’s development
* Computer skills
* Behaviour modification programmes
* Self-sufficiency and life skills training
* Fine and gross motor skills
* Music and movement
* Parent support
* Swimming as an extra mural activity

The money raised by The Gtribe / Voltaren Extreme Barefoot Bowls day was used to buy an awning over the play area at Little Leaps, so the children are still able to play even when it rains.

Gtribe’s next adventure takes us Night Golfing! Go to www.gtribe.co.za and sign-up for our newsletter or ‘like’ our facebook page to find out how you can crack an invite.