Carla’s Corner – Edition Seven
Dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world champion Carla Krizanic continues to share her insights in her seventh column for bowls.com.au, as she lives through Victorian lockdown restrictions while eagerly awaiting the arrival of her second child.
During last week’s ‘The Right Line’ podcast, Lynsey Clarke and I briefly touched on the support we have received over the years that has enabled us to compete at an international level.
I’ve never heard an athlete make a speech without thanking their support team, and regardless of whether an athlete plays a team or individual sport, they still have a large group of people behind them, and it is always mentioned how crucial they are to their success.
The support I have received over the years has assisted me to take the step from a club bowler to an elite bowler, with continued support enabling me to sustain an international career in our sport.
The Jackaroos have been blessed with an amazing team behind us for a number of years whether they are coaches, managers or selectors, and all of them are genuinely wonderful people who have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy into our success.
Myself and my Jackaroos colleagues always mention how the Australian team is like a second family and that’s exactly what it is.
Having teammates who genuinely want to lift each other up is essential to a successful environment and it’s something that the Jackaroos do extremely well.
Outside of the Bowls Australia network I have been supported by the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) since my early twenties.
I often find some people think I just bowl for a living, but I can assure you it doesn’t pay many bills. The guidance I received from the VIS enabled me to navigate a bachelor’s degree and further postgraduate degrees in Nursing, while trying to compete at the highest standard I could to forge a career path.
I’m sure I’m not the only Jackaroo who also values the support they have received from their club, and Club Sunbury is the constant reminder that what’s most important about playing bowls is that you are enjoying it and having fun, and Saturday pennant and donning Club Sunbury colours will always be a massive highlight in my schedule.
However, the biggest support and most important is that of family.
Obviously starting as a junior we rely on their taxi service and now as a mum myself it’s their babysitting services that come in handy.
But the most important support for me from my family is knowing you always have someone behind you; win, lose or draw. They really don’t care if you have a shocker of a game as long as you turn up on time for Mum’s roast chicken dinner and talk about something other than bowls.
Take care and stay safe,
Carla Krizanic.
