Newsletter

Newsletter February 2018

If you want to read the Newsletter with pictures (and this one you MUST) – click here

Listen Up! A Word from Ron…

Vale Arthur Sheers

It is with great regret that we heard of the passing of Arthur Sheers on Friday 26 January. Arthur was a Life Member of our Club. Arthur joined us in 1986 so has been a member for over 30 years. Arthur, and his surviving wife Marjorie, also a Life Member, were great contributors to the development of our Club. Arthur served as President in 1996-97.

Rest in peace Arthur.

A Belated Thank You!

Last month we called out many of the main volunteers who made the Century 21 tournament such a success. Alas, we missed Rob Santalucia’s very generous donation of the perfect spuds that went into the very tasty potato salad for the day. We try to keep an eye for the major helpers, so apologies Rob.

We’re on Facebook!

Some of you will know that we already have a Facebook page but so far, we haven’t really been using it as well as we could to keep you informed of the goings on and for general promotion of the Club. Social Media (Facebook et al) is a well-established medium for business these days and Tina Boquest has taken the reigns and will now drive this medium.

Tina needs YOUR help. If you’re already on Facebook, please “Like” or “Follow” the page and this will help your friends see what we’re about and then their friends etc –  hope you get the drift, even if I don’t J. Here’s our Facebook address:

https://www.facebook.com/bentleighbowls/

Bowls Vic Proposed Changes to Saturday Pennant

Bowls Vic have proposed some major changes to the format of Saturday Pennant for the 2018/19. These changes are driven by ongoing declines in Pennant participation at the same time as non-Pennant bowls (social & barefoot) is increasing.

The essence of these changes is:

  • Smaller sections of 8 sides (currently 10) providing for a shorter Pennant season of 14 rounds plus finals (currently 18 rounds plus finals).
  • Introduction of 2-bowl Triples competition preceding pennant over 7 weeks plus finals.
  • For the first season, there will be fewer division promotions and more division relegations as the comp transitions from 10 sides per section to 8 sides per section.

A small sub-Committee from Committee and senior bowlers considered the proposals in detail and consider that they are not likely to achieve the Bowls Vic objectives of increased competition participation and therefore that Bentleigh would not support the proposals.

Excluding the many points of detail discussed, the sub-Committee conclusions were:

  • This is a major disruption to Pennant players currently prepared to commit to an 18 week season.
  • There is a strong probability that several of our members will choose either the shortened Pennant season or the Triples competition, but not both.
  • The Triples competition is not likely to succeed as it will be played in generally cold, wet conditions with poor grass greens. It will also need to compete with Melbourne’s famous AFL Finals and Spring Racing Carnival.

We are preparing a formal response to Bowls Vic which must be submitted next week and will also seek a meeting with a suitable BV representative.

I have asked Steve Brady to circulate the information we have received from Bowls Vic, along with some more details of the sub-Committee’s conclusions. Steve and I welcome your additional feedback, but please remember that we are the messengers here, not the architects of the changes. Don’t shoot the messengers!

In the meantime, please continue to focus your energies on continuing to achieve the best results for yourselves and the Club THIS SEASON!

Finally, just a quick note to the editor – that’s enough of the Catwoman stuff Brades; we’ve had our fun and Chris has been a magnificent sport! 

Bowling Matters!

Sandbelt Champion of Champions

First up, congratulations to our Club Singles Champions – Damir Martinic and Layla Clegg and also to the runners-up Peter Wiznewski and Ros Izod. Great finals games and all most worthy contenders!

Damir and Layla will be representing Bentleigh, and themselves personally, in the Sandbelt Champion of Champion Singles commencing Sunday 4th February.

Damir will be playing Game 1 at 10:00am at the Chelsea Bowling Club.

Layla will be playing Game 1 at 10:00am at the Cheltenham Bowling Club.

If successful, Damir and Layla will progress to round 2 at 1:00pm, same day, same venue. Check out our Facebook page around midday for the Round 1 results.

We wish you both every success and I’m sure both Damir and Layla will welcome support from their friends from our Club!

Saturday Selection Matters – Garry Waldron

As we approach the business end of the season, all Saturday sides are in the top 4 of their respective sections.  I have played bowls for 17 years now and I have never seen that before.  We are in a really unique position.

Anyway, we are only at the end of Round 13.  We have 5 Rounds to go.  And there is no certainty that the season will finish the way it has started.  We need to keep the momentum going.

As for Selection, the priority has been to make sure that we have as many players qualified for finals as we can – 93 players so far. The second priority has been to have as many players qualified in the lowest possible side.  This gives us maximum flexibility when it comes to selecting our respective finals sides.

Round 14 is the last round where we can select players wherever we like.  We are taking advantage of this opportunity to qualify as many people as we can in lower sides.

For Rounds 15-18 we can only play 3 players in each side who have played the majority of their games prior to Round 14 in a higher side. I know that sounds complicated but it just means that we will be a bit restricted in terms of who can play in which side over those rounds.

As far as the finals are concerned, our policy will be to pick the sides that we think will give us the best chance of success in the finals.  Experience, form, compatibility and games played will all be taken into account.  The reality is that if all sides make the finals, we can only play 80 players in any given game.

Go Bentleigh!

Monday Triples – 19th February.

Enjoy some bowls, a couple of laughs and maybe get lucky and win some cash at the Monthly Triples for February. The entry form is on the Notice Board at the Club or see Chris Michell!

Electric Light sides vying for finals too!

We haven’t been ignoring the Electric Light sides – it’s just bloody hard to find the results!

