News – Page 99 – Green Bay Bowling

USBC Will Lower Youth Membership Maximum Age to 18 Starting With 2020-21 Season

4 years ago
/ General National News
/ By Zach Boulanger

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress will lower the maximum age for USBC Youth membership to 18 starting with the 2020-2021 season.

The decision to lower to the maximum age from 20 to 18, with agreement from the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and the International Bowling Campus Youth Committee, will align bowling with other youth sports.

“Over the last decade, we have made changes to USBC Youth programs and tournaments to provide a model comparable with other youth sports,” IBC Youth Managing Director of Youth Development Gary Brown said. “We moved to age-based divisions, as opposed to average, for events, to provide peer-to-peer competition. Setting the maximum age for youth bowlers to 18 aligns us with the standard of other national youth sports organizations.”

A U18 division will become the top division for the Pepsi Youth and Bowling.com Youth Open Championships for the 2020-2021 season. During the next season, USBC will address how the age change will impact the 2021 Junior Gold Championships, which will have a separate U20 division. Please visit BOWL.com/YouthAgeChange for additional information.

Starting with the 2020-2021 season, USBC Youth membership policy will state youth membership is available to individuals who have not reached the age of 18 prior to Aug. 1 of the current bowling season. The decision to lower the maximum age will directly impact 3.3 percent of the total youth membership. The change also better aligns USBC Youth membership with new regulations from the U.S. Center for SafeSport requiring training for those over 18 who participate in a sport with minors.

Any USBC Youth member who reaches the age of 18 during the bowling season is required to complete the U.S. Center for SafeSport online education program, which is free, to continue to compete in leagues that have participants under age 18. This requirement was announced with the release of the revised Registered Volunteer Program (RVP) handbook.

The new age limit marks the second time the USBC Youth maximum age has been lowered. In 2009, USBC lowered the maximum age for youth bowlers from 22 to 20.

Visit BOWL.com/Youth to learn more about the youth bowling programs and events.

Bowling Virtual Vault Introduced by bowling museum

4 years ago
/ General National News
/ By Zach Boulanger

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is providing fans of bowling – and history – a way to experience the sport from anywhere in the world through an online collection of the many great items in the museum’s vast inventory.

BowlingHeritage.com is the gateway to the Bowling Virtual Vault, which features many of the historic items on display at the museum in Arlington, plus additional collections the museum is not able to display year-round because of space constraints.

“The Bowling Virtual Vault provides access to great memorabilia, and visitors also will learn about the greatest players, teams, moments and so much more about bowling’s history,” said Mike Aulby, President and Chairman of the IBMHOF Board of Trustees. “It’s a fantastic way for those who might not be able to visit the museum to see our outstanding collections. It is a fun and engaging look at bowling for even the most casual fans of the sport.”

Visit BowlingHeritage.com to access the Bowling Virtual Vault.

RULE CHANGE: Rule 18 – Altering Surface

4 years ago
/ General National News
/ By Zach Boulanger

RULE 18: BOWLING BALL – ALTERING SURFACE

A significant change in Rule 18 became effective Aug. 1, 2019. Bowlers no longer can use liquids or add anything,including but not limited to rosin or powder, to the surface of the bowling ball. We have created this document toexplain how the rule change affects you and your bowling ball(s) during USBC league and tournament play.

Rule 18 – Bowling Ball - Altering Surface

While bowling in USBC competition, a bowling ball cannot:

Have the surface altered by the use of an abrasive.
Be cleaned with any liquid substance or cleaning agent.
Have any foreign material on it including, but not limited to, powder, rosin, marker or paint.

All bowling balls so altered or cleaned must be removed from the competition.

Note: Should a foreign substance appear on the outer surface of a bowling ball which cannot be removed with a dry towel, an approved cleaner may be used with consent from a league or tournament officer.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE RULE CHANGE

1. When does competition start? Competition starts once any bowler throws a ball for score in a league or tournament.

2. Can I clean my ball with an approved cleaner during practice? You can clean your ball with an approved cleaner during practice, unless otherwise specified by league or tournament rules.

