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Listed below are News Articles which have to
published and collected.
"I'm
deaf and blind but it's not the end of the world
- at least I can walk"
ROSA
Crean has battled against the odds all her life,
enduring a personal hardship that few will have
experienced.
But
despite the turmoil of her early years and a physical
handicap that still besets her today, Rosa has
risen to become a true champion.
The
65-year-old has amassed a cupboard full of 28
sports medals including Paralympic gold - and
is recognised as a legend in the world of bowls.
' What makes Rosa so special is that she's registered
deaf-blind - born with a serious sight problem
- genetic cataracts - and then suffering from
a childhood ear infection which resulted in hearing
difficulties which have continued to worsen over
the years.
Rosa
is one of an estimated two million over-60s in
the UK who have a sight and hearing loss and because
of their impairments are at special risk of becoming
isolated in the community. They are now at the
centre of a new awareness campaign.
Thankfully for Rosa, with her special determination,
this is unlikely to happen.
That determination is born out of a nightmare
childhood that saw her a victim of the Greek Civil
War in the late 1940s when she was torn from her
family, abducted and ended up 'alone in a Polish
orphanage.
Her
remarkable survival from a poverty-stricken family
background eventually saw Rosa arrive in the UK
when she was in her mid-20s working in a factory
in Lincolnshire. But bad luck was again around
the corner when she was hit by a drink-driver
and left in a coma for four weeks.
A
year later in 1967, Rosa arrived in Cardiff following
a romantic link with a Welshman and that's where
she's finally put down her roots becoming the
proud mother of two children Julia and Phillip,
who have both sadly inherited the genetic cataract
condition.
"Both
my mother and my brother had the same problem
and I've had operations and implants put in my
eyes but nothing has really worked." At the
moment I can see about three feet but everything
beyond that is a complete blur," said Rosa,
of Cardiff Bay.
Being
deaf and blind Rosa admits she faces many daily
and routine problems.
"Life is difficult; you can make all sorts
of mistakes. You bump into people, you can fall
over, and you do not recognise someone or mistake
them for the wrong person. My view has always
been that it's not the end of the world - at least
I can walk which some other people cannot do."
She hasn't let her disability stop her pursuing
her love of art and sport. She has created dozens
of oil paintings, which she has exhibited locally.
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And
at the suggestion of 36-year-old daughter Julia,
Rosa also took up lawn bowls 16 years ago as a
way to help her mum get out and about. "I
tried it but after about three months thought
this was not my cup of tea - I just could not
see what I was doing. Julie told me off and insisted
I carry on and thanks to her advice I've achieved
my success. "Travelling the world with the
Wales and UK squad of disabled athletes, Rosa
has opened up a new life which still sees her
practising three times a week. But how does she
hit the target? Rosa explained: "It works
very simply. The coach tells you where the jack
is and, because I can't see it, where to bowl
the ball and what weight to use. So it could be
an instruction 'bowl at two o'clock or nine o'clock
and use more or less weight' depending on the
situation. The whole experience of bowling for
Wales has been an amazing time for me. "Despite
her champion status."
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Rosa
is still hard at work trying to raise £5,000
sponsorship for
her next tilt at a world title in Australia in
2009. "We all need the money to pay for travel
and accommodation so I would appreciate all the
help I can get," she said.
To
help support Rosa's fundraising, visit her website
on www.rosacrean.com
Read
More about Rosa's Story.
Scotland
take singles honours
By RON WHITEHEAD
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HOSTS
Scotland took the honours in the UK Indoor
Singles bowls championship at the West of
Scotland Indoor Bowling Stadium in Rutherglen,
Glasgow.
They
scored 91 points to head England (80), Wales
(45) and Ireland (5).
Northern Ireland was able to send only one
player and coach/helper and Wales also sent
a depleted team due to a shortage of players
and coach/helpers.
The event produced some excellent bowling,
with many games being won on the last end,
and Scotland must be congratulated on the
excellent organisation. Facilities at The
West of Scotland Indoor Bowling Stadium
and the Glasgow Pond Hotel were first class.
Mark
Nelson (Wales) made his International debut
In the B1 men's competition, but sadly Bill
McClure had to withdraw due to illness prior
to the Competition.
The
event was won by Ron Flanders (England)
from George Gourlay (Scotland), Mike Warden
(England), Mike Price (Wales) and Mark Nelson.
In the B1 ladies Ada Meikle (Scotland) took
the gold from Christine Gordon (Scotland)
on shot difference, with Margaret Cusker
(England) taking bronze and Lisa Royle (Northern
Ireland) fourth, Doreen Jones (Wales) fifth
and Christine Newcombe (England) sixth.
In
the B2 men Wales again had a first International
participant in Martin Goodall. The Gold
Medal went to Keith Brenton, a former Welsh
International now representing England,
from Harry Harris (Scotland), Paul Hawkes
(England), Jim Binnie (Scotland), Martin
Goodall (Wales), and David Gibbs (Wales).
