The Gravel Parking Lot

My lawn bowls pairs partner and I got our butts handed to us in a recent tournament and I've been struggling to figure out what happened, and then it dawned on me.

It was mid-1970 and your humble lawn bowling blog writer was on his way to yet another soccer practice. Back then soccer was my life. It was a typlical fall evening in Port Coquitlam, it was pouring rain and I was walking, soccer bag over the shoulder, hoodie over the head. I was dreading the practice as always, not just because it was pouring but because our practice field was gravel, frankly it was more like a parking lot with a goal post on it.

Now, it was cool practicing under the lights - this was a new thing in our neighbourhood - but it was not so cool trying to play on that parking lot. The ball would take bounces you would never get in a 'real' game played on grass; it would stop dead in the puddles and steal sure fire goals from you. It would also inflict unbelievable pain to the knees, hands and elbows.

Years on I came to realize that all those hours playing on a gravel field made me a better player. I could react better, my skills were sharper and most importantly, it did not matter what field we played on on Sunday, nothing could be worse that the gravel parking lot.

I practice lawn bowling a lot. I'm a believer in "practice over games", it's the only way to hone a skill and get better and more confident.

So what 'dawned' on me as I walked away from the pummeling we took on the weekend? Every practice session I have done was always on the best rink at our club. It was always a nice day outside. There was never any adversity.

You see the club we played the tournament at was not one I was very familiar with, and frankly the rinks we played on were very....'wonky'. The narrow side was dead straight. And I mean DEAD straight. The wide side was crazy wide. I had never experienced this before and I was flummoxed, the entire game I spent cursing the rink and admonishing my effort.

In the end it was a rout.

However, on the walk home I came to realize that the team that beat us called this club their home, so they play all the time in these conditions. And that's when it dawned on me. I need to practice on gravel parking lots.

Not literally, figuratively :)

From this point on I will make it a point to source the worst rink at our club to practice on, I will choose to practice in the rain (for the record the weather was perfect on the weekend, but I've never bowled in adverse conditions), and I will seek out, rather than avoid, the wonky lines.

The promise I made to myself....when I arrive at my next tournament I will do so with a bowls bag full of adverse playing experiences; hoodie and soccer bag optional.