Once again, ALL 3 of Bentleigh’s Electric Light sides are in finals contention – Div 1 on top of the ladder, Div 2 in second and Div 4 in fourth place. Well done to all players and Tony Tes and Pres on the selections! Enjoy your bowls and go get ‘em!

From The Coach’s Box

Run up to finals.

OK, so we’re at that part of the season that really counts. We’ve done well to get where we have, but the fight is only just beginning – we’re not there yet.

All sides have a chance to play finals if we do well in this run up. This month, I’m not going to talk so much about skills, as managing that grey slushy stuff between your ears.

The amygdala

The amygdala is a tiny region of grey slushy stuff between your ears that is responsible for the actions you take without needing to think about it. It’s what creates the instant fight or flight response when presented with danger. For bowls – we want you to be able to know what to do when you step onto the mat without needing to think about it and having no fear of the situation or challenge in front of you.

  • Just knowing the bowl will finish where you want it.
  • A natural confidence in your ability to draw.
  • Ability to “just see” scenarios that are represented by the boring old drills we ask you to do on Thursday nights.
  • A yard on? No worries skip!

You can condition the amygdala through repetition coupled with positive emotional feedback from your team mates “Great bowl mate”, “Beauty #2” etc.

It’s hard work, but here’s how you can develop the amygdala positively…

Thursday Practice

There are many reasons why you might not be able to make practice on Thursday afternoon / evening: work, too hot, going out for dinner etc etc etc. However, remember that our oppositions are also in their run ups, and as Ron said last month, every opposition side WILL be working their hardest to knock us off EVERY week. To remain at the top of our game, we all need to practice. A major part of Thursday practice is team building – both on and off the greens.

For your Thursday practice try to condition your amygdala:

  1. Run through the drills seriously and repeat often those that you’re not getting the best results with.
  2. Have team based match practice after the drills. If possible, try to stick with your Pennant rinks for team building. Match practice will create many different scenarios on a random basis for you to learn to deal with. Give each other feedback DURING these matches.
  3. If you have to practice alone – practice with a PURPOSE
    1. Leads – Score and track your drawing performance by counting the % of say 50 bowls you can get within a mat length (1.5 mats for our 4th and 5th sides). Keep working until you reach 50% on a regular basis. Include jack rolling to various specific lengths in your drills.
    2. Seconds – perfect the yard on draw. You may not hit the target every time, but a well-executed yard on shot will have your bowl strategically placed for your third and skip to benefit from later.
    3. Thirds and Skips – you need every card in the deck. MOST of your practice time should be spent on those shots you are least successful with. Thirds – ask your Skip what shots you should place emphasis on. Likewise Skips – ask your Thirds what shots they think you ought to focus on. Work as TEAMS.

Destroying Your Amygdala

While it’s largely up to you to build your amygdala positively with persistence and hard work at practice, destroying it is much easier, but it’s MOSTLY done by your team mates. This is through unhelpful negative feedback which subconsciously builds fear of the situation and doubt in your capabilities.

If you want to destroy someone’s amygdala, use negative statements, unhelpful and unnecessary comments and gestures:

  • What the *** was that!
  • Take more grass!
  • Not a skipper’s butt!
  • Hands thrown in the air
  • Back turned

You get the drift!

Good bowling – enjoy and support each other!

BBC Shenanigans!

EXCLUSIVE! Interview with Catwoman!

Editor: Firstly, welcome to the Bentleigh Bowling Club, it is such a great honour to have you here!

Catwoman: Meow!

Editor: Before we start, can I get you a drink?

Catwoman: White Russian, no ice, no vodka… hold the Kahlua.

Editor: It is most unexpected to have you here. Why have you come to Bentleigh so unexpectedly and uninvited?

Catwoman: Cats come when we feel like it. Not when we’re told.

Editor: OK then – this will be quick. As you may have heard, one of our members was savagely mauled by a kitty cat recently. How dangerous can cats be?

Catwoman: Mostly we’re just cuddly and lots of fun, but a good bite can result in a serious infection. It can be treated with antibiotics, but left untreated, it can grow under your skin, spread through your lymph system and lead to death. So yeah, it was great amusement for you all, but Chris did the right thing getting the bites properly treated by a doc.

Editor: Why do cats attack people who look after them?

Catwoman: Mostly we cats just want to play or practice hunting. However our attacks are not usually severe. The worst attacks generally occur when we’re in fear, e.g. from other cats, dogs or strangers and you interrupt us. I understand this was the situation with Chris where the cat was highly strung out by the household dog. We do love our families and give them heaps of entertainment – just look at our videos on the internet!

Editor: How do I avoid being attacked by a cat?

Catwoman: Watch our body language! We’ll let you know when we’re seriously pee’d off! Watch out for raised fur, ears pulled back, tail low and between our legs and of course the hissing and snarling. If you see these, give us space and keep your hands clear!

Editor: Wow – thanks for the info Catwoman. It’s been very informative!

Catwoman: Meow. Oh – and best of luck to you all for the rest of the bowls season! I can’t wait to hear that you’ve brought a flag or two home!

Cuteness wrapped up under a BBC Cap!

Another C7 Conundrum

How much deeper would oceans be if sponges didn’t live there?

Add your analysis to our FB page – https://www.facebook.com/bentleighbowls/

I also look forward to the vigorous debates this Thursday evening J

Future Newsletters

If you have any announcements or something you’d like to see in future Newsletters, please see Steve Brady or email brady1sj@gmail.com.