25th Junior Gold Championships set to kick off in Indianapolis
July 06, 2023
INDIANAPOLIS – The top young bowlers from across the country are making their way to Indianapolis for the 2023 Junior Gold Championships, which marks the 25th edition of bowling’s largest and most-prestigious youth tournament.
The 2023 event will start on Monday, July 10, with the official practice session and opening round of qualifying in the 20-and-under division, and this year's edition will run until July 22. More than 4,100 bowlers have qualified for the 2023 event, which is being held across six centers in the Indianapolis area.
Bowlers in four age-based divisions for boys and girls - U12, U15, U18 and U20 - will be competing for part of the $450,000 tournament scholarship fund - with additional money being added from unassigned funds in the International Bowling Campus Youth Development SMART account.
Spots on Junior Team USA and Junior Team USA’s Developmental Team for 2024 also will be up for grabs in Indianapolis.
BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage of every round of the 2023 event leading up to the stepladder finals in each division. Qualifying coverage will be limited to four of the six centers during the qualifying rounds for the U12, U15 and U18 divisions with each center offering 16 lanes of coverage.
The finals in each division of the USA Bowling National Championships and Junior Gold Championships will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The finals of the USA Bowling National Championships will air July 18 (U12) and July 25 (U15), both at 7 p.m. Eastern. Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. Eastern); U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. Eastern); and U20 (Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Eastern).
The centers being used for the 2023 Junior Gold Championships include Championship Lanes, Royal Pin Expo, Mike Aulby’s Arrowhead Bowl, Strike Force Lanes, Royal Pin Western and Royal Pin Woodland. The stepladder finals for each division will take place at Royal Pin Western.
The U20 division will compete from July 10-13, with all competitors bowling four four-game qualifying blocks over two days to determine the players moving on to the advancers round.
Advancers will bowl an additional five games before a second cut is made, and a final five-game block will determine the 16 athletes in the boys and girls divisions advancing to the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Bracket matches will consist of two games, with total pinfall determining the winner. Three players will emerge from bracket play to compete in the stepladder finals to determine the champion. The two finalists in the match-play bracket will bowl to determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds for the stepladder, while the winner of the Elimination Bracket will be the No. 3 seed.
The championship rounds in the U20 division will be held July 13 at 2 p.m. Eastern.
With the maximum age for United States Bowling Congress Youth membership changing to 18 with the start of the 2020-2021 season, the U20 division was moved to the first week of the event to break away the adult competitors from the youth divisions (U12, U15 and U18).
This year’s product demonstration, open to all Junior Gold athletes, will kick off on July 13. The demo days features test equipment from the following brands: Brunswick, Columbia 300, DV8, Ebonite, Hammer, Motiv, 900 Global, Roto Grip and Storm. The event is a must for those looking for the latest updates in equipment and products.
The bowling ball demo will take place at Royal Pin Woodland with sessions occurring July 13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern and July 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. Space is limited for the demo day with required registration (first come, first served) available at BOWL.com/JGSpecialEvents.
The Junior Gold Trade Show and registration for U12, U15 and U18 athletes will take place July 15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This year's trade show will feature more than 110 total vendors, including 84 colleges and universities. In-person educational seminars will be replaced this year with online education available during the month of July on the BowlTV YouTube channel. This will allow participants to view engaging presentations put on by representatives from the industry’s leading manufacturers at their leisure.
Several top-flite staffers will also be on hand to sign autographs and interact with bowlers and their families. The list of expected participants is as follows: Brunswick – Parker Bohn III, Jakob Butturff, Tommy Jones, Dasha Kovalova, Matt Ogle, Bill O’Neill, Lauren Pate, Matt Russo and Keven Williams; Motiv – Andrew Anderson, A.J. Johnson, Wesley Low, Maria Jose Rodriguez and E.J. Tackett; and Storm – Bryanna Coté, Stefanie Johnson, Brad Miller, Daria Pajak, Sean Rash, Anthony Simonsen and Kyle Sherman.
Because this year’s event is the 25th edition of the Junior Gold Championships, the trade show will feature a history walk celebrating past events and champions. Banners listing the names of past winners also will be on display at all six competition bowling centers.
