Hello Las Vegas. Hello Jet Lag.

Well after last years bad run with flight delays and baggage issues, I was crossing all my fingers & toes that we wouldn't have any issues on this trip! 

12 people with a case each + 38 triple tote bowling bags - That's a lot of baggage!! 

The flight was on time though and we landed 20 minutes before we were due! Was a massive relief when all our bags arrived safe & well. Definitely a good start to the trip! 

We had a little wait at the airport before the tournament shuttle picked us up to take us to the bowl/hotel complex. Dropped the balls in the ball park then checked in! Again all fine & no issues (touch wood) 

We managed to get a bit of chill out time before we all met up for tea! By the time we'd finished eating we were all ready for bed, I went n had a quick look around the bowl then came to my room to get some much needs rest! 

I was fast asleep by 10pm & wide awake by 3am - hence taking advantage of doing nothing and updating the blog! 

Gonna try n get back to sleep now ready for unofficial practice tomorrow! 

Until then, 

J xXx

Lets get Loud!!!!

Very, Very exciting stuff! Those of you that know me, will know I like things that are a bit quirky, a bit out there & LOUD! 

When I got offered a clothing contract with Loudmouth Golf, I didn't have to think twice! I'd seen there clothes before and instantly loved them! 

I'll be wearing Loudmouth at tournaments & training around the UK as well as the upcoming USBC Queens in USA in a few weeks! 

Unfortunately I have a 'uniform' when I am on England duty for the World Championships so can't wear them during that trip! 

If you fancy something different to wear for bowling, playing golf or just for a bit of fun - have a look at http://uk.loudmouthgolf.com/ 

J xXx

A new breed - Dog Bowl

So.... I didn't tell you about the 2 exciting sponsorship deals I signed! 

First of all I started working with 'Dog Bowl' in Manchester. It's a top end 5 lane bowling centre in the heart of Manchester. It has amazing New York styling and I just love it there! 

I'll be doing some coaching & lessons with local schools, competition winners & corporate events!! 

If you're even in the Manchester area, I would definitely recommend calling in. The lanes are immaculate, the cocktail bar is fully equipped, the food is delightful & at weekend that's have Dj's playing till the early hours! 

http://www.blackdogballroom.co.uk/dogbowl/

J xXx

9 months on....

9 months since I posted - wowzers! So much to say..... But I don't have a baby!! 

Quite a lot happened since I last posted. I had an amazing trip to Vienna for an EBT Tournament, I went to Switzerland for a team event and then to Florence for another EBT. Had an absolute blast at all three events, won some pennies and made awesome memories with some great friends! 

End of November wasn't so great as I was involved in an accident in my car! The lorry driver didn't fancy stopping in traffic so did some nasty damage to the car & my back. 

I was forced to take time off from bowling to recover properly, giving my muscles chance to heal. I'm on the mend though and started to ease myself back into bowling gradually in February. Still working to get myself up to full fitness and playing as regularly as I did but it's definitely gonna take time. 

I lost my Grandad at Christmas which was tough for the whole family. He'd had a long battle with Alzheimer's & Dementia, he eventually became to weak to fight illnesses and pneumonia took over. 

This year has been better :-) I was lucky enough to be selected to represent England at the World Championships! 

I leave on the 15th August along with 5 awesome team mates - Autum Chamberlain, Hayley Rumkee, Hayley White, Lisa John & Nicki Ainge! To say I'm excited is an understatement and preparations are well underway with training and ball choices! 

I've also signed 2 exciting sponsorship deals - I'll post about them very soon!!! 

Until next time.... 

Much Love, 

J x

Back to the practice lanes...

Well I can quite honestly say that wasn't the best bowling experience I've ever had.

The second block of qualifying was much better. I was more relaxed, threw the ball a lot better and made more good shots. I had 1205 for the 6 games which I was a lot happier with but unfortunately it wasn't going to be enough to recover from day 1.

Back to the practice lanes for me and to shake off the bad memories of a 997 6 game block!!

Both guys had great 2nd blocks too taking them into the finals. Matt got himself a bye by qualifying in the top 8 and Stu just missed out in 9th.

Stu had a good run beating Michael Holzapfel from Germany & Mak Cheuk Yin from Hong Kong before losing in the round of 8 to Tommy Jones of USA.

Matt played Khaled Al Dossari from Qatar but unfortunately didn't win so went out of the tournament in the round of 16.

All the results are still available on the website: http://www.cbf.com.cy

Despite my nightmare on the lanes and not being able to sleep properly I did have a very enjoyable trip. I'm lucky that I am able to get along with the guys, the hotel was in the middle of nowhere so really not much to do at all, I would have gone crazy if I weren't able to have fun & some banter with the guys!

It's now Sunday and I 'think' I've finally caught up on my sleep! I'm working Monday - Thursday this week then I'm flying to Vienna Friday morning for an EBT (European Bowling Tour) event!

