Wondering about the “Baby, Don’t Hurt Me… No More…” reference? Check out this popular ’90s song
Former national team athlete Alex Scott opens up about his lifelong love affair with the sport of bowls in this special Valentine’s Day edition of Biased Bowls.
We all remember our first love. Whether it was another human, a pet, something you found on the internet, it was there, and it was majestic, and it made you feel strange. That was kind of like my feeling towards Lawn Bowls.
When I was younger, I was a quiet, polite, mischievous and cheeky kid that loved gangster rap music. I also loved Bowls. My pals would poke fun at me as they played hockey, basketball, soccer and pulled off mind-numbing kickflips on their skateboards. They’d say, “You play Bowls? Why do you play that, guy?”. I’ll tell you why my friends, for it is one of my eternal loves. Sometimes it hurt me so much that I almost quit and other times the love was so evident that I needed more. That’s BOWLS baby.
It was Summer 1997 when I entered my first Saskatchewan Junior Provincials. Nutana Lawn Bowling Club was beaming with sunshine and pride. There were about a dozen competitors, and I wondered if I was in over my head. By the time Sunday came along, however, I was being presented with a hilariously large provincial team jacket and a trip to PEI for the Junior Nationals. What is love, you ask? It’s Bowls baby.
Let’s fast forward to 2007. Back on the East Coast in PEI for the Under-25s. Karaoke bars, cheap lobsters and friends from all over Canada. Oh, yes…that’s Bowls baby.
2008- Hong Kong! We were ready for a potential playoff run… just had to beat Zimbabwe. We were up five coming home after all! Do you think we did it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Dropped a six and shanked everything. Game over Canada. Baby, don’t hurt me…no more.
2008- Australia! Playing on 17 second greens for the first time ever? Very problematic! You know what wasn’t problematic? The life-long memories of meeting people from all over the world. That’s Bowls baby.
2013. Heartbreak Hotel. I doubted as to whether I would ever win a Canadian Championship. Doubt if I would maintain my passion for the game. Baby, don’t hurt me… no more.
2017- My 3rd Canadian Championship Gold in 4 years. Now that’s Bowls baby.
The memories, life-lasting friendships, heartbreak, success, perseverance, passion, practice, coaching, travelling, being on a board, helping your local clubs, generating meaningful dialogue on social media platforms, challenging the current systems, challenging yourself and what you want to become. That’s Bowls baby. Actually…that’s LOVE baby!
As we celebrate this intimate and sexy 14th day of February, remember why you are involved in Bowls. We all have those moments of perfect clarity paired with complete and utter agony. But that’s LOVE baby.
Every single person has their own journey to go on. Just make sure you keep on truckin’, for there will be many times you’ll be awful close but not quite there.
So, if you find yourself aimlessly huckin’ some Size 5 Henselite Classics down an 8.7-second green- just pump some ‘Haddaway,’ crank that head side to side and realize…
IT’S BOWLS BABY!
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Sincerely,
Alex ‘Great Shot Scotty’ Scott
3 Comments
Kathryn MacGregor · February 15, 2020 at 1:06 am
Great article Alex, thank you for sharing.
Ralph Ellis · February 15, 2020 at 4:52 pm
Bowls really does open doors and challenges. I became a club president at 20 which nearly caused 3 hear attacks. I was 18 when I decided that winning a Canadian Championships Gold was a priority and did it in 7 years. When I showed up to pick up my provincial plaque at the OLBA meeting, I came out on the Board of Directors. If you want it, there are tremendous experiences to be had.
DAMARIS K. T. MAHAGNI · February 21, 2020 at 7:09 am
thank you for sharing. what’s next?
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