“The 25th anniversary of Junior Gold is a major milestone, and we think that this year’s roster of events and activities will adequately commemorate that occasion and provide an outstanding experience for our competitors and their families,” said Gary Brown, USBC Managing Director of Short-Duration Tournaments and Collegiate Bowling.
I Am Bowling, powered by Logo Infusion, is serving as the official jersey provider for the 2023 Junior Gold Championships. They will be giving competitors the chance to pick up their jerseys July 14-15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The 25th anniversary edition of the Junior Gold Championships also will see the return of the Party in the Park and the tournament’s Opening Ceremony, both of which will take place on July 16.
Party in the Park will feature several of our event sponsors like Brunswick, I Am Bowling, Motiv, Roto Grip and Storm Products. The event will be held at White River State Park from 1-5 p.m. Eastern and feature a DJ and several fun activities including outdoor games and equipment to utilize such as footballs, soccer balls and frisbees. There also will be featured areas for activities such as cornhole, a video-game truck, a dunk tank and much more. Staff members and pro athletes from the sponsoring partners will be on hand to mix and mingle at this event.
Victory Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ AAA-affiliate Indianapolis Indians, will be the host venue of the Junior Gold Championships Opening Ceremony, which takes place from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Eastern; doors open at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
The state-by-state athlete parade, presentation of the 2022-2023 Dexter All-American Team, I AM Bowling Scholarship winners and Athlete Talent Showcase will all be part of the celebration, which will feature a live closing performance.
“We are very excited to bring the Opening Ceremony back this year to go along with Party in the Park, which was tremendously successful during its launch last year in Grand Rapids,” said Chrissie Kent, IBC Youth Committee chairperson. “These events are a lot of fun, and they give bowlers and their families a chance to meet, mingle and have a great time before competition begins in the U12, U15 and U18 divisions.”
The three youth divisions will have their official practice sessions from July 14-16, with competition running from July 17-22.
The U15 and U18 divisions will feature the same format as the U20 division. The qualifying rounds will be contested over four days, however, compared to two days for U20.
The U12 division also will have four four-game qualifying rounds over four days before the first cut is made, and advancers will bowl an additional four games to determine the top eight competitors for double-elimination match play.
The stepladder finals in the U12 (10 a.m. Eastern), U15 (2 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (6 p.m. Eastern) divisions all will take place July 22.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the Bowling.com Youth Open Championships, USA Bowling National Championships and Survivor Tournament also will be taking place in Indianapolis.
The Youth Open Championships, a non-qualifying tournament open to all USBC Youth bowlers, has competition in singles, doubles and four-person team. Squads will be held at Royal Pin Expo July 12-14, 21-23 and 29-30. U18 will be the oldest division for the event.
The 2023 USA Bowling National Championships once again will bring together the top youth teams from throughout the country to compete for a national championship.
USA Bowling Regional events determined the field for the USA Bowling National Championships. There were two divisions at each regional event – Under 12 (born Aug. 1, 2010, or later) and Under 15 (born between Aug. 1, 2007, to July 31, 2010). Each regional champion advanced to the national event in Indianapolis.
Those teams will compete in qualifying rounds at Mike Aulby’s Arrowhead Bowl on July 12 at 10 a.m. Eastern. Match play will take place at Arrowhead on July 13 at 8 a.m. Eastern before competition moves to Royal Pin Western later that evening for the finals, which will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern in the U12 division and 8 p.m. Eastern in the U15 division.
The Survivor Tournament will be contested on July 21 and 22 at Royal Pin Woodland with squads taking place each day at 8 a.m. and 1 and 6 p.m. Eastern. Competitors will bowl five games across 10 lanes with one in five participants winning entries into the 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
Survivor Tournament competitors have the option of paying an additional $75 to receive a high-performance bowling ball from Brunswick (Mindset), Motiv (Tank Yellowjacket), Roto Grip (TNT) or Storm (Absolute) along with their tournament entry.
For more information on the 2023 Junior Gold Championships, visit BOWL.com/JuniorGold.
