Bowlers earn confidence and accolades after stellar 2019
SINGAPORE — Youth athletes need confidence, and 15-year-old Arianne Tay pinpointed the competition in which she realised she has what it take for success in the sport.
“In 2018, I went to the Asian Schools Tenpin Bowling Championships in Taiwan, and I got second in the singles competition and third in the doubles,” she told Yahoo News Singapore after being awarded Singapore Bowling Federation’s (SBF) Youth Bowler of the Year on Thursday (30 January).
“It was the first competition which I represented Singapore bowling, I had prepared all year for the tournament and I was surprised at my results. I think it gave me the confidence in subsequent competitions, I was always able to perform. So I guess the 2018 Asian Schools was certainly the start of something.”
That “something” turned out to be a stellar 2019 season, in which the Methodist Girls’ School student won singles titles in both the World Junior Bowling Championships and the Asian School Tenpin Bowling Championships.
That earned her the Youth Bowler of the Year honours from SBF, and she is eager to continue progressing in her bowling career.
“Winning those tournaments let me know I am of a certain standard now, but I look up to all the senior national bowlers, they give me great motivation to continue working hard because that's where I want to be – winning world championships,” Arianne said.
One of the senior women’s bowlers whom she looks up to is Cherie Tan, who earn the Bowler of the Year honours for an outstanding 2019 season.
The 31-year-old won two of bowling’s most prestigious competitions – the World Bowling Women’s Championship and the QubicaAMF PWBA Players’ Championships. She followed up those twin triumphs with a women’s team gold at the Manila SEA Games last month.
Earlier this month, she also became the first Singaporean to be voted the World Bowling Athlete of the Year by the international bowling community.
“"It won't be easy to top 2019 but that's not on my to-do list,” said Tan after earning her fourth SBF Bowler of the Year nod.
“I want to start 2020 on a clean slate, focus on the process and see where that takes me. I have to continue working on my game, and I won't be resting on my laurels.”
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