Bowls Scotland announces high performance manager and coach

Olympic Curling Gold medallist Rhona Howie (nee Martin) MBE and former Bowls World Champion John Price appointed to lead Bowls Scotland’s High Performance Programme.

Rhona Howie MBE is Bowls Scotland’s first ever High Performance Manager and two times Commonwealth Games silver medallist and former world champion, Welshman John Price, as its first High Performance Coach.

Both posts are fully funded by sportscotland in recognition of Bowls Scotland’s future potential on the world stage.

Bowls Scotland’s High Performance squad has experienced a golden three years. Under outgoing Head Coach, David Gourlay, Team Scotland’s bowlers won three Golds and a Silver medal in last summer’s Glasgow Games. And at the 2012 Adelaide World Championships Scotland won six medals, including three Golds.

It is no coincidence that through this successful period Bowls Scotland’s coaching team and players bought into a high performance bowling programme with fully integrated support from the sportscotland institute of sport. The two new appointments will see that integration strengthen as the high performance approach develops.

As High Performance Manager, Rhona Howie will support and monitor the planning of all Bowls Scotland’s programmes and develop new concepts that will ensure Scotland leads the world in the delivery of high performance bowls.

“Scotland’s bowlers are doing really well so I’m looking forward to being involved,” said Howie, whose previous role was British Curling’s Head Women’s Coach. She starts her new position with Bowls Scotland next week.

“Where bowls is now is where curling was a decade ago. David Gourlay has started to implement the high performance side to the sport and I look forward to continuing this process to help deliver medals on the world stage.

“But introducing high performance bowling is a long term process so my challenge will be bringing it in, implementing the change, not quickly but at the right time, and making sure there is a clear performance pathway for the bowlers to progress.

“I was involved in the sport of curling during the time when we introduced high performance programmes, so I have the experience of the changes the sport went through when implementing a high performance plan.

“It’s going to be a new challenge for me, which is really exciting.”

As Bowls Scotland’s first ever High Performance Coach the former world indoor champion, John Price, will plan, deliver and evaluate identified male and female coaching, training, selection processes and competition programmes. He will develop activities and an education programme for coaches who will assist and deliver the High Performance Plan.

“It’s a big honour to be given the opportunity by Bowls Scotland to work with the high performance squad,” said Price, whose previous position with the Welsh Bowls Federation was National Development Director. He will move to Scotland from his home of Port Talbot to start his new role in June.

“In football terms this is like getting the Real Madrid or Barcelona job. It’s the biggest thing you can get in bowls; it’s a big responsibility and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

“There has always been a good depth of talent in Scotland in both men’s and ladies’

bowls and in recent years the team have been successful at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

“It will be very important to keep that momentum going. I’m all about preparing professionally and I’m sure all the players benefitted from David Gourlay’s approach to preparation.

“Rhona and I are going to take that on to make sure that Scotland will be very well prepared going into major championships.

“The two big events to come are the 2016 Worlds in Christchurch and then the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Both should be tremendous events and will be two more challenges for the team going overseas to compete.”

Alan McMillan, CEO at Bowls Scotland, said: “Bowls Scotland are delighted to have been able to attract such ‘big names’ as Rhona and John who are confident they can progress high performance bowls to the next level.

“Both Rhona and John will be a great asset to the organisation and their influence will be felt not just in our high performance programme but all the way through the player pathway from grass roots to High Performance.”

Mike Whittingham, Performance Director at the sportscotland institute of sport, said: “Bowls Scotland have produced some great performances over the years and by investing in these two positions, together with bespoke support from the sportscotland institute of sport, our aim is to give the players the best possible platform to build on that success.

“Our experts at the institute will work closely with Rhona and John to ensure that the bowlers receive the right support at the right time to allow them to deliver on the world stage and to inspire the players following in their footsteps.”