The 2023 event will start on Monday, July 10, with the official practice session and opening round of qualifying in the 20-and-under division, and this year's edition will run until July 22. More than 4,100 bowlers have qualified for the 2023 event, which is being held across six centers in the Indianapolis area.
Bowlers in four age-based divisions for boys and girls - U12, U15, U18 and U20 - will be competing for part of the $450,000 tournament scholarship fund - with additional money being added from unassigned funds in the International Bowling Campus Youth Development SMART account.
Spots on Junior Team USA and Junior Team USA’s Developmental Team for 2024 also will be up for grabs in Indianapolis.
BowlTV.com will provide livestream coverage of every round of the 2023 event leading up to the stepladder finals in each division. Qualifying coverage will be limited to four of the six centers during the qualifying rounds for the U12, U15 and U18 divisions with each center offering 16 lanes of coverage.
The finals in each division of the USA Bowling National Championships and Junior Gold Championships will be taped for broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The finals of the USA Bowling National Championships will air July 18 (U12) and July 25 (U15), both at 7 p.m. Eastern. Junior Gold telecasts will adhere to the schedule that follows: U12 (Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern); U15 (Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. Eastern); U18 (Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. Eastern); and U20 (Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Eastern).
The centers being used for the 2023 Junior Gold Championships include Championship Lanes, Royal Pin Expo, Mike Aulby’s Arrowhead Bowl, Strike Force Lanes, Royal Pin Western and Royal Pin Woodland. The stepladder finals for each division will take place at Royal Pin Western.
The U20 division will compete from July 10-13, with all competitors bowling four four-game qualifying blocks over two days to determine the players moving on to the advancers round.
Advancers will bowl an additional five games before a second cut is made, and a final five-game block will determine the 16 athletes in the boys and girls divisions advancing to the double-elimination match-play bracket.
Bracket matches will consist of two games, with total pinfall determining the winner. Three players will emerge from bracket play to compete in the stepladder finals to determine the champion. The two finalists in the match-play bracket will bowl to determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds for the stepladder, while the winner of the Elimination Bracket will be the No. 3 seed.
The championship rounds in the U20 division will be held July 13 at 2 p.m. Eastern.
With the maximum age for United States Bowling Congress Youth membership changing to 18 with the start of the 2020-2021 season, the U20 division was moved to the first week of the event to break away the adult competitors from the youth divisions (U12, U15 and U18).
This year’s product demonstration, open to all Junior Gold athletes, will kick off on July 13. The demo days features test equipment from the following brands: Brunswick, Columbia 300, DV8, Ebonite, Hammer, Motiv, 900 Global, Roto Grip and Storm. The event is a must for those looking for the latest updates in equipment and products.
The bowling ball demo will take place at Royal Pin Woodland with sessions occurring July 13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern and July 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern. Space is limited for the demo day with required registration (first come, first served) available at BOWL.com/JGSpecialEvents.
The Junior Gold Trade Show and registration for U12, U15 and U18 athletes will take place July 15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. This year's trade show will feature more than 110 total vendors, including 84 colleges and universities. In-person educational seminars will be replaced this year with online education available during the month of July on the BowlTV YouTube channel. This will allow participants to view engaging presentations put on by representatives from the industry’s leading manufacturers at their leisure.
Several top-flite staffers will also be on hand to sign autographs and interact with bowlers and their families. The list of expected participants is as follows: Brunswick – Parker Bohn III, Jakob Butturff, Tommy Jones, Dasha Kovalova, Matt Ogle, Bill O’Neill, Lauren Pate, Matt Russo and Keven Williams; Motiv – Andrew Anderson, A.J. Johnson, Wesley Low, Maria Jose Rodriguez and E.J. Tackett; and Storm – Bryanna Coté, Stefanie Johnson, Brad Miller, Daria Pajak, Sean Rash, Anthony Simonsen and Kyle Sherman.
Because this year’s event is the 25th edition of the Junior Gold Championships, the trade show will feature a history walk celebrating past events and champions. Banners listing the names of past winners also will be on display at all six competition bowling centers.
