No matter how many times you do it, representing your state never loses its lustre.
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Just ask Christine Myers and Carol White.
The South Tamworth lawn bowlers are somewhat old hats when it comes to playing for NSW at the nationals.
The upcoming senior sides championships, which are being played at Joondalup Bowling Club on the northern outskirts of Perth from October 8-11, will be White's 10th time across the different divisions, and for Myers her fifth.
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But the excitement doesn't diminish.
"It's awesome to get picked," Myers said.
"It's why you trial," White added.
She is lot long back from NSW indoor representative duties.
In mid-August she travelled to Tweed Heads for the Australian Indoor Singles Championships, where she made it through to the second round, bowing out at the hands of the eventual winner.
The two have similar stories about how they got started in the sport.
For White it was to spend time with her husband, who was a bowler.
"You don't see them if you don't go and do the same thing," she told The Leader in January following the announcement of the indoor team.
Myers was inspired to take it up after watching husband Jeff play.
"I thought I wouldn't mind having a go at this, so in 2000 I joined and I've been here (Souths) ever since," she said.
Over the ensuing years she has won countless club, district and zone titles, and earned bragging rights as the best bowler in the family, even if it has taken Jeff longer than everyone else to acknowledge it.
"He recognises now that I'm the better bowler," she joked, pointing out that he "hasn't got any titles".
She has tasted success at the nationals before, being part of the NSW team that won gold in South Australia in 2018.
Two years earlier, in Perth, she had made her NSW debut.
"I was just rapt to get the invitation," she told The Leader at the time.
White was also in the team in 2016. They picked up the silver with Queensland pipping them on a count-back.
Both are looking forward to what they have come to expect as three-and-a-half days of tough bowls.
"It's a high level of bowls so you sort of test yourself to see how good you are and where you've got to get better," White said.
The team of 12 which will contest for the Betty Collins trophy was finalised in August following a trial, and test match against Victoria. White said that is the "hard part": the trials.
For the purposes of the competition they have been split into three teams of four.
White and Myers will play in different fours with White the lead for Team 2 and Myers the third for Team 3.
Due to catch the red-eye back on Wednesday night there will be little time to rest. They will be back on the green on Saturday for the club championship pairs.
West Tamworth's Aaron Kelly is also over in Perth with the Para-Blues side, and Gunnedah's Tim Thorning and Ella Cameron with the juniors.