In
the ladies Christine Linegar (England) and
Morag Morrison (Wales) made their international
debuts, while Morag's mother represented
Scotland as a B3.
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Eleanor
Clark (Scotland) took gold, Irene Murray
(Scotland) silver, Christine Linegar (England)
bronze, Nancy Cheeseman was fourth and Morag
Morrison fifth.
The
B3 men Wales again had a first international
participant in Bernard Williams. Scotland's
Alex Soudan took gold, with Chris Turnbull
(England) silver, defending champion Allan
Jones (Wales) bronze, Steve Simmons (England)
fourth, Robert Conway (Scotland) fifth and
Bernard Williams (Wales) sixth.
The
B3 ladies saw Rosa Crean, of Wales retain
the the Title she has held since the start
of the indoor singles, with Betty Morrison
(Scotland) second on Shot difference from
Maria Spencer (Scotland), and Myrtle Robinson
fourth, again on shot difference from Ann
Bryant, with Monica Gibbs (Wales) sixth.
Four
new internationals In the B4 category were
Ann Council (England), Elwyn West, Sheila
Kinch and Peggy Rickards (all Wales).
David Thomas, the BBS bowls section treasurer,
took gold for Scotland from Bob Rossiter
(England), Terry Matthews (England), Willy
Caulfield (Scotland), and Elwyn West. There
is no truth in the rumour that to save money
David took the trophy back to the shop and
tried to get a refund!
Bowls
section chair Gail Hepworth (England) took
gold, and again the rumour went round that
Gail threatened to bar anyone who beat her.
Shirley-Ann Harris (Scotland) took silver
with Sheila Kinch (Wales) third, Ann Council
fourth, Maria Potter fifth, and Peggy Rickards
sixth.
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Cardiff
member Rosa Crean talks about her successes in
lawn bowls
Bowling
champ
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Soon
after Rosa Crean took up lawn bowls, she
told her daughter: 'It's not my cup of tea'.
But she stuck at it and has enjoyed a career
that has seen her win 28 medals- and she
has no intention of stopping!
Rosa
was born in Greek Macedonia.
Today she lives in Cardiff and thinks of
herself as Welsh and British. She has two
children, a daughter called Julia and son
called Philip. Both have inherited her congenital
cataracts but both gained degrees at university.
It
was Julia who encouraged her mum to have
a go at bowling back in 1991. Rosa admits
she asked: 'What's bowling?' but she went
along and started learning the sport. After
three months she told Julia it wasn't for
her but Julia urged her to
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think
about winning and Rosa took up the challenge.
She entered her first B3 singles competition
in 1992 but says she didn't really know
that much about the game and she lost.
But
in 1995 she entered the world championships
at Stoke Mandeville and won a bronze medal.
'I felt so good,' she remembers. Fired with
enthusiasm, she started working hard and
in the Paralympics in 1996 she won a gold
for Britain in the singles.
It
was a crowning moment of glory and success
then kept on coming. In 1998 at the International
Paralympics she won a gold and bronze; in
1999 in the world championships she won
again. In 200 I in the world championships
she took gold in the pairs; in 2002
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Artical
By Open Hand Spring 2007
DeafBlind UK
ROSA
BOWLS 'EM OVER!
Rosa
Crean, a member of the Cardiff Blind Bowlers,
has added another gold medal to her growing collection
of medals won since 1992.
The
UK Indoor Singles Tournament, held recently in
Glasgow, was the venue for her latest triumph.
Played over three days, Rosa had to compete against
two English players on day one and players from
Wales and Scotland on day two.
One
of Rosa's many highlights was winning Gold at
the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
She
also holds 13 gold medals and 3 silver medals
for the Welsh Singles dating from 1992 to 2007.
Well done Rosa from all your friends at CIB!
Artical
By Unknown
Cardiff Institute for the Blind
Rosa
going for gold Down Under
CARDIFF
bowler Rosa Crean, gunning for gold at
the World Blind Bowls Championship in New Zealand
next march after completing a unique hat-trick
of medals at the recent Paralympics in Atlanta.
Despite
stiff competition in America Rosa, the current
Welsh and British champion were crowned Paralympic
blind bowls champion. With the sport expected
to be dropped for the next Games in Sydney in
the year 2000, the feat is unlikely ever to be
equalled.
Rosa
overcame with ease the South African champion
in the semi-finals and the Hong Kong champion
in the final to complete a hat-trick of titles
and her gold medal was presented in front of 75,000
people in the Olympic Stadium.
"The
three wishes we had going to Atlanta was to win
the gold medal, step on to the podium facing the
Union Jack with the national anthem going and
to walk into a stadium of 75,000 people, a winner,"
said her Newport coach Ivor Edmonds.
"No-one
else can emulate that because I don't think bowls
will be in the next Paralympics and training will
start next month for the World Championships,"
"In
blind bowls my eyesight belongs to Rosa. I tell
her exactly where the woods are, how the head
is going and whether the next shot should be on
the back-head or fore-hand."
Artical
By Anthony Woolford
Cardiff Post
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