June 2004
After playing cricket for almost 25 years and retiring I wanted to get back into sport. I’d loved ten pin bowling my whole life, in fact I’ve bowled longer than I’ve played cricket. I started bowling when I was around 10 at school. It was a sport they’d let the “blind kids” do. We weren’t allowed to take part in contact spots, so footy, soccer, AFL was out. So, I took up ten pin bowling and loved it, so stuck with it.
During my teen years I played a lot. I’d regularly play in leagues at night and on the weekends. It helped with my cricket, strengthening my arm, which helped with quick bowling off a short run.
I’d enter marathon competitions, where you’d play 10, 20 and in some cases 30 games over a four to six hour period. It was great fun. I’d win trophies here and there, but my focus was improving my game.
In my 20s I played a lot: I even went to South Australia and played in a national tournament with a mate. We broke down on the drive over there and almost didn’t make it. But we did OK, winning a few trophies and pins.
All of my bowling before 2002 though was done in sighted tournaments. Now a lot of bowling relies on your eyesight, but I’d always made do with people helping me and focused on my technique more than my eyesight. But in 2002 when blind ten pin bowling hit the stage with national and international tournaments, I was certainly going to give it a go.
From late 2002, I fitted in more practice, got a coach and bowled in a couple of serious sighted leagues in Belconnen in Canberra. I’d regularly averaged 160 in leagues over the years, but I wanted to push my game further and targeted 190 as an average.
By 2004 when the World Blind Ten Pin Bowling Championships were announced for Orlando in Florida I was averaging 182. I tried out for the Australian team and was selected. I had a great lead in tournament and during the trials shot a couple of 600 series, which placed me at the top end of the game amongst blind competitors in Australia.
The scene was set. Australia had picked a strong side of competitors and we boarded a plane in Sydney bound for Orlando.
We arrived on 10 June. The weather was the first thing that hit us. Mid 30s with 90% humidity. It was horrible. We had a few days to get acclimated, which including a mix of sight seeing and practice. We’d practice for three to four hours per day. Getting used to the lane conditions was the hardest. Coming from Canberra’s cold, dry climate, into a moist hot environment meant for different lane conditions. It was hard work, but over a few days I stated hitting the lane where I wanted to. I shot a 276 in one practice game and felt I was ready to take on all comers. I started with 8 strikes, so pretty happy with that. The game before was a 222, I finished that game with five strikes. 13 in a row, pity it wasn’t in the same game!
Tournament
The tournament involved a variety of events with different pairings of players based on their eye sight, as well as a team event and an individual event. There was also a mixed doubles event and a variety of special awards. It was great fun arriving each morning, hanging out with players from our team, Australia and other teams from around the world. I made quick friends with some folks from the USA and a couple of Japanese bowlers. I didn’t however make friends with a chap from South Korea. We were fierce competitors from day one. His average was 185 going into the event.
The opening ceremony was an awe inspiring event. We were all paraded into the alley in our official uniforms, with a scout from the local scout groups carrying our flag for us. Apart from standing out in the hot sun waiting to go in, everything was just so much fun.
After the ceremony we got straight into it. Singles.
I shot quite well for the first event. A 589 series, which wasn’t enough to secure gold, but I did win a silver medal. My little friend from South Korea shot a 594.
In the afternoon I was paired with Donna and we almost won our doubles event, securing another silver. We were both under par for our averages and paid the price.
The next three days of the tournament introduced the team’s events and another singles event. A number of our team bowled well and we were winning medals left right and centre.
Each event had bowlers of similar eye sight competing against each other. When I wasn’t competing I as working with our team helping out with pin spotting, water running and tactics. It was a great environment and a lot of fun.
We performed very well on each day, winning medals in just about every event.
I secured another silver medal in the teams event a couple of days later.
Then I did it. Gold. In the final singles event of the tournament. This was the scratch event, the one you want to win. I bowled the best I had all tournament and secured a 620 series.
At the presentation evening following the last day of bowling I was named second best bowler with partial sight, a silver medal. In other words I was the second best vision impaired bowler in the world at the time, I finished with an average of 192. My little South Korean mate finished first. But I had won the scratch singles event and two other silver medals. I was pretty happy.
We had a ball celebrating that night, well into the night. It had been a great tournament. Well organised, some great people helping out and a few great friendships developed quickly.
Sightseeing
As part of the tour to Orlando, we had a few days to see the sights. So we went to Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Wow, what a massive theme park they were. From Jaws, my favourite, to Earthquake, Spiderman, Jurassic Park and everything in between. We went on roller coasters, boat rides, themed rides, ate way too much sugary food and just plain and simply had a great time.
Our other free days involved a trip to Kennedy Space Centre and what a trip that was. When we arrived we wandered the rocket graveyard with all types of satellites, rockets and an assorted of other vehicles used in outer space.
Btu this was only an entrée to what we were about to see. We entered the main hangar and were blown away with the size, complexity and sheer presence of the Saturn Five rocket. It is as long as a football field, longer in fact, measuring 111 metres in length. It was just there, hanging over our heads as we walked its entire length. This marvel of modern engineering was the vehicle that got human kind ono the moon.
In contrast the landing module and return capsule are tiny, both of whom are also on display in this massive space.
After this experience we then visited the space shuttle area and we were given a hands-on tour of a space shuttle. Including sitting in the cockpit. This was just amazing and so much fun. Our guide as fantastic, allowing us to play with levels, knobs and buttons, normally off limits!
The whole day was just awe inspiring.
Finally, our lats day of sightseeing saw us enjoy a day at the wetlands, crocodile spotting. We were driven around in boats with giant fans on the back like hover crafts that simply skimmed over the mangroves. We didn’t spot any crocodiles, but did get to learn about the animal welfare efforts and got to hold a few babies which were being prepared for release. Another wonderful day.
We sampled giant milkshakes at Wendy’s on our way back to the hotel and talked about our recent successes bowling. All in all it was a great trip and a really nice bunch of people to spend a week with while playing sport and sightseeing.
