BA celebrates International Women’s Day with Connie Leigh Rixon
Club Kawana’s Connie Leigh Rixon is just 17 years of age and is a great example of a junior bowler with nothing to lose but everything to gain with an amazing attitude toward the game.
In the first two International Women’s Day features Carla Odgers and Faye Luke touched on the fact our sport needs to nurture our junior bowlers as they are the future of the sport and the importance of surrounding yourself with great role models.
Rixon is a wonderful example of how bowls is in great hands; as a member of the Queensland National Training Centre Squad headed up by Australian Jackaroo Brett Wilkie, Rixon has been identified as a future Australian Jackaroo.
Rixon has chosen one of Australia’s most prolific bowlers to look up to in Australian Jackaroos Captain Lynsey Clarke.
“I’m inspired by Australian Captain Lynsey Clark as she has definitely led the way in my eyes,” Miss Rixon said.
“Lynsey started much the same as I have as a junior player and was able to make the transition to open sides, and then as an Australian representative where she has been playing for more than 12 years; what an achievement.”
“I really admire her as a player and as a person as she is a champion on and off the green.”
Rixon has already emulated Clarke’s highly successful junior career which last year she topped off with a gold and silver medal in her final Australian Junior Championships, an overall team trophy to Queensland which she rated just as highly as any individual success and most significantly she was selected in the Australian Junior Squad.
Like most juniors Rixon was introduced to the game by family and took up the opportunity for free coaching at the Maroochydore Swan Bowls Club every Saturday.
As an 11 year old Rixon had the opportunity to sit and watch her mum or have a go and thankfully she choose right!
“Bowls is very social and it is competitive which I believe is a great combination and one of the many reasons why bowls is so easy to love and enjoy,” Miss Rixon said.
“I believe bowls is a great sport for young women to get involved in because it’s different, fun and is open to anyone and everyone.”
The next step for Rixon is to progress into the Ladies Queensland team; however her aspirations stretch far beyond state representation.
“Long term I really want to make the Australian team for the Commonwealth Games; it’s so wonderful to have that opportunity to play in the Commonwealth Games on home turf, just down the road on the Gold Coast,” Miss Rixon said.
The current QUT university student says this International Women’s Day we can celebrate how far women have come.
As a bowling community we can celebrate that not only are there more young females choosing to play bowls but we have juniors like Rixon coming through the ranks with such desire and dedication to one day represent us all when she achieves her goal, to represent our great country.