It's a slightly different format to other EBT's because your scores are teamed with the bowler on your lane to create a doubles team, which means more competition and more chance of prize money! I'm due to play with Mike Quarry a friend from England, Sandra from Sweden & Lisanne from Holland!

I'm also rooming with Lisanne, we haven't seen each other since our trip to Reno so I'm looking forward to fun times with her!!

I'm logging off to watch X Factor now so I'll love ya & leave ya!!

Until next week, Much Love, J x

A new pin in the map....

Well hello Cyprus. This week I get to visit a place I've never been before - Limassol, Cyprus. I'm here representing Team England at the 1st World Singles Championships. The 2 men with me are Matt Miller & Stu Williams.

The trip itself has been about of a drama so far. It was a last minute trip due to the original 2 players Lisa John & Hayley White not being able to make it. I wasn't bowling so much last year so I didn't technically qualify for the England squad of 12 players, but I guess due to my recent form & being able to make the trip I was able to represent.

Bowling in England isn't so great at the moment and the British Tenpin Bowling Association isn't in a good place financially meaning the players have to make a contribution to travel to tournaments such as this which makes it difficult for people to afford to travel. Anyways, that is another subject which we all hope will be resolved over the next 12-18 months.

So the trip.... I flew out on wednesday, My flight was delayed due to the aircraft not being parked correctly overnight. It took the airport staff 90 minutes to rectify the problem and park the plane in the correct place!! I eventually got to Limassol about 2hours later than scheduled which meant I missed the official practice session for the tournament. I arrived in time to make the opening ceremony which was held outside the bowling centre and included the athlete parade and the speeches by various officials & representatives from the bowling world & Cyprus federations.

My first squad was 10am on Thursday do I didn't hang around much Wednesday night as I needed to get some rest and catch I on sleep from travelling day. My first 6 games were not great for me at all. I don't like to make excuses and I will openly admit I was not at my best. It took me a long time to relax and settle into the environment, I didn't string good shots together and I missed a fair amount of spares. I finished on a total of 997 for 6 games so I have left myself a lot of work to do in the next 6 games in order to make the top 24 & qualify for the final rounds. I play again on Saturday at 1:30 Cyprus time so 11:30 UK time.

Stu played this morning and had a 6 game total of 1321 which puts him in a very good position to qualify for the top 24.

Matt has just finished his squad on 1405 so he is also in a very strong position to make the finals :-)

TalkTenpin.net have sent The Stream Team here and they are providing live streaming and commentary of as much of the centre as possible. The link for the live streaming is - https://new.livestream.com/WTBA/Singles2012

All the scores can also be found at www.cbs.com/cy/wsc2012

Keep your fingers crossed for us :-)

Much Love, Jo x

A final goodbye....

So it's time to go home... Mixed emotions.

The bowling didn't end so good.... I felt confident going in to the final block of 6 and started OK with games of 222 202 222 & 210. The lanes played so different compared to the other 2 squads and all the bowlers found a whole load of carry down which made carry really hard. Luck was definitely not in my side in games 5 & 6 as I left five 7-10 splits from pocket shots. Unfortunately I let this affect my confidence and then missed a couple of other spares. I had games of 184 154 to finish on 1194 for 6 games making my total for 18 games 3724.

I didn't want to write my blog straight away because I don't like hanging onto negativity and I was pretty down and disappointed and that would have reflected in my blog. When I look back at the tournament at a whole I have a lot of positives to take and I have learnt more valuable lessons making me a stronger person & better bowler.

The last 3 days have been a bit of a whirlwind for Lisanne & I. Neither of us made the cut so we took advantage of being able to let our hair down and enjoy being able to relax. We did a bit more shopping, sunbathed by the pool, hit the casino tables and sampled a few cocktails!

I have met some new friends here in Reno, had some valuable conversations with knowledgable people and watched some amazing bowlers. The final last night was an experience, the opening ceremony included a choir, military, fireworks & an aeroplane! The bowling was crazy and due to the elements the oil was challenging and the ladies played the finals with spare balls - fair play to Kelly Kulick for rising above and winning the tournament! She led from day 1 and the $40k was definitely deserved.

I always have mixed emotions just before I come home. I'm excited to see my friends & family, I love England and I cant wait to come home for Fish & Chips! But I miss 'living bowling' When you're away on a bowling trip, everyone shares the same passion! I love being around people who love the sport as much as I do! It's hard to explain to people that aren't involved within bowling but trust me -it's amazing!

So it's time to come home, as always the 7 days have passed so quick and I have learnt more valuable lessons to take away ready to improve for next time!

I have a couple of weeks off now to relax and recover from the jet leg before playing the Euro Fives with Powerplay Pro Shop at Norwich! It's a Team England ranking event so equally important, we are all bowling for points to get us into the Nationals squad and hopefully selected to travel to the Championships next year!

It's time for me to get to the airport, fingers crossed for non delayed/cancelled flights :-)

Thanks for your support as always!

Much Love, J xXx