Porter hoping to make a long run at national title | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Indoor bowls, Ironman and ultra-marathons aren't sports that naturally go hand in hand, but Taupo's Robin Porter has managed to combine the three.

Next week he'll be vying for a national title when the New Zealand Indoor Bowls Championships come to Taupo, but if you've got some stereotype in your head about what an indoor bowler is like, Mr Porter probably doesn't fit it.

He admits that some people probably consider it a sport for the "old and infirm" but he's hoping the upcoming competition will help people see the sport in a new light.

The 61st Lion Foundation National Indoor Bowls Championships has attracted more than 1200 competitors who will play over the week-long competition, beginning today.

Mr Porter got into the sport at a young age, following his parent's involvement in the sport.

Since then he's been hooked.

He describes the sport as "hugely competitive".

"To play it really well you have to have a pretty high level of concentration. It's strategic."

Mr Porter admits that some find his combination of sports a little unusual.

"I sometimes joke that I do ultra-marathons and Ironman to keep fit for bowls."

Although he says both require a certain level of concentration.

While club nights are quite social, Mr Porter said he definitely had a competitive streak.

"I don't like giving up. More so this season, we've won a lot of the tighter games that might have gone either way in the past."

He said while you didn't have to be particularly athletic to be a good indoor bowler, "a little bit of hand eye co-ordination certainly helps."

In the national competition he'll be competing in all four divisions - the singles, pairs, triples and fours.

"I'm a reasonably good singles player but I would love to win a fours title because it would combine the whole team."

He said there was a slightly different style of game needed in the group categories, and it required a bit more strategy.

"It would be a dream come true to win one of the competitions. It would be a huge achievement."

It's a family affair in the pairs section, with Mr Porter teaming up with wife Jacque.

He said while the large number of competitors would in turn mean quite a large number of spectators, Taupo people would also head along to watch the competition - and that it may in turn spark someone's interest in bowls.