Junior Team USA selection process

 

Changes made to Junior Team USA selection process

By Kevin Hazaert
USBC Communications

Junior Team USA, the U.S. national junior bowling team and feeder program for Team USA, will expand to 20 players in 2009 - allowing more elite youth bowlers the opportunity to further develop their skills and represent their country.

The majority of Junior Team USA (comprised of 10 males and 10 females) will continue to be established at the previous year’s United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships, which brings together over 1,500 of the country’s best youth bowlers vying for scholarships and U.S. Junior Amateur titles.

However, new for 2009, additional players will be selected through the USBC Team USA Trials (beginning with the 2009 event), which is held annually in January to help determine Team USA.

“Expanding Junior Team USA will give more of the top young athletes in our sport exposure to the elite coaching and training they will receive in the program,” USBC Team USA High-Performance Director David Garber said. “By adding individuals from the USBC Team USA Trials as well, we will be able strengthen Junior Team USA with even more promising talent.” [Read more]

Ball Motion Study Completed

By Patrick Brettingen
USBC Communications

The United States Bowling Congress has completed its pioneering two-year study of bowling ball motion and how advanced, high-tech equipment may influence lane conditions and scoring in the sport.

The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force - formed in 2005 and comprised of USBC research engineers and technical volunteers from several bowling ball manufacturing companies - is now analyzing the research data results. The task force plans to meet in February 2008 to discuss the data further. USBC expects to release complete research results to the public next spring.

The goal of the study is to better understand the motion of bowling balls using scientific research and data analysis. As the sport’s national governing body, USBC undertook the research working cooperatively with bowling manufacturers.

One impetus for the study is that over the past 20 years, bowling’s credibility has been compromised in part due to technological advancements that have greatly affected scoring in the sport. [Read more]