O’Connell has been selected for the women’s para pairs alongside Teri Blackbourn, of Hamilton, to compete in the B6-B8 category.
Before shifting to Canterbury in March, O'Connell was a member of the Waverley Bowling Club and part of the club’s team which won the Southland open women’s fours title in January.
She might be living in Christchurch but she was still a Southlander at heart, O'Connell said.
“You’ll never see me in the black and the red.”
She and husband Terry moved north to be closer to family.
This was the first time O’Connell had been selected for the Commonwealth Games.
“Actually, it still hasn’t sunken in, really but it will be so cool.”
O’Connell and Blackbourn won the inaugural World Bowls Championships para-bowls title in 2023.
Even though there was a more than 30-year age gap between the two, they had a special relationship, she said.
“We just gelled as friends, which was good, because in pairs, you really have to be able to have a good communication and good rapport with your partner.”
At the games, the bowls would be played in an indoor stadium on an artificial green.
There were several outdoor artificial greens she could practise on in Christchurch but that would depend on the weather.
“There’s no point . . . practising in the hailing rain or gale-force winds, because you’re not going to get that at the Commonwealth Games.”
There was an indoor green in Dunedin which she planned to use.
Before the Games starting she and Blackbourn might also get some game time together.
O’Connell was looking forward to being part of a team which would include athletes from other sports.
“You'll be standing beside the likes of Hamish Kerr and the netballers and the judo and the boxing people that you’ve seen on TV.
“That’ll be a real highlight of my time.”
Her husband and son were hoping to make the trip too and her daughter, who lives in London, is planning on attending.
She would join the Burnside club for the next season where her new coach Kevin Smith is a member.
“He’s going to be extremely good and helpful to me, so I'm blessed in that way that I’ve got a good coach here too.”
The late Ian (Brownie) Brown who died earlier this year had been her coach.
“He was a real rock for me.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without his coaching down there.”
She was 50 years old when she took up the sport.
A spinal injury when she was 18 affected her mobility and meant she had to adjust the way she bowled.
“My delivery’s different because I can’t follow through.
“I can’t move with the bowl.”
She will continue to be a member of the Waverley club and hopes to take part in tournaments in the south.
- Sandy Eggleston
