Apr-May Junior Bowler

Apr-May 2012

BQ youth Awards 2012 State Champs

Future star Nick Gosley makes mark in junior champs

60 Seconds with Shrek 3 Queensland’s future stars New talent rising in Junior States.

12 Follow the bowls tweeters We recommend which bowls world tweeters you should be following

14 Burnett Junior-Senior Day All the results from a big day of bowls

School visits near you

Our promo van is making plenty of school visits this year. Is your school getting its roll on?

For all the latest information on school visits, go to the juniors tab on the Bowls QLD website, http://www.bowlsqld.org

Contributions: Are there any juniors going places at your club?

Have a big under-18 event coming up that you would like featured?

Any other junior related action happening in your area?

Send us any junior related news so we can give your club a shout-out.

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Name: Rohan Wilson Age:17 Nickname: Tats Place of Birth: Southport, Gold Coast School: Upper Coomera State College Siblings: three sisters - Gemma, April and Selina Pets: Two canaries- would be willing to give them away Dream job: Manager of the Brisbane Lions Favourite playing position: Anywhere, as long as I get picked Years playing bowls: eight years First club: Canungra Current club: Helensvale Bowls used: Size 4 henselite Dreamline XGs Biggest influence: My dad, Yowie Most memorable bowls moment: Winning the 2012 Premier League title with Helensvale Most embarrassing bowls moment: Losing to my sister, April Sporting hero: Ben Cousins Favourite band: Simple Plan Celebrity crush: Katy Perry Favourite food: Anything – I love food.

Greatest fear: Snakes Dream holiday destination: Paris Favourite thing to do outside of bowls: Hang out at the beach and spend time with my family.

Three things you could take if stranded on a desert island: A footy, my girlfriend,, Madi and plenty of food.

Contact details Email: qldbowler@bowlsqld.org Twitter Account: @bowlsqld Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/juniorbowlermag Phone: (07) 3355 9988

Gold Coast kids grab BQ Under-18 Awards Lauren Wilson and Sean Ingham won the 2011 Young Bowler of the Year awards.

Wilson and Ingham were two of Queensland’s stand out bowlers in 2011 and both recently came away with state junior championship trophies in their final year of competition.

Wilson and Ingham were members of the 2011 Queensland under-18 team.

Wilson won a silver medal in the junior national singles titles last year as well as gold in the triples competition.

These performances earned her a spot in the Australian junior development squad, alongside teammate Bolivia Millerick.

Wilson was also the youngest member in the State Pennants finals last year, playing for runners-up Tweed Heads.

Wilson beat out Natasha Jones for the 2011 BQ award.

The 18-year-old was especially pleased to win the award knowing the talent of other girls around her age.

“With the twins (Cassandra and Bolivia Millerick) and Tash, it was a really anyone’s. It’s really good to get the recognition for all my hard work,” she said.

With her junior career done and dusted, Wilson’s focus has turned to the upcoming District Sides and State Championships.

“I have been training really hard for opens so my goal is to do well at the District Sides and States and also hopefully get picked in the Under-25s.”

She may be ready for opens, but Wilson will miss playing in the junior ranks.

“I love my junior bowls. It’s fun because you get to play with friends and people around your own age,” she said.

Her fellow Gold Coaster, Ingham also had a stellar 2011.

After narrowly missing out on a back-to-back paris title in the junior nationals, Ingham made the Australian under-18 development squad.

Along with Rohan Wilson, Ingham was selected to represent Australia in the recent trans-Tasman series, which the Aussies wrapped up convincingly.

Wilson was the other finalist in the boys’ young bowler of the year award and was a close second to Ingham.

The Broadbeach was surprised to win the award for the second year in a row.

“I was pretty pleased. I thought Rohan would get it actually, because he ‘s been playing more than me in the last year.

Ingham said the award was a great way to cap off a good twelve months of bowls.

“Yeah I think it reflected my results… I was hoping to get it again,” he said.

