National Training Squad Update – March 2021

By Mike Griffith
March 26, 2021

Welcome to the March NTS Update.

It has been a busy month for NTS athlete and coaches with no less than two major ranked events, State Championships and Masters, and even a PBA event Title in the mix. Congratulations Sam Cooley…but more on that later!

NTS Athlete Meetings

We have just completed two Zoom sessions with our NTS Squads and TBA; one for Adults and Seniors on 18th March, and one for Juniors and Youth on 21st March.

The sessions covered numerous topics including the newly developed strategy for TBA, changes to the International Bowling Federation (IBF) events schedule, new athlete centred initiatives for the NTS and an open forum for question and answers. 

These sessions went really well, and will be the start of regular catch up meetings every 3 months.

We thank all the participants that made time to attend our first sessions.

Changes to the international IBF Events Portfolio:

The IBF wrote to member federations on the 16th March 2021, regarding the new World Event schedule  from 2021 – 2030.

Information was communicated to NTS coaches and athletes directly, however critically there were a number of changes with some well-known events dropped, new events created or renamed and new age groups and divisions introduced.

We await further releases from the IBF regarding the Events schedule detail, however, there has been some impact for 2021 with the QubicaAMF World Cup (one male / one female, singles) no longer an event on the calendar.  There will be an IBF World Cup event, which will be a new premier team’s event run every two years. 

This change has meant two marquee ranked events on the calendar, the Vic 150 and Australian Open, can no longer offer a spot for the winners at the QubicaAMF World Cup given the event will not occur.

Another significant change is the inclusion of a new Junior (Under 21) World Cup and World Championships, with these events alternating each year.

As explained to the athletes and coaches at the recent NTS meetings, TBA will absorb all the changes and consider the flow on effect of these over coming weeks and months.  The proposed 2021 international events will be subject to many factors such as overseas travel restrictions given the global pandemic.     

Notable NTS Performances:

With so many events in February and March, here’s a quick shout out to some of the notable performances by our NTS Athletes in the past month.

International – PBA:

College Bowling:

  • NTS Youth Female Athlete Jamie Phelan has received recognition for her outstanding debut season at Monmouth University following the regular season’s conclusion. As previously reported by TBA, but also worth a mention in this report here;

In her first year as a college athlete, Jamie has earned a spot on the All Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Second Team to recognise her brilliant debut season for the Hawks. Jamie competed in the MEAC Bowling Championship last weekend, where her team finished runners up in the championship. We are so proud of what Jamie has accomplished in such a short time overseas.

Kegel Queensland Open:

  • Champion: NTS Open Male Athlete Jarrod Langford took out the Kegel Queensland Open in March.
  • A massive 243.7 average over 12 games Stage One,
  • 15.7 pins per game higher than his closest competitor in 2nd place.
  • He bowled a 300 in the first round final.
  • Jarrod averaged 237 over 24 games in total, with only 2 games under 200, and a “low” game of 192. A fantastic bowling performance.
  • Juniors: NTS Junior Male Athlete Blake Walsh is just 15 years old and in his first year in NTS Juniors.
  • Blake came 2nd in the event to Jarrod, after a fantastic showing against a strong field of adults.
  • Blake was firing out of the blocks with a 246 average for the first 5 games.
  • He posted a consistent 228 average over 12 games in qualifying, and a high game of 268.
  • Blake continued to bowl well to the finish, maintaining a 218 average overall average for 25 games.

Outstanding performance by a 15 year old!

  • Female: Our women shine again. Being an open event, it was great to see so many of our female NTS athletes competing against the men in the Kegel Queensland Open.
  • Three of our NTS Ladies beat a field of nearly 100 to make the top 10: with Bec Whiting 3rd, Dena Buxton 7th and Bec Martin finishing in 9th.

Congratulations ladies; Outstanding effort!

2021 John Sullivan Senior Australian Open:

NTS Senior Athletes took out the events:

  • Mike Muir – Senior Male 224.2 Ave.
  • Sue Cassell – Senior Female 203 Ave.
  • David Farquharson – Grand Senior Male 222.4 Ave.

Great Bowling Seniors!

Finally, something a little different …

Two 300’s in one night:

  • In just his first year out of juniors, NTS Youth Athlete Mitchell Williams had a unbelievable night at league in Bundaberg recently, shooting not one, but two 300 games in the one 4 game series.
  • Mitchell rolled a simple 300, 250, 204 then another 300, making a four game series of 1054!
  • Two 300’s in one night is a record at Bundy Bowl over its 43 year history.

Well Done Mitchell. You should be proud!

There are so many great performances by our NTS Athletes in the past month to report them all; Great to see such talent, dedication and commitment to achieve out there.

Please stay tuned for more news and achievements in the coming months. In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and continue to bowl well.

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