Dreams Are Free, But Goals Require Everything

The Dream That Won’t Let Go

Since 1997, I’ve had one dream in lawn bowls that has eluded me: winning a State or National Singles Championship. I’ve come close - third in the Victorian Champion of Champions in 2008, Victorian Country Masters winner in 2008, runner-up in the Victorian Master Singles in 2014. Each time, I got close enough to taste it, but not quite close enough to hold the trophy.

Now, nearly three decades into this journey, I’m setting a new goal: Win the New Zealand Singles Championship. And this time, I’m approaching it differently.

What I’ve Learned About Goals vs Dreams

Dreams are free. Anyone can dream about winning championships, representing their country, achieving greatness. I’ve had those dreams since I first picked up a bowl.

But goals? Goals require something entirely different. They require:

• Specific targets - Not “be good at bowls” but “win the NZ Singles Championship”
• Structured training - Not just practice, but deliberate, data-driven improvement
• Sacrifice - Time, comfort, the easy path
• Persistence - Continuing even when you fall short, again and again

The difference between dreamers and achievers isn’t talent or luck. It’s the willingness to turn the dream into a concrete goal and do the work required to achieve it.

The Training That Got Me There Before

When I was a Victorian Representative and in the Australian Reserve Squad, I trained differently. It wasn’t casual practice - it was structured, deliberate, focused. Every session had a purpose. Every shot was tracked. Every weakness was addressed systematically.

But somewhere along the way, life happened. Work, family, building Sea Digital, teaching myself to code. The structured training fell away. I kept playing, kept competing, but the systematic approach to improvement? That disappeared.

The Missing Piece: Data and Structure

Here’s what I know now that I didn’t fully understand then: you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

When I was training for state and national selection, I tracked everything - manually, on paper, trying to identify patterns and weaknesses. It was clunky and time-consuming, but it worked because it gave me clarity on what to practice.

The Australian Open Pairs: Proof That It Works

In 2011, Lee Schraner and I went on a run. We made the final of the New South Wales Open Pairs, losing to Aaron Wilson and Matthew Flapper by just one shot in the extra end of the tie breaker. We were devastated.

But I said to Lee after that match: “We will win the Australian Open Pairs this year.”

One month later, we did exactly that - defeating Aron Sherriff and Mark Berghoffer in a tie breaker to win the Australian Open Pairs Championship.

That’s what happens when you set a specific goal, believe in it completely, and do the work required to make it happen. The dream becomes real because you refused to let it remain just a dream.

But the year before that victory, something happened that broke my spirit. In 2010, I was omitted from the Australian Squad due to an altercation with a team member. I won’t talk about it now, but I may share that story in the future. What I will say is this: I was cut without a phone call, without proper explanation, without closure. After years of structured training, sacrifices, and dedication, I was just… gone. No real conversation. No path forward. Just silence.

I kept playing. Lee and I won the Australian Open Pairs in 2011, proving I still had what it took. But emotionally, I was done with the politics and the heartbreak of representative bowls. In 2011, I withdrew from the Victorian team and effectively ended my bowls career.

The structured training that got me to state and national squads? Stopped. The systematic approach that made me competitive at the highest levels? Abandoned. I walked away from everything - the competition, the training, the dream. I was finished.

In 2015, I moved to New Zealand. From 2015 to 2017, I played at the Mount Victoria Bowling Club. I made some friends, which was great, but I still had this bitter taste in my mouth. I didn’t enjoy it like I used to. I was undisciplined, unfit, not taking it seriously.

In 2017, I won the New Zealand Pairs with Gary Lawson - but I didn’t practice at all. Just turned up and played. That victory should have been a wake-up call. If I could win a national pairs title in that condition, what could I achieve if I actually committed again?

But I didn’t commit. That was the mistake. The bitterness from 2010, the politics, the heartbreak - it had poisoned the joy I once had for the game. After winning the NZ Pairs in 2017, I stopped playing altogether. I walked away completely.

