Queensland bowls over nation’s best
FAR North ten pin bowler Krisztina Orosz has spun her way into an Australian title.
Orosz, who bowls out of the Edge Hill-based Go Bowling Cairns, was the only Cairns bowler in the Queensland squad who won the 2017 Walter Rachuig trophy following a narrow victory at Wyncity Bowl and Entertainment in Melbourne recently.
The team event, which consists of a group of 12 male and female bowlers, was set up by the Queensland men winning gold in their division and Orosz and her teammate claiming fourth in the women’s, Queensland claimed the 2017 Walter Rachuig Trophy by three points over NSW (154.5) in second and Victoria in third place (139).
Tenpin Bowling Association of Queensland state administrator and state coaching director Gail Torrens said Orosz has been a key com- ponent of the state squad for a long time.
“Krisztina has been in our state teams for a while now and is quite an accomplished bowler,” Torrens said.
“Krisztina has been in our state training squad for a while also. We are very proud of the achievements of our Queensland team.
“It is a really hotly contested tournament with the best bowlers on second only two points behind.
With Victoria leading the women’s division and the Queensland men continuing their lead, Queensland sat in the box seat leading into the third and final day.
With only a narrow lead Queensland came into day three keeping an eye on team NSW. With plenty of points up for grabs the Queensland men’s from around Australia.
“It is a great achievement for Queensland.”
The Walter Rachuig Trophy is considered the biggest team event in Australia with the 2017 tournament the 55th running of the event.
Cairns based John Carr has personally coached Orosz for the past eight years and has seen her game grow through that time. team added a further 30 points to their tally to claim victory in the men’s division over NSW in second place and see Victoria keep their lead in the women’s division to claim the gold. After winning gold in the men’s division and finishing fourth in the women’s, Queensland claimed the 2017 Walter Rachuig Trophy by three points over NSW (154.5) in second and Victoria in third place (139)
“Krisztina should be in the top 10 per cent of bowlers in Australia but her mental game lets her down a little bit when she is competing at events away from home,” Carr said.
“She is dedicated to her sport.
“She was bowling one day and she approached me to coach her and I was more than happy to come on board and help.
“She is a very accurate as a bowler, her technique is solid.”
Torrens believes Carr and Orosz are strong ambassadors for the sport in the Far North.
“Krisztina is a recognised bowler and works closely with John, who is our high performance coach for Cairns,” Torrens said.
Carr said the sport has a solid following in the Far North.
“There are a lot of juniors bowling in Cairns, which is great,” Carr said. is a requirement as the environment is always the same. So, routines are designed to be identical from one bowl to the next.
Next, the ideal bowling performance state – the body relaxed, the brain calm. This is accomplished by performing an appropriate warm up. Slowing down breathing, with an emphasis on long, slow out breaths – around six breaths per minute is key. I use Focusband to measure an athlete’s brain activity. It can be worn during skill execution to ensure the brain is calm.
However, if the mind conjures up past errors, future mistakes, or gets distracted, this will increase the odds of an error.
With a specific outcome in mind, a warmed-up body, and a quiet mind, the ten-pin bowler is then able to do what they’ve been training for. Letting go is the hardest and yet most important mental skill for bowling, archery and golf. Good luck.
IF THE MIND CONJURES UP PAST ERRORS, FUTURE MISTAKES, OR GETS DISTRACTED, THIS WILL INCREASE THE ODDS OF AN ERROR.
Rob Gronbeck is a Cairnsbased performance psychology coach.