No 34: Ian Dickison bowls the world over (1988)
Ian Dickison reached the pinnacle of his bowls career when he won gold and silver medals at World Bowls in 1988.
When he won the gold medal in the triples in Auckland, he joined fellow Otago man Gordon Jolly as the only New Zealand bowlers to win gold medals at both the Commonwealth Games and World Bowls.
Dickison won a gold medal in the singles at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and Jolly a gold medal in the fours at the 1974 Commonwealth Games and at the inaugural World Bowls in Sydney in 1966.
Dickison also won a silver medal in the fours at World Bowls in 1988 and Jolly a bronze medal in the triples in Sydney.
Dickison was lead in the New Zealand triples team with Morgan Moffat and skip Phil Skoglund that beat the experienced Scottish team of Willie Paul, Willie Wood and Alex McIntosh 18-15.
Dickison did not have the natural flair of Jolly or Skoglund but he possessed the will and determination to succeed at the highest level, which was evident in Edinburgh and Auckland.
Dickison's preparation for major events started months in advance and he knew what to expect.
"I don't go into shock, panic or throw a tantrum," he explained.
His intense concentration helped to bring him success at international level.
"You prepare yourself for a lot of hard work and the rest day is a nuisance," he said.
"You are at a level of concentration where you don't want to be interrupted."
The Henderson complex in Auckland had a reputation for wind and Dickison changed from his normal size six bowls to a smaller size five.
"It has the same weight and I thought it would take less wind. I had used size six bowls all my life and found myself uncomfortable with the smaller bowls.
"After three games in the triples against top-class leads, and dragging the chain a wee bit, I went back to sixes and from that point I never looked back."