3. Can I clean my ball with an approved cleaner between games during certified competition? No. You cannot clean your ball between games, because the competition has started.

4. Can I clean my ball with an approved cleaner between tournament squads? You can clean your ball with an approved cleaner between squads unless otherwise specified by tournament rules. “During competition” could be defined by tournaments to include or exclude practice and time between squads.

5. What type of towels are approved for use during USBC certified competition? Any dry towel or cloth that does not alter the surface of the bowling ball is allowed. This includes the use of dry shammys.

6. If I used a towel with a liquid cleaner on it to clean my ball prior to the start of the competition, can I use that same towel to clean the ball during the competition? That same towel can only be used during the competition once the towel is dry.

7. If I take a ball out of my bag that I have not bowled with, can I clean it with an approved cleaner? No, approved cleaners cannot be used once competition has begun. This rule applies to balls from a bowler’s bowling bag, locker or car, etc. We suggest you clean all your bowling balls prior to the start of competition.

8. What happens if a bowler uses a cleaner, abrasive, or puts a foreign substance on the ball? If the bowler was not aware of the rule, the ball is removed from competition. The bowler also should be given an explanation of the rule. Conversely, if the bowler knows a ball cannot be cleaned, patted with rosin or powder or use an abrasive, the ball must be removed from competition and the games are subject to forfeiture. If there is a question as to whether a bowler knew the rule or not, the league board of directors makes the determination.

9. Can I pat my ball with rosin or powder if I wipe the ball before it is delivered? No. Wiping the ball with a towel does not make the ball compliant to the rule. Patting a ball with a product is adding a foreign substance to the ball and cannot be done during competition. A product can only be applied to a bowler’s hand and not leave residue on the surface of the ball.

10. If my ball comes back with residue on it and I cannot clean it with my dry towel, rag or shammy, can I use an approved cleaner? Yes, provided you get permission from a league officer or tournament official. If you clean your ball without prior permission, you may be asked to remove the ball from competition, and/or the games may be subject to forfeiture.

11. When I have permission to clean my ball, may I clean the entire ball? Yes, you may clean the entire surface of a bowling ball or just the area needing to be cleaned.

12. I have a ball cleaner that has the USBC “Approved Anytime” logo on it. Can I still use the cleaner during competition? No, the cleaner can no longer be used during competition.

13. I still see there are products with the USBC “Approved Anytime” logo on it. Why is that?USBC communicated the rule change with bowling ball cleaner companies prior to the adoption of the rule changes to allow the companies to make the necessary adjustments to labeling and cycle through existing inventories. There will be USBC “Approved Anytime” products in the marketplace until inventories are depleted; however, these products cannot be used during competition.

Honor Scores (8/29/2019)

4 years ago
/ Honor Scores
/ By Zach Boulanger

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GBA USBC to host USA Bowling Coaching Seminar

The USA Bowling Coaching program executes approximately 50 FREE seminars each year throughout the country with a goal of teaching those in attendance the basic skills needed to teach the fundamentals of bowling to youths! Any and everyone who wants to learn more about how to teach the fundamentals of bowling to youth is welcome to join us at this FREE USA Bowling Coaching seminar.

Seminars are free to attend, and each attendee is provided materials to take home with them developed by the USBC Coaching Certification and Development team. These materials include:

Manual - Over 140 pages of curriculum which includes everything from the coaching philosophy to physical game techniques and basic skill drills
8-week lesson plan – An easy to follow 14-page guide coaches may take on-lane from week-to-week and watch their bowlers progress through this readily developed lesson plan
Quick Reference Guide 1 & 2 - Double sided laminated sheets that feature a glossary of terms, on-lane drills, and fundamentals

We'll be hosting one of these FREE clinics on Sunday September 29th from 1pm-4pm at Willow Creek Lanes.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW