Senior shuffleboard encourages community bonding

Posted on Friday, 20 May 2016

In a bid to increase senior participation rates in recreational and healthy community activities, Riverwood Community Centre recently received a donation of a brand new shuffleboard table valued at $11,480 from Canterbury League Club.

The game of Australian tabletop shuffleboard is very easy to learn – players play against each other and try to achieve the highest points by gliding pucks down opposite sides of the table into scoring zones. With rules similar to lawn bowls, the game is played at hip-height which makes it comfortable and suitable for people of all ages and physical fitness to enjoy.

“Unfortunately we tend to become less active the older we get which has a negative effect on our overall health and wellbeing. Shuffleboard is easy to play and is a unique sport that everyone can enjoy while still experiencing the excitement of real sport and teamwork,” said Steve Mortimer OAM, Bulldog Legend and Founder of Steve Mortimer’s Australian Shuffleboard.

The beginnings of shuffleboard started off in the United Kingdom in the 15th Century where players would slide English coins down tabletops in an effort to get the coin to stop as close to the edge as possible. The game has undergone a few tweaks and scoring has become more elaborate however the essence of the game has remained unchanged for over 500 years.

Another shuffleboard was recently installed at The Lakemba Club on Quigg Street where Steve has been running tutorials to introduce and teach the finer details of the game to interested Members and staff.

“I invite members of the public to come down and join this exciting and interactive game which has the full support from the NSW Government and ClubsNSW – they have seen the community benefits for senior participants. My hope is for the game to really catch on and inspire people to set up their own shuffleboard teams and clubs, and ultimately a state championship against other teams, and really get into the spirit of this indoor team sport,” said Steve.

People interested in learning how to play shuffleboard can head down to the Riverwood Community Centre or The Lakemba Club for a game. Staff can show you how the play and explain the rules of the game.