Help Us Get Erik Galipeau Out Of The Country

Hello Everyone! I wanted to start this off by saying thanks for taking time out of your day to read this! It’s  kind of a long story, approximately 6 years long. But I promise I will shorten it as much as I possibly can. You might want to get comfortable though.

I’m going to jump right into it and introduce the star of the show, my little brother, also known as Erik Galipeau. Erik is your average 18 year old boy... Except he lawn bowls. Yes... lawn bowls!! That was my first reaction as well.

This story began when Erik was 12 years old. He saw an ad in a newspaper for a lawn bowling club that was looking for new junior members. I was surprised enough over a 12 year old reading a newspaper, let alone the fact that he really wanted to try lawn bowling. So, off my Dad and him went. Little did we know that was the first day of Erik’s lawn bowling adventure. For me to say he loved it was an understatement. He joined the club immediately, and despite being 50 years under the average demographic, he belonged there and was welcomed with open arms. 

Skipping ahead to August of 2014, Erik’s first tournament. He won 1 out of 11 games. Now... I know that doesn’t sound great but he won 1 game! His first tournament ever and he won a game! This was the first of many, many tournaments. Like I’m talking hundreds.

                               Erik at his first tournament

It seemed like he was living on the greens. Practices and games and tournaments ...his life revolved around lawn bowling. There is a remarkable lack of indoor lawn bowling spaces in Ontario so in the winter he had to work with what he could get. It got to the point where he was practicing in his coach’s office on industrial carpet. He even transformed my parent’s hallway into a green by placing a carpet runner over the hardwood floors and putting pillows lining the walls so he can practice right from home. In my opinion, he should be winning an award for over the top dedication.

Slowly but surely losses became wins and wins became championship and we started realizing this kid was going places. 

Fast forward to December of 2016, now let me remind you Erik is 15 years old at this point. Erik was going to Glasgow, Scotland for a world championship tournament. I'm not going to lie I was a little jealous. But regardless of my jealousy he shocked absolutely everybody, including me, when he won gold at the U25 World Indoor Bowls Council (WIBC) World Indoor Triples with his 2 partners (Dominic McVittie from England and Rebecca Houston from Scotland) Not only did that make him the first overseas winner of a WIBC gold medal but also the youngest male to win a U25 WIBC gold medal. You should see the trophy, it’s beautiful.

                Erik in Glasgow, Scotland at the WIBC World Indoor Triples

                Erik with his WIBC trophies

Here is a list of some of his major accomplishments: 

2016 Ontario Junior Bowler of the Year
7 Ontario Lawn Bowling Association District Championships
3 Ontario provincial championships (Indoor singles, U18 2018 and U18 2019)
Bowls Canada 2018 National Junior Championship
PBA Canada Pairs Championship (Twice 2017 and 2018) – this has allowed him to participate in the World Bowls Tour Indoor World Championships at Potters Resort in England
PBA U25 Canadian Singles Championship (Twice 2016 and 2017) – this allowed him to participate in the WIBC U25 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow Scotland and Norwich Wales
In November of 2018, Erik was chosen to be a member of the Canadian Men’s National Team at 17 years old

                  Team Canada

I feel like we can all agree, Erik is damn good lawn bowler and he has had quite the journey so far! So now I will explain why I’m telling you all of this. Erik’s journey is about to take a leap to the next level. At one of Erik’s more recent tournaments he met two competitors named Kyle McIlroy and Dave Rankin, from Australia. They have invited Erik to play Pennant Bowls at the Doubleview Bowls Club in Perth, Australia starting the fall of 2019. Erik will practice with and compete against some of the best in the world. This will give him a chance to showcase his talent on a huge stage. This opportunity is a major step towards Erik reaching his goals; winning a gold medal for Canada at the commonwealth games,  returning home where he hopes to grow and develop the sport in Canada, and being part of opening a world class indoor facility in Southern Ontario.

I am hoping we can raise $5000.00 to help him make the most of this opportunity to play pennant bowls in Australia. This money will go a long way towards helping him cover the expenses associated with travelling to Australia, training down under, and being a member on the Canadian National Team. 

So there it is. My little brother, the lawn bowler. Also, one of the most talented, hardworking and dedicated kids I have ever met. Nothing will make me sadder than watching him get on a plane to the other side of the world, but at the same time, nothing will make me happier than to watch him chase his dream, even if his dream is on the other end of a flight to Australia. So please help us get Erik Galipeau out of the country.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for their support and generosity. As a good friend of our family once said, “I just want to be a part of this kids journey” You can be too by following Erik on this on his Instagram page @erikgalipeaubowls. Also, stay tuned for my next go fund me titled “Fly Erik’s Sister to Australia to Visit”.




(Eric Galipeau)