This is the final year of juniors for Ingham, who is keen to make the step up to men’s competition.

Both Ingham and Wilson won gold in the recent State Junior Championships.

Queensland boys win Trans-Tasman series

Australia’s young guns claimed a dominant TransTasman win.

Queenslanders Rohan Wilson and Sean Ingham did their bit for the side to wrap up the under-18 series in the opening two tests.

Ingham’s excellent run of form following on from his junior Australian Open win carried all the way through his matches, with each a resounding victory.

He had a dominant opening match against Euan Wong, which he won 21-11.

The second test match proved the first was no fluke, with an 11-shot victory over Monte Pawa.

The final match completed his whitewash but it was by far the most challenging of his victories.

Ingham withstood an incredible challenge from Wong, who was keen for revenge after the first round loss, to prevail by only one shot, in his 21-20 win.

Wilson suffered a narrow loss to Monte Pawa, going down by a heartbreaking two shots, 19-21.

He redeemed himself in the second test, though, defeating Wong 21-18.

His third test rubber, against Pawa again, fell in his opponents favour, with Wilson defeated 18-21.

The Gold Coast boys proved a formidable combination in their pairs rubbers, starting with an 18-14 to open their campaign.

The Kiwis hit back in the second test and got painfully close, eventually being dismissed by the Aussies, 1615.

After dominating in the first two tests, the green and gold bowlers could have been forgiven for taken their feet off the throttle.

However, their intensity lifted with an emphatic 13shot victory in the final pairs match.

Ingham said the Invercargill greens suited the Aussies.

“The greens were a lot like the ones at home. We’d been to Auckland last year and the greens there were a bit different. The invercargill greens were a lot better for us,” Ingham said.

Victoria’s Chloe Stewart and South Australian Renee McPharlin were flying the flag for the junior female bowlers and the girls dropped only one match, a 5-shot loss for Stewart against Tayla Bruce.

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QLD’s new winners There were two new champions in the 2012 under-15 divisions of the Junior State Championships.

Connie-Leigh Rixon capped off a great start to 2012, winning the under-15 girls singles titles at the State Championships.

Rixon overcame both of the 2011 finalists on her way to the trophy.

She relegated Brittany Wiley to a second consecutive silver medal in as many years with a dominant 25-5 win in the final.

Rixon overcame 2011 champion Taleah Putney in the semi-final,25-13.

Beenleigh’s Nick Gosley made his mark in last month’s junior Sate Championships.

The 14 year old came away with golds in both the under15 boys singles and the under-15 open pairs.

Gosley beat Justin Cribbins in the final, which was the first in five years not won by one of the Leese.

Both of the Leeses have moved out of the under-15 competition now, meaning Braidan could not compete for a fourth consecutive crown.

Gosley’s win came on the back of his inclusion in the 2012 Queensland under-18 squad.

Gosley teamed up with Liam Jackson to take out the under-15 pairs in a battles of the sexes.

Up Against Taleah Putney and Tiffany Murray, the boys had their work cut out for them but snuck away with a oneshot 17-16 win.

The pairs competition was changed to a combined event this year to increase the size of the tournament.

The open competition was dominated by Bolivia Millerick.

Millerick won three out of the four titles on offer for her age group, missing out only on the fours title.

Millerick is in her final junior year and capped off an incredibly 12 months, which saw her included in the Australian junior development squad.

Millerick’s twin sister, Cass, wasn’t far behind, winning the pairs and triples gold.

In the open boys, Rohan Wilson was the most dominant player.

Wilson won the pairs with Aussie junior teammate Sean Ingham as well as the fours with Kyle Franks and Braidan and Joel Leese.

Wilson narrowly missed out on the singles title, which went to newcomer Lochie Rowden.

Wilson won the award for boy bowler of the tournament.

He will be hoping to use 2012 to lay a foundation for his transition to adult bowls, in his final year as an under-18 Queensland representative.

