CW 2026 Gold Medal Game's Tie-breaker (gift)

 Todate, a few days after the games;  I have not found on Youtube or elsewhere the video of the Commonwealth 2026 Gold Medal Game.  so with my CBC sport coverage link, I make this gift to my readers.. It shows the last two end of the 2nd set and the tie-breaker which was won by Northern Ireland against England.

Northern Ireland
Gary Kelly

The distribution and noise during play is from the Bronze Medal game being played on the neighbouring green. They also were into their tie breaker but almost finished. The loud crowd noice is because of Ryan Bester doing his "Blasting Runners" to win. (and which he seldom is missing). For this reason that British Skip (Walker) steps of the mat during his last bowl of the tie-breaker as well as the Commonwealth Staff were moving equipment behind the Gold Metal green and the jack being played. Also most of the crowds were changing sides to see the end of the Gold Medal Game.

For those wanting to see the Commonwealth game I know it is still available on the Canadian national Television (CBC) at  https://gem.cbc.ca/bowls-para-bowls-bronze-and-gold-medal-matches-rink-1-glasgow-2026-36783?autoplay=1 

Enjoy.

P.S,  I add for you the readers, a little something unique here.

Gary Kelly is the only Lawn Bowl's athlete that I have seen in my 20 years of Bowls that is doing "Total Visual Projection" for his "Muscle Memory" performance.. To understand "Total Visual Projection" it is best to explain it from an archery athlete's view.  In some Archery "Zen" teaching, it is taught to become the arrow or the target and project yourself as the arrow to the target. Or become the target and draw the arrow to you. 

This "become the Target" is the concentration of hitting a bouncing Tennis Ball because you are aiming at the point where the Tennis ball stops during it bounce. (At the top of a bounce before beginning to desent to the floor. Then the delay time of the arrow arriving at that point after a part of the duration of flight depending on the distance to the target which Muscle Memory has calculated.  Muscle Memory has a memory of having seen the arrow in flight and the time it takes to reach a target at that distance. But every distance is different and Muscle Memory must some how judge how far that target ( bouncing tennis ball) is from the archer.

 Having won two gold and a bronze medal at the Canadian National Archery in late 20th century in Instinctive shooting; I did all my shooting as a "Total Visual Projection" to the target. When in a Muscle Memory Total Visual state, the arrow hitting the target scares you because you believe it has struck you. (Draw the arrow to you is the concentration and use of various projected image by Muscle Memory).  

Gary Kelly does that in his Pre-Shot Routine. His delay as he looks over his bowl to the target is unique as he project memories of the target (jack or bowl's Position) and he then adjusts for a even finer mental tuning of his target's distance before allowing "Muscle Memory Delivery" to be done. ( Imazing it, See it, and Do it). His Muscle Memory is in a delay part of his Pre-Shot routine.

 The same delay we see in the video of the 2016 World Bowls Women's Pairs Finals in New Zealand. (Still available on Youtube). There we see New Zealand's Angela Boyd' multi-swing arm movement in the  February 2 2023 blog Muscle Memory and the Zen Zone .which isa longer than normal  Bowl Delivery Pre-Shot Routine. where several arm swing are used as false "Visual Projection" to know the actual Jack Distance. (Similarly done with a toe-tapping in Petanque as explained in the blog) 

No, at 80, I can't apply this concentration and Muscle Memory to Lawn Bowls. The archery target (indoor) distance is 18 meters where bowls is 21 to 31 meters. I do use Projective Muscle Memory for recalling previous Jack distance data. I watch the memory of the bowl roll to a jack in memory and if not the correct distance I change the memory. (always release on 3rd projected distance as my Pre-shot routine "Trigger").