ARLINGTON, Texas – The Junior Gold program has shattered its all-time membership mark with more than 6,200 members having joined the program for the 2014-2015 season.

The 2015 Junior Gold Championships presented by Storm, Roto Grip and Master also will eclipse last year’s record for number of participants. More than 3,400 youth bowlers have qualified for the tournament, which will take place July 11-17 in DuPage County, Illinois, (Chicago area).

The Junior Gold program, overseen by the International Bowling Campus Youth Development team, surpassed the 5,000-memberships barrier for the first time last season. The tournament surpassed the 2,000-participants mark for the first time in 2013 and almost 2,500 participants took part in the 2014 Junior Gold Championships last summer in Buffalo, New York.

“The Junior Gold Championships in the pinnacle event for youth bowlers each summer and the continued growth of the tournament is a testament to the work of youth directors and Junior Gold coordinators across the country and the IBC Youth team,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “Youth bowlers of all ages, and their parents, see the opportunities to not only compete alongside the best talent in the country but to also have the chance to earn scholarships, a spot on Junior Team USA and this year, for the first time, a chance to bowl on national TV.”

In 2015, CBS Sports Network will televise the finals of each division of the Junior Gold Championships. The finals will air as a three-week series, starting Tuesday, August 4.

The first Junior Gold tournament, called the USA Junior Gold National Bowling Championships, was held in 1998 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and drew 538 participants.

Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold to learn more about the Junior Gold program and the Junior Gold Championships.