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Connie-Leigh Rixon (above) and Nick Gosley were the big under-15 winners in the champs.

Fourth triples crown for Natasha Jones Bribie Island’s Natasha Jones is Queensland’s triples princess, having won four out of the last five junior state titles.

Jones nabbed her first triples title in 2008, with sister Zoe and current Queensland under-25 player, Charlie Harkness.

She went back-to-back in 2009, again with Zoe as well as Lauren Ingham.

After missing out in 2010, Jones teamed up with good friends Cassandra and Bolivia Millerick for a second set of back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

Jones said there was no real secret to her intimidating record in the team discipline.

“Not really any particular reason. Playing with two other girls, it’s more fun,” Jones said.

“It helps because we all know each other’s game because we play together and train together.”

With the Millericks ineligible for the 2013 Championships, Jones has wasted no time in forming a new combination, with Ricki-Lee Kemp and April Wilson.

At a representative level, Jones hopes the recent elevation of Lauren Wilson to the Under-25 squad will give her more opportunities in singles.

“I’ll be focusing on the singles and trying to get in more competitions … I will hopefully get more of a chance to have a go in other disciplines.”

Jones at the 2011 Junior National Championships The open State Championships are the next major focus for the 16-year-old, who is entering the singles and teaming up with the Millericks in the triples.

Jones has confidence that she and the Millericks can challenge in the team event and will be boosted by their experience as a combination and their Premier League stints.

“I reckon we’ll go well because we have stepped up.”

Departing champions This year’s state championships proved a successful swansong for a golden generation of Queensland juniors.

Of the eight disciplines contested, three were won by bowlers in their last year of eligibility and all but two of the rest had a majority of members in their final junior states.

Bolivia Millerick was the best of those in their farewell junior year, taking home the singles, pairs and triples.

Her twin sister, Cassandra was close behind, having teamed up together in the pairs and triples.

Madi Styles, Jessica Parolin and Lauren Wilson also took home gold in their final state junior outing as part of the championship fours side.

Wilson felt her results did not reflect the standard that she played at through her final junior tournament.

“I felt like I played some really good bowls, but I just didn’t get the return that I wanted,” Wilson said.

“I think in the singles I had to win by six but I only did it by five and so I missed out on the finals. But I was happy with the level of bowls I produced.”

Natasha Jones (triples) and Jamie O’Brien (fours) are the only two girls’ champions who will be able to fly the flag for their sides next year.

In the boys, Australian Trans-Tasman representatives, Rohan Wilson and Sean Ingham said goodbye to the juniors with a win in the pairs.

Wilson also came a close

Many of QLD”s 2011 junior side have played their last state titles second in the singles to Lochie Rowden, who will miss out on eligibility for the 2013 championships by only five days.

Wilson also grabbed the title in the fours, with fellow graduates Joel Leese and Kyle Franks as well as Joel’s brother, Braidan.

The boys’ triples are the only team event with more members available for next year, with Nathan Carpenter and Braidan Leese still eligible.

Ingham was slightly disappointed with his final state junior champs.

“I would have liked the results to be better. I was happy with my pairs, obviously, but thought I could have done better in the other disciplines.”

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And the winners are ...

Clockwise from above: Bolivia Millerick; Lauren Wilson, Madi Styles, Jessica Parolin and Jamie O’Brien; Sean Ingham and Rohan Wilson; Bolivia and Cass Millerick; Nick Gosley and Liam Jackson; The Millericks and Natasha Jones; Connie-Leigh Rixon; Nick Gosley; Rohan Wilson, Kyle Franks, Braidan and Joel Leese; Mitchell Jackson, Nathan Carpenter, Braidan Leese; Lochie Rowden

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The Week in Pictures: 2012 Junior State Championships

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Always be prepared Proper preparation is the main ingredient in the recipe for your competitive bowling successes.

