Junior Gold, North Pointe Insurance Bowling Events to Merge

From Bowlers Journal International Magazine:
 
Is one tournament better than two?
 
Leaders of the USBC and BPAA believe it is when the tournament is the new $250,000 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, presented by Brunswick.
 
The tournament is made possible by the merger of the USBC’s Junior Gold Championships and the BPAA’s North Pointe High School Singles Championships.
 
The new combined event will feature some significant changes:
 
• USBC Junior Gold membership no longer will have a minimum average requirement.
 
• The tournament will have two age-based divisions — 20 and under, and 15 and under  — with separate competition for boys and girls.
 
“The creation of the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships is a remarkable example of bowling’s membership organizations and leading sponsors coming together to make a change that benefits the kids,” said International Bowling Campus Director of Youth Development Chad Murphy.
 
“We now have a significant event for children 15 and under, which is a critical development age, (we have) preserved the opportunities for older teens, and opened the benefits of Junior Gold membership to all youth bowlers.”
 
North Pointe Insurance is the nation's largest insurer of independent bowling centers. In addition to its sponsorship of the Junior Gold Championships, North Pointe has made a multi-year commitment to the Youth Education Services Fund and will be recognized as a YES Fund founding partner.
 
Junior Gold will continue to be open to youth bowlers who qualify at regional events around country, and will award automatic bids to Junior Team USA as part of the competition. The 2012 event will be held in Indianapolis in July, in conjunction with the USBC Youth Open.