Nitz to lean on experience ahead of The Nationals
As the 2022 Nationals looms even closer, Tasmanian Mark Nitz will lean on the abundance of experience under his belt as he looks to become just the second bowler from the Apple Isle to claim the Australian Champion of Champions trophy.
Nitz will be in action come this coming weekend at the Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast, and is adamant that his years playing at the national level will bode well for his mentality as he joins the elite field.
“I think it helps heaps, and anyone will say that the more experience you can get at these higher levels, the better off you are going to be prepared for it,” Nitz said.
“Nowadays when I step out onto the green playing national finals or national events like this, I don’t worry and I’m not concerned about the outcome, whether it’s win, lose or draw.
“The perks of success or the disappointment of failure don’t worry me all that much because I’ve been representing Tasmania for around 20 years now so I’ve dealt with all of it before.”
Having previously won the now-defunct Australian Champion of Champion pairs title more than a decade ago, the chance to again salute with a gold medallion on the national stage would give Nitz an immense amount of pride.
“The title would be important to any of the participants, I’ve been lucky enough to win an Australian title in the past but that was around 16 years ago now in the Australian pairs,” he said.
“Just to play in any finals championship nationally is a huge achievement so the victor will definitely earn their spot and they are going to be delighted come the end of it.”
The Burnie Bowls Club member is bidding to join Lee Schraner as the only winner of the event to hail from Tasmania, and he looks to his counterpart’s heroics on the world stage as a hefty opportunity.
Schraner would go on to claim the World Champion of Champions in 2019, the most recent edition of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nitz is driven by his own dream of donning the green and gold regalia of Australia.
“It was good to see how Lee went on, not only did he win the national one but he went on to win the World Championship as well, so that’s great for anyone to get some drive from.
“For anyone of any age, playing for Australia would have to be the highlight of anyone’s bowls career,” he said.
“If you’re not striving to do that, you’re probably just playing social bowls.
“So for anyone to get the chance to wear the green and gold, it has to be the pinnacle of our sport, so I look up to anybody that has ever achieved that, congratulate them and always wish for them to be successful.
“If I get that opportunity, that would be fantastic.”
The Nationals will be staged at Broadbeach Bowls Club and Club Mermaid from September 30 to October 14, courtesy of valued support from Tourism and Events Queensland and Major Events Gold Coast.
