Journey to the World Bowls Championships: Serena Bonnell
Ahead of next week’s World Bowls Championships, the Right at Home Jackaroos share their journeys across the years that has seen them selected for the sport’s showpiece event on the Gold Coast.
Up next, Serena Bonnell.
How did you get started in bowls?
I actually saw someone playing bowls on TV. I was facing some physical challenges at the time and having to mentally adjust to my new norm.
I didn’t think reengaging with sport was an option for me. But when I saw bowls, I thought that I’d be able to do it. So I practiced delivering at home a few times, felt confident that I could do it and I went to my local club and they signed me up before helping me get started.
Which was the first bowls club you became involved with?
Burleigh Heads Bowls Club. They were very welcoming and that was where my bowls journey began.
Which clubs have you been involved with throughout your journey?
After my introductory years at Burleigh, I started my focused competitive bowls journey at Broadbeach Bowls Club. It’s a very competitive club and it was formative in my competitive bowls chapter.
Who is your current club and how have they shown you support throughout your career?
I am a recent debutant at Club Tweed and only this month been blessed to win a first division pennant flag whilst playing alongside and learning from the very best in our sport. Club Tweed is a very inclusive, forward thinking and progressive club and have been nothing but extremely supportive of me and my goals in this sport.
Who has been the biggest influence on your bowls journey and why?
My husband Anthony Bonnell. When he played at the Gold Cost Commonwealth Games, we had a one-year-old and a two-year-old in the grandstand watching their dad challenge stereotypes, question perceptions and achieve amazing things. What Tony, Joshua Thornton and Ken Hanson achieved when they won gold was bigger than sport. It influenced every disabled person that was blessed enough to witness it and I was one of them.
Is there a particular coach who has influenced your bowls journey the most?
I have had the opportunity to work with a couple of coaches during my journey and also a very good training partner currently, those people know who they are and know how much I appreciated their efforts. My current coaching team of Ellen, Claire, Karen and Gary have all played a big role.
Although although Lynsey Clarke is not technically my coach anymore, watching how she goes about her business continues to have an impact on me. All of these coaches have had and will continue to have an everlasting impact on who I am as a person and a bowler. So thanks to you all!
Why is the 2023 World Bowls Championships so important to you and the people who have helped you on your journey?
This is the first time the para disciplines have been included in the World Championships portfolio. World Bowls have done an amazing thing for para bowls in giving us an opportunity to display our skill set on the world stage. I cannot wait to do exactly that with my partner in crime Cheryl Lindfield.