Last month I wrote about the importance of a pre-delivery routine.

This month, I want to look at a crucial element of bowls: Preparation.

If you do not prepare for events in the best way possible, you cannot expect to succeed.

Preparation has a number of elements but I want to focus on four of them.

Preparation of the mind Mental preparation is all about developing focus before and during competition.

How you choose to prepare your mind for a match is completely up to you.

Some players listen to inspirational music some prefer to sit quietly and alone, while other athletes are energetic and sociable.

All players should be aware of which preparation suits them best and allows the to perform at their peak. If you don’t 10

Bill Cornehls Current Queensland coach and Australian representative bowler

know how what level of activity and excitement works for you, you should sit down with your coach and talk it through.

length.

Before a competition begins, focus on the roles and responsibilities required for the upcoming competition for the team and yourself.

Make sure you stay in the present when you are bowling, focusing only on the delivery in front of you, not the final result.

You choose the way you prepare for competition, however you must be ready for the competition prior to the start of the match.

Thinking about past or future results will cloud your mind and compromise your delivery.

Mind preparation equips you with the skills you need to switch between focusing on a shot and relaxing in between bowls.

Too many players distract themselves by focusing on what they expect to happen between shots, putting them under excess pressure.

If you make sure that you are focusing the most when you begin your pre-delivery routine a bowl, you will be far more likely to play a good line and

Concentrating on positive outcomes is another way to stop negative thoughts and emotions popping into your head.

A big part of staying in the present is not being distracted by external conditions.

Players with a strong mindset do not worry about uncontrollable circumstances such as poor weather conditions, the green, wind, or bad luck in a game.

Instead, you should back yourself to overcome these conditions.

Players who have faith in their abilities and that of their teammates are far more likely to get a win.

Think back to the good matches you have played.

training the correct way but with incorrect technique can enhance faults.

More than likely you will remember being relaxed, enthusiastic and confident.

Over the long term, all this does is make bad habits harder to get rid of.

Now, think back to when you were having a bad match. You probably began to think about what was going wrong and lacked confidence in any shot played. The more you think about the negatives you will basically tell yourself you are not going to play well.

You should work to stay relaxed, enthusiastic, in the present and enjoy yourself in games.

This will give you every opportunity to perform to your ability.

You, are the only one who can choose what affects you in a match and if you let the small things affect your game, you cannot play at your best.

Preparation on the green Preparation on the green is all about doing the extra work in training.

Players who expect to simply turn up and bowl well will not do as well as those willing to put in the maximum effort.

The more times you perform skilltraining drills the better you become at that drill.

The drills are set to help you become more consistent in a game.

Your training should be harder than competition so when you do play a match it becomes easier to execute skills.

While training on the green must be hard, it is about quality not quantity.

Quality training is short and sharp but most importantly it should be challenging.

More frequent training will leave you bored and will not challenge you.

The way you train on the green will come into the way you play the game on match day.

The purpose of practice / training is to repeat an action to improve skills. Using this principle will require repetition, repetition and repetition to enhance the development of each of the skills essential to play bowls.

Your training habits and attitude at practice will also determine whether you are training correctly.

Training the incorrect way or even

Entrenched faults are incredibly difficult to correct and can have a detrimental effect on your game. Training with these faults makes harder to improve your game, which minimizes your opportunity to maximize your results.

You should acquire a coach so you can have all parts of your technique monitored.

This will assist in accomplishing a quality delivery every time a bowl is played.

To achieve consistent results you must have a reliable set up and delivery, as I discussed last month.

Whether you are trying to draw to the scoring zone, play conversion shots, or drive; each shot must be trained until it is embedded in your memory.

Setting benchmarks ensures continued adjustments to achieve your set goal.

Maintaining your practice once benchmarks are reached creates routines and will assist to reduce errors. Remember to train so that you maintain your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.

Other training skills such as drawing to the ditch, the boundary line or position bowls, are just as important as drawing to the jack.

