WORDS BY ALICIA LÜDI-SCHUTZ
Angaston Bowling Club has a National Bronze medallist in their midst.
Thirteen year old Kate Argent-Bowden, the Club’s youngest member, placed third in the Girl’s Singles Championships at the Under 18 Australian National Championships held in Queensland.
Part of the South Australian Under 18 State Team, Kate was one of five girls selected to compete at Capalaba Bowling Club earlier this month.
She was pleased with her success and is now eager to improve.
“I was pretty stoked with the results,” Kate said.
“It would have been really nice to have got to the gold medal match, “the girl I played in the second game, she ended up winning the thing so I lost to the winner.”
Kate has been in the State squad since January and was the youngest selected into the SA team.
Walking onto the green in her first National title, Kate said she felt calm.
“I don’t think I was as nervous as I probably should have been…I don’t really get too stressed. I just get on with it.
“It just sort of felt like I was playing another game of bowls. It didn’t really sink in that I was in a completely different state, playing against all these different sides from around Australia.”
Kate said whilst there was a high quality of play, it wasn’t all that different to what she has experienced back on her home green.
“The standard is pretty level with what I play at the moment here in Angaston.
“It’s good that we have this sort of standard in the Barossa Valley.”
Kate is the third generation in her family to play lawn bowls with Angaston.
“Everyone was playing bowls so that’s how I got into it,” she explained.
“I used to go over to a friend’s house every Saturday… I decided to stop bothering them and just try bowling. It was good and I didn’t really have a lot else to do! I love it.” – Kate Argent-Bowden
“I used to go over to a friend’s house every Saturday… I decided to stop bothering them and just try bowling. It was good and I didn’t really have a lot else to do! I love it.”
Kate now plays in the Division 1 side and joins her mother and father, Judy and Brian, as well as her “Nanna”, Eileen out on the various greens each week.
She’s proud to say she has “lowered the average age” at the club and is eager to win a Premiership this season.
“That’s a really big goal,” Kate said.
Her sights are also set on achieving more success at a national level.
“I guess my aspiration for now is definitely to get a gold medal in nationals in the singles or whatever I get picked to be in,” said Kate.
“And doing well at the Australian Open in March next year would be good as well.
But the teen has another, long term goal.
“It would be nice if I could make it to the Commonwealth Games!”
Kate is keen for more young people to get involved in lawn bowls and would especially welcome more girls at state level who she said are currently outnumbered by boys at the moment.
“We are not just a bowling team we are all really close friends and have a good bond with each other.”
She credits her bowling for giving her self-confidence and said it wasn’t too difficult to learn about the sport.
“You don’t have to be good enough to start playing because you only improve from there. It’s a really positive vibe. Just give it a shot, just wing it!’ Kate urged.
“It’s just such a good sport. Once you know what you have to do, it’s pretty simple I guess. Always being there isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it’s just enjoyable because you meet so many new people.”
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