| Two �friendly� matches between the Scotland Institute
of Sport Swim Team and local bowlers from the City of
Bendigo and Chadstone in suburban Melbourne last week
highlighted the uniqueness of the sport of tenpin bowling
and the hospitality of its players.
Where could 20 of Scotland�s top Swimmers find themselves
in an arena with no water, no starting gun and no
finishing line, yet still be able to compete and have
fun � as individuals and as a team? Where else but
a tenpin bowling centre!
On Wednesday, Dragon City Lanes in Bendigo was the
venue for the first of two social functions hosted
by the sport�s national governing body, Tenpin Bowling
Australia. Bendigo Mayor, Cr. Rod Fyffe and Commonwealth
Youth Games Director, Michelle Pryde, joined local
bowlers and officials in welcoming the visiting Scottish
squad. Cr. Fyffe remarked on the special bonds of
friendship that grow between athletes irrespective
of their sport when linked with a common bond.
Swimming and Tenpin Bowling are two of the ten sports
recently announced by the Australian Commonwealth
Games Association as part of the program for the 2004
Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Bendigo in
November, 2004.
On Thursday, the Scottish team travelled to Melbourne
to continue their comprehensive training regime. Following
their Swim schedule and Weights session the next day,
the team arrived at AMF�s Chadstone Bowling Centre,
part of the largest shopping centre complex in the
Southern Hemisphere. Here the team was greeted by
another contingent of local bowlers, keen to extend
a friendly Aussie welcome to the visiting Swimmers.
They headed for the lanes with confidence, buoyed
by their experience in Bendigo and were soon sending
the pins flying. Smiles lit the faces of the Scottish
swimmers, and their Aussie hosts, clearly demonstrating
the Commonwealth Games Federation principle that sport
should be valued in its own right as a force for good.
A member of TBA�s Sports Psychology team, Chris Mesagno
swapped stories with SIS Coach Chris Martin, both
hailing from the same University in Florida, USA.
On the lanes, Aileen McGilvary and David Leith took
out the honours of top scores for the Scottish team
while local bowlers including James Blennerhassett,
Ben Hall and Fiona Hutchinson enjoyed the companionship
and swapped the odd �high five� with their new found
friends.
�Tonight�s get together with the Scottish bowlers
typifies the true meaning of sport� said President
of TBA�s Victorian Association, Justin Lopes. �Former
college mates have met up and totally new friendships
have begun across both sports � this is what makes
events such as the Commonwealth Youth Games that are
coming up in Bendigo next year so very important to
us all� he added.
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