To improve in these areas, ask a coach to watch you execute these skills.

When working on a certain part of your game, the best way to do this is by executing a specific skill drill on a rink by yourself.

While rolling up with teammates is okay, it will not allow you to tailor the drill to your individual aims.

Athletes with a solid training program have the confidence to do well, which breeds competitive success.

Preparation of the body It is important to have some form of physical fitness so your body or mind can handle the workload of matches and competitions.

You don’t have to be fit enough to run a marathon but even a moderate fitness level would help to have a perform better, both physically and mentally

over a longer period of time.

When you feel tired late in a day of competition, your concentration begins to lapse.

As well as staying fit, healthy eating and sleeping well will help you maintain your energy levels in a competition.

You should also drink water regularly to avoid dehydration, and have snacks during the game to avoid fatigue.

Preparation of equipment: Equipment preparation has a wide scope and it serves as a way to ensure that things run smoothly in a match.

Part of this comes from the reassurance that everything is within reach and ready to use should a circumstance require it.

You need to take pride in your uniform and represent yourself, club, district and state with honour when wearing the uniform.

Prepare your bowls and bowls bag for any situation that may arise during competition.

These items include clothing for any weather (rain jacket), bowls cloths, sunscreen, measure, pen and spare pen, chalk or spray chalk, drink, snacks or anything else you feel essential in your bag.

Make sure your uniform and bowls shoes are clean and tidy. Your bowls are clean, polished and any ditch marks from missed drives are cleaned off.

Don’t forget important courtesies, like ensuring your phone is switched off during play.

A ringing phone is majorly off putting if it occurs during a crucial delivery.

While a lot of these things may seem insignificant, they are just as important as every other aspect of preparation.

It is your duty to have your equipment ready in your bag for competition that is required for the position you are playing in the side.

Finally, when you turn up for competition, turn up ready for action.

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Follow these bowls tweeters Each issue we recommend some bowling tweeters to add to your tweets for you to follow so you can keep up with the world of bowls and connect with those in the know.

Who: The Australian lawn bowls captain and one of the best bowlers this country has ever seen.

Why follow her:

A;leady a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and World Champion, Armitage was one of the inaugural inductees into the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame.

Lynsey is a frequent tweeter and her tweets give everyone an insight in to the life of an elite bowler. You can follow all of the action going on with the Australian bowls team, with her 140 characters worth of insight into their training camps and competitions.

Who:

Why follow him:

Barrie Lester is a former international bowler and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist who know works for Bowls Australia in their development team . You can find him on BA TV during major events and competitions.

Barrie does not just tweet about bowls. He regularly comments on current affairs and pop culture and you will frequently find a pearl of wisdom on his twitter profile. So, if you need a bit of inspiration on a day when you are feeling down, Barrie is the bowls tweeter for you.

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Tongy gives Mackay kids some bowling tips

The BQ promo van has had some incredibly successful visits recently. Development officer, Steven Tong, took the van to Mackay clubs and schools last month. Here are the highlights from his travels.

One club that really took advantage of the opportunity to promote the sport was Sarina Bowls Club.

The men’s and ladies’ presidents, Ian and Elaine Virgen of Sarina organised visits to six local primary schools to further the promotion of bowls in their area.

Club representatives assisted me throughout my trip, acting as photographers and organising follow-up visits for the schools.

The first cab off the rank was Swayneville State School, with 30 kids ready to have a crack at bowls.

I was surprised by how enthusiastic the kids were to get on the mat and start bowling.

The next visit to Chelona only involved yr 6 and 7 students because of Anzac Day interruptions, but still 20 kids participated in the bowls activities.

After a quick lunch break, we travelled to Koumala and had an unprecedented number of 50 kids involved from yr 4 up.

Koumala’s principal was so impressed by the program that he is currently involved in talks with Sarina to establish a partnership between the club and the school to get more kids on the green.

