Bridget Calitz bowls her way to junior masters

What started as a social game with her parents quickly turned into a competitive sporting field to such an extent that Bridget Calitz was recently invited by Bowls South Africa to represent Limpopo at the Warwick Bowls South African Junior Masters Singles Championship at Wanderers in Johannesburg this weekend.
At the young age of 18, Calitz already boasts several achievements in a game once considered to be only for the elderly. She first started playing bowls socially at the age of 12 but when she discovered her talent in a sport rated quite difficult she was left with no choice but to play at competitive level.
The very year she started she was included in the team that won the Limpopo league. “In 2011 I played in my first u.19 development tournament and was included in the u.25 provincial team in 2012. In 2013 I was once again selected for the Limpopo u.19 team as well as the open B-team,” Calitz said, adding that she was again selected for the same teams in 2014 as in the previous year.
In 2015 Calitz was a member of the u.19 team that won the plate during the South African Championships and was also selected for the open A-team.
She is most proud of the recent decision by selectors at the u.19 development tournament to include her in the Limpopo team to participate in the junior master singles this weekend.
“While playing socially I just became really interested in the game and the potential to participate on a competitive level gave me a thrill and the motivation to take the sport seriously. The best part of the game is when you roll the bowl and it stops closest to the jack,” Calitz said.
Her dream is to attain national colours in bowls and to represent South Africa at world tournaments one day.
According to her a good bowls player always has a positive attitude, maintains good sportsmanship and is a good team player. “Technique also plays a vital role in the success of a bowls player. Because of the bias or uneven design the bowl travels with a curve. So speed and direction have to be perfect to result in the bowl stopping close to the jack,” Calitz said, adding that the game becomes easier the longer you play and the harder you practice.
She said years ago bowls was said to be a sport for the elderly but times have changed. “There are a lot of young people playing bowls these days. It is definitely becoming more popular among younger players who have endless joy during practice and matches,” she said.
Calitz also started playing action netball last year and as hobbies she likes colouring and some painting.
As for the weekend’s challenge she is eager but admits to stress being a big part of the excitement.

RC Myburgh
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