“The 25th anniversary of Junior Gold is a major milestone, and we think that this year’s roster of events and activities will adequately commemorate that occasion and provide an outstanding experience for our competitors and their families,” said Gary Brown, USBC Managing Director of Short-Duration Tournaments and Collegiate Bowling.
I Am Bowling, powered by Logo Infusion, is serving as the official jersey provider for the 2023 Junior Gold Championships. They will be giving competitors the chance to pick up their jerseys July 14-15 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The 25th anniversary edition of the Junior Gold Championships also will see the return of the Party in the Park and the tournament’s Opening Ceremony, both of which will take place on July 16.
Party in the Park will feature several of our event sponsors like Brunswick, I Am Bowling, Motiv, Roto Grip and Storm Products. The event will be held at White River State Park from 1-5 p.m. Eastern and feature a DJ and several fun activities including outdoor games and equipment to utilize such as footballs, soccer balls and frisbees. There also will be featured areas for activities such as cornhole, a video-game truck, a dunk tank and much more. Staff members and pro athletes from the sponsoring partners will be on hand to mix and mingle at this event.
Victory Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ AAA-affiliate Indianapolis Indians, will be the host venue of the Junior Gold Championships Opening Ceremony, which takes place from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Eastern; doors open at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
The state-by-state athlete parade, presentation of the 2022-2023 Dexter All-American Team, I AM Bowling Scholarship winners and Athlete Talent Showcase will all be part of the celebration, which will feature a live closing performance.
“We are very excited to bring the Opening Ceremony back this year to go along with Party in the Park, which was tremendously successful during its launch last year in Grand Rapids,” said Chrissie Kent, IBC Youth Committee chairperson. “These events are a lot of fun, and they give bowlers and their families a chance to meet, mingle and have a great time before competition begins in the U12, U15 and U18 divisions.”
The three youth divisions will have their official practice sessions from July 14-16, with competition running from July 17-22.
The U15 and U18 divisions will feature the same format as the U20 division. The qualifying rounds will be contested over four days, however, compared to two days for U20.
The U12 division also will have four four-game qualifying rounds over four days before the first cut is made, and advancers will bowl an additional four games to determine the top eight competitors for double-elimination match play.
The stepladder finals in the U12 (10 a.m. Eastern), U15 (2 p.m. Eastern) and U18 (6 p.m. Eastern) divisions all will take place July 22.
In addition to the Junior Gold Championships, the Bowling.com Youth Open Championships, USA Bowling National Championships and Survivor Tournament also will be taking place in Indianapolis.
The Youth Open Championships, a non-qualifying tournament open to all USBC Youth bowlers, has competition in singles, doubles and four-person team. Squads will be held at Royal Pin Expo July 12-14, 21-23 and 29-30. U18 will be the oldest division for the event.
The 2023 USA Bowling National Championships once again will bring together the top youth teams from throughout the country to compete for a national championship.
USA Bowling Regional events determined the field for the USA Bowling National Championships. There were two divisions at each regional event – Under 12 (born Aug. 1, 2010, or later) and Under 15 (born between Aug. 1, 2007, to July 31, 2010). Each regional champion advanced to the national event in Indianapolis.
Those teams will compete in qualifying rounds at Mike Aulby’s Arrowhead Bowl on July 12 at 10 a.m. Eastern. Match play will take place at Arrowhead on July 13 at 8 a.m. Eastern before competition moves to Royal Pin Western later that evening for the finals, which will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern in the U12 division and 8 p.m. Eastern in the U15 division.
The Survivor Tournament will be contested on July 21 and 22 at Royal Pin Woodland with squads taking place each day at 8 a.m. and 1 and 6 p.m. Eastern. Competitors will bowl five games across 10 lanes with one in five participants winning entries into the 2024 Junior Gold Championships.
Survivor Tournament competitors have the option of paying an additional $75 to receive a high-performance bowling ball from Brunswick (Mindset), Motiv (Tank Yellowjacket), Roto Grip (TNT) or Storm (Absolute) along with their tournament entry.
For more information on the 2023 Junior Gold Championships, visit BOWL.com/JuniorGold.