ANZAC Day was a welcome

rest and Sarina hosted a social game day, involving more than 70 people.

It was back on the road on April 26, with Oakenden and Homebush Schools the first to get a visit.

We had ver 35 kids were involved in this activity.

The last day of visits was in Sarina School Hall, with an action-packed day involving more than 130 students, involving six rounds of 40-minute sessions.

The experience really made me see how Queensland is able to produce so much sporting talent.

The kids were so enthusiastic, asking how they could play for their state and their country and for advice on how to get started.

A special thanks must go to Sarina Bowls Club for their invaluable support during my visits, which will hopefully help to increase youth participation.

Hopefully some of these kids will pursue bowls and turn up at major events such as the All Schools Cup and Junior State Championships.

For more information on how you can get involved or on any upcoming events, ring the BQ Development Team on (07) 3355 9988.

Tongy shows children the basics of lawn bowls at Swayneville (above) and Koumala State Schools.

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Burnett bowlers take out milestone event Burnett Bowls Club had their 65th annual Junior-Senior Carnival on May 6.

With the greens running extremely well the day was set for fantastic bowls.

Taking out the Open section was father and son team of John and Paul Kajewski from Burnett.

Allan and Blake Wason from Urangan grabbed second place.

Third was Jenette Wilson (Gin Gin) and Bolivia Millerick (Burnett) and Brendan Harris and Warick Bellert from Gayndah came fourth.

Rounding out the top five were Tina Wallace and Tiffany Murray from Miriam Vale.

In the Under-14 sections, Ashley Harris and Taleah Putney grabbed the top crown, with Keith Sinclair and Brinly Cottle coming second.

Third were Bill McCurley and Giorgia Melham-Mackay with Daphne McCracken and Jack Davies (Burnett) and Del Baxter and Samantha Kelly completing the top five.

This event is one of the biggest on Burnett’s calendar and this year is combined with the 65th anniversary celebrations for the club.

Since the competition began in 2007, junior co-ordinator Des Kemp said it had grown significantly.

Over the time it has been run, the competition has strengthened the relationship between junior and senior bowlers from Burnett and other clubs.

“When I first started this competition, the seniors were very hesitant to play with the juniors and now they’re always putting their hand up,” he said.

Above: Ken Geary, Paul and John Kajewski, from Burnett Below: Geary, Taleah Putney and Ashley Harris (Gayndah)

Great start for Nambour Junior-Senior day -Nambour’s first JuniorSenior day went off without a hitch on the Labour Day long weekend.

As part of a larger series of Sunny Coast juniorsenior days, 12 teams lined up at the club for the day of competition.

Madison Wright and Richard Meacle were the winners on the day, with a points margin of +33 after three rounds of games.

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Event organiser Ian Hazell was happy with the way the day unfolded.

“All the players had a good time and enjoyed the game. But more importantly, they learnt and received a lot of knowledge from the senior players,” Hazell said.

Nambour coach, Brian Flux, said the event would be expanded in future years.

Sunshine Coast clubs have been working together to try and establish a larger event for the players.

“We are happy that this is off the ground now. Our ultimate goal is to help more juniors get games.

“While some do get to play regularly, we want to give juniors more opportunities to play in competitions and become more involved,” Flux said.

Participation numbers were limited a little because of a clash with Burnett’s junior-senior day on the same weekend.

More open discussion between districts will hopefully mean that this clash is avoided in the future, Flux said.

Flux hopes the success of the Buderim and Nambour events will be continued as the series goes on.

Burnett Bowls Club Bundaberg Junior Section with Sponsors

Present the 2012 Junior Lawn Bowls Pairs & Singles Classic 24th,25th, 26th,& 27th June Total Prize Money $4,000.00 2 Age Groups Under 14 & 14 - 18 For any enquiries ph Des on 4153 4240 Or email burnettjuniorbowlers@hotmail.com http://www.burnettbowls.com.au/

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