Team England 2022 Squad – we interview Callum Simons
Let’s start at the beginning and like many, you were born into bowling. Parents both having worked in the industry. Do you remember the first times you bowled?
I don’t, not even close to remember it! Growing up with my parents running a centre I was in there more than I was at home. I’ve been told I rolled my first shot before I took my first steps, and I can believe it!
Who were the ones to teach you the basics and when did it go from something you liked doing to something you were good at and wanted to do in the future as a career?
As a kid I never had any coaches. There were instructors at both Shipley and Hull YBC who would give me small bits of help but until prepping for WYC in 2018, I would have considered myself completely self taught. Since then I have worked solely with Mark Heathorn and I’m sure everyone will agree, my ability now is tenfold that of what it was when I was self taught. I always said I wanted bowling to be career but starting working with Mark as both an athlete and a coach has allowed me to make that a reality and I’m just putting everything into making it happen now.
Shipley has been a sport centre since it opened and many great players have come through it or played there, would you agree it has been a good learning pool?
It certainly has. As with every centre it brings it’s own set of challenges. But as a whole the conditions have always been up there with the best in the country and facilitating needs of the bowlers has never not been the priority.
In recent years I feel the calibre of Shipley’s players has increased. Partly due to places like Merrion in Leeds closing leagues down and their players coming to us. And partly due to the atmosphere in the place. There’s always people in practice or training. I was actually thinking about this during the 4’s league this week. The number of England shirts from all age groups in that league is almost baffling, especially when you realise there are only 8 teams in it this season.
To hit that next level, training has seen you go out to Europe and try your luck with mixed success, what did you learn from the trips abroad?
Mixed success is definitely the term id use, and my biggest lesson has been I need to use 2 hands ? But seriously, there have been 2 huge points that have stood out from the rest. The first is England hooks. So much. All our lane surfaces are beat up and old, meaning we never have to learn how to make a ball see the lane in a pattern. It took me my first 100 games in Europe to work out that skill, and do it to the level you need to to be competitive out there.
The second point is how human all the big names in the game are. Not only are they all almost undeniably nice people, but they are all so beatable. And this 2nd point is what’s really fuelled my fire to be there. Oh a bonus point. SPARES MATTER.
So, onto today and a call up from Team England for the European Men’s Championships. Excited, proud, nervous?
I have a lot of emotions about the call up, excited, proud, honoured, disbelief. But the biggest emotion is determination. I made use of the small break we took as a country for 18 months and tore my game apart and I now feel I’m in a place where I don’t have any changes to make. Just fine tuning, learning, and going and getting results. So, to be given the honour to put an England shirt on my back, and given the opportunity to get results under that name. As a northern kid from Shipley, I’m proud. But determined.
What will you now do to prepare for the Championships?
Absolutely nothing different. I was coming to my final stages of preparation for the EBT events starting back up, and I’m just sticking to that plan. Getting my body in the right positions, my hand in the right place to make the ball see the lane. Sparing focus. All that good stuff! In all you’re talking around 10-15 hours on the lanes a week to get everything in.
Are you pretty much set on what arsenal you will use at EMC?
Pretty set yeah, not having a ball contract means new equipment makes my wallet cry. So I have 8 balls I only use in big events. And with my urethanes too that makes a complete set. So once I know the pattern type for an event I’ll pick out 6/7 of those and be off. But it never really differs much as the house means more than the pattern, and knowing Tali I have a good idea what to expect.
What goals do you have for yourself in the sport, turning pro or doing a job that supports your bowling?
What goals do I have? Ultimate goal… World champion, PBA Hall of fame.
Realistic and achievable goals as of right now, be good enough that I don’t have to work to bowl. My bowling can support me without working. Be it solely as an athlete or including my coaching work.
I’ve been super fortunate in the fact the new owner of Shipley is a bowler willing to support my bowling. I can take off any time I want without issues and I just pay it back in covering shifts when needed.
My coaching is fantastic as I just book it when I’m available, and I’ve also started working online in the gaming and entertainment industry so I can do that in my own time, and from anywhere in the World. It’s not easy getting enough money at times but it’s well worth the struggles to mean I can bowl anything I want without any concerns with work.
Do you have any other interests when not on the lanes?
Oh yes, University did teach me something. Pool and Snooker are the greatest ball sports there are! Plus, who doesn’t love hitting stuff with a stick? I played for my Uni in both sports, and have wins in both but my heart is definitely stuck on bowling and I can’t see that ever changing.
Best bowler you have faced so far and who is the dream opponent in a final?
Best bowler I’ve faced… that’s hard. Here come the name drops. I’ve bowled against Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray Williams Jr, Tim Mack, Tore Torgersen . But obviously they weren’t in their prime. But Jesper, Kyle Troup, Marshall Kent, Martin Larsen. They are all fantastic and I can’t say who’s best… but I can say I’ve beaten all 8 of them in at least once.
Finally Callum, Why is bowling a good sport and leisure activity to try?
Bowling is unique and fantastic in it’s diversity. You can bowl with any physical ability, or on any budget and enjoy it equally. The young can beat the old. And girls can beat the boys. And even though equipment is important. It’s not be all and end all. Someone with 1 ball can best someone with 20. There’s a reason it is an official paralympic sport and that’s why we should all be so proud of the sport we’ve grown up with.
Thank you, Callum!
We have invited all of the Adult Team England squad for 2022 to tell us a little more about themselves, and will publish them all weekly. You can read all of our athlete’s interviews on the Athlete Interviews page here:here:
