Charlotte Roussouw - JBA

At a young age I watched Doug Watson and the SA team playing in the World Cup on TV and found it fascinating. I did not really think much about it until I was invited to play in a fun day on my birthday. I had so much fun that the following Monday I went to the closest bowls shop and bought the whole kit, bowls included. Family and friends found this very amusing, as bowls was considered an old persons game. It took me a year to get courage to phone the nearest club which at that time was Patterson Park Bowling Club, unfortunately since closed.

I was not all that competitive and really just played tabs and internal competitions. In my second year I won the Novice Champion of Champions. It was not until I won the club singles and had to play in the open Champion of Champions, which I won, that I was noticed by the then President of our District, Jacques de Villiers who invited me to come and play in the Development Squad. Played in this Squad for two years before being selected for the “B” Inter-District team and two years later for the “A” Inter-District team.

My only regret is that I did not play the game of bowls in a more serious manner from the start. It is a very competitive sport and only once you get seriously involved, do you understand the skill that is really required.  As with any sport, if you want to achieve you have to give it your full commitment and lots of practice.