That was 8 years ago. And I’ve regretted it ever since.

Starting From Scratch

Coming back after 8 years away, I’m essentially starting again. I have to relearn how to consistently get the bowl away. Rebuild match fitness. Rebuild the confidence that took me 20 years to develop the first time around.

More than that, I have to earn respect on the green again. Whatever reputation I had, whatever achievements I accumulated - they’re in the past. Right now, I’m at the bottom of Mount Everest, freezing and cold, looking up at the summit with just a glimmer of belief that I can climb it.

That’s daunting. But it’s also the reality of walking away from something for nearly a decade.

Why This Goal, Why Now

I’m 41 years old. I have a full-time job as database manager at NZNO. I’m building Torny. I have a 6-year-old son who needs his dad present. I have a partner who supports my dreams but deserves my time and attention.

So why chase a singles championship now, when I’m starting from scratch?

Because the dream never died. It’s been there, quietly burning, for nearly three decades. And I’ve finally learned something important: age and responsibility aren’t obstacles to achievement - they’re advantages.

Being a dad taught me how to care about more than myself, how to look after someone else, be disciplined, loving and committed. Those lessons translate directly to pursuing a championship goal - discipline, commitment, caring enough to do the work properly.

I’m more disciplined now than I was at 25. I’m more strategic. I understand my game better. I know how to manage my time, how to train efficiently, how to use data to identify exactly where I need to improve.

And most importantly, I have Torny - the tool that will give me structured, AI-guided training programs to address my specific weaknesses and build on my strengths.

Playing the New Zealand Pairs with My Brother Howard

This year, I’m playing the New Zealand Pairs with my brother Howard. It’s a significant moment for both of us.

Howard played lawn bowls for just two years when he was 14 to 16, then walked away for 22 years. Last year, I watched him play a small tournament with Dad, and he played really well. It sparked something in me - I thought it would be amazing to inspire my brother to play again.

Here’s the thing: I always thought he would be better than me. When we stopped all those years ago, he was starting to outplay me. He had natural talent that I had to work hard to match.

Who knows? Howie and Nev could be a good combination. We’ve never played a pairs tournament together. This could be the start of something special - not just for me returning to the game, but for both of us learning how to play again. And we’re playing for the right reasons: to play with my best mate and to enjoy spending time together while we try and figure out how to play good at bowls again.

Howie flew over from Australia for this, so we hope to go well - or at the very least, have a good holiday together.

The Commitment

Winning the New Zealand Singles Championship might take years. I’m okay with that. In fact, I think that’s the point. It’s not really about the trophy at the end - it’s about having a goal and something meaningful to work towards. It’s about the daily discipline, the systematic improvement, the journey of becoming the player I know I can be.

This isn’t about instant gratification - it’s about committing to a goal and systematically working toward it until it’s achieved.

Here’s my commitment:

• Track every training session in Torny
• Follow AI-guided training programs to address identified weaknesses
• Train with the same discipline I had when I was in state and national squads
• Measure progress systematically using data, not feelings
• Stay committed however long it takes

For Everyone Chasing Their Own Goal

Maybe you have a similar goal - a tournament you want to win, a skill level you want to reach, a competitive milestone that’s eluded you for years. If you do, here’s what I’ve learned:

The Journey Ahead

I don’t know how long this will take. Maybe I’ll qualify next year. Maybe it will take five years. But I’m committed to the process, not just the outcome.

Every training session I log in Torny, every AI-guided program I complete, every weakness I systematically address - these are steps toward the goal. And when I finally achieve it, the trophy will be nice. But the real victory will be in proving to myself - and showing Noah - that dreams become reality when you turn them into goals and do the work.

Dreams are free. But goals? Goals require everything.

”I will win the New Zealand Singles Championship. It’s just about when.”

Join me on this journey. Track your training. Set your goal. And let’s achieve it together.

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What’s your championship goal? That one achievement that’s eluded you but keeps calling you back? Set it. Track it. Work toward it systematically. And don’t stop until you achieve it.