Junior Gold Championships Expanding

The North Pointe Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International has experienced tremendous growth, especially with the addition of the U15 division, and the expected progression has resulted in several changes for the 2013 event in Detroit.

“Youth bowlers across the country understand the great opportunity the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships offers and we are seeing unprecedented growth,” said Chad Murphy, International Bowling Campus (IBC) Managing Director of Youth Development. “A $250,000 scholarship pool, the chance to make Junior Team USA, national titles up for grabs … and the U15 division has really changed the dynamics. The division was an immediate success.”

More than 1,900 youth bowlers took part in the 2012 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, establishing a record for number of participants, and the 2013 tournament is expected to eclipse that mark. To handle the larger field, three additional centers in the Detroit area will be utilized.

In 2013, the boys division of the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships will compete at Sunnybrook Lanes and Sterling Lanes, both in Sterling Heights, and at AMF Rose Bowl in Roseville. The girls’ competition will take place at Astro Lanes in Madison Heights, Bowl One Lanes in Troy, and 5 Star Lanes in Sterling Heights.

The IBC staff and the IBC Youth Tournament Committee worked closely with Metro Detroit United States Bowling Congress (USBC) association manager and USBC board member Mark Martin, Detroit Sports Commission executive director Dave Beachnau and their staffs to determine the additional centers.

The highly successful debut of the U15 division at North Pointe Junior Gold Championships last year has prompted additional changes.

First was the creation of a U15 development program for Junior Team USA. Four of the top U15 bowlers at the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships who are age-eligible will have the opportunity to train at the International Training and Research Center with Team USA coaches and then represent Team USA in the U15 division of the Tournament of the Americas.

Another change will be an adjustment in the special prize fund for high school students (grades 9-12). For 2013, the high school prize fund will be divided for those in the U15 division and the U20 division.

Qualifying for the 2013 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International already is underway. To learn more about the tournament and the Junior Gold program, go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold.

Team USA Bowling Adds Pros

TEAM USA will send what is arguably the best group of players it has ever assembled to take on the world in international competition Aug. 20-31 in Thailand. The men's list: Professional Bowling Association (PBA) stars Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, Patrick Allen, and record setting PBA rookie Rhino Page, as well as veteran amateur standout Bill Hoffman.

ON the women's TEAM USA: former professionals Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Wendy Macpherson, Liz Johnson, the PBA's first female exempt player and former Lady Pro Kelly Kulick, Women's US Open Champion and Clash of Champions Winner Lynda Barnes, and successful national and international amateur Diandra Asbaty have been selected to compete at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women's Championships (formerly American Zone) in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 18-26.