Logan City bowling community strikes gold
Logan City Ten Pin Bowling has produced state and national champions – and now one of its bowlers is heading to Sweden to represent Australia in the bowling world championships.
Emily Bottomley, 21, of Regents Park, started bowling when she was 10 and this is the second time she will represent Australia.
‘I’m so excited to be going – obviously I would love to win all of the medals, but it is exciting enough just to go over there and represent Australia,’ she says.
While her parents were keen bowlers and her brother had a natural talent, Emily says the knack of bowling didn’t come to her straight away.
‘I always enjoyed it and I was determined, but it definitely took me a lot of practice,’ she says.
That’s where the support of the Logan City Ten Pin crew was invaluable. It has teams and coaches for all ages and forms a supportive and vibrant community.
‘I think that’s one of the great things about bowling – you can start at any age and just keep going,’ Emily says.
‘We’ve got bowlers here at the club who are in their 90s! We also have a huge disability league here too – it is an inclusive sport.’
Emily says the club has tripled in size since she began to bowl there, and a lot of that is down to manager Janine Buckingham.
Janine has spent the past few years building up a pathway for young bowlers, with many league options and competition opportunities now available, as well as coaching from young champions like Emily.
‘These kids really deserve recognition for what they do. They make the same sacrifices and have the same levels of commitment and perseverance as you’d see in any sport,’ she says.
‘’There are so many great kids here competing and representing the state or the region, and for our younger bowlers, it helps them to see where they could go with their bowling.
‘They see they could one day make the state or national team and it makes them more determined to keep going when it gets a bit challenging.’
Jesse Ellis, 22, is a coach at Logan City Ten Pin. Currently taking a year off competition, he was last year part of a winning team that represented Queensland in the national championships in Tasmania, and he won the Sydney Youth Cup.
‘I love the sport – it’s great to coach, pass on my knowledge and stay involved even while I take time out of competing,’ he says.
Fellow bowler Connor Bishop, 18, has been bowling since he was just 3 years old.
‘I’ve tried other sports but this has always been where my heart is. I love the sport and it’s really like a family here,’ he says. This year he will compete in the Sydney Youth Cup and says competing is one of his favourite things.
‘It’s a great feeling to win – and I also like to make Janine proud and show that the hard work she puts in is worth it,’ he says.
You can find out more about Logan City Ten Pin on their website: Logan City Tenpin (logantenpin.com.au) or Facebook page.
