USBC Junior Gold and Youth Open events heading to Las Vegas in 2011

Two of the top annual youth bowling tournaments, the USBC Junior Gold Championships and USBC Youth Open, will be held in Las Vegas in 2011, the United States Bowling Congress announced.

The tournaments will take place at the Sunset Station's Strike Zone, the South Point Bowling Center, and The Orleans Bowling Center.

"We're excited to take these two major youth events to Las Vegas," USBC Director of Youth Development Brian Graham said. "The three centers we will utilize are tremendous facilities and know how to handle major tournaments."

The USBC Junior Gold Championships will be held July 9-15, 2011, and all three sites will host qualifying rounds. The 72-lane center at Sunset Station will play host to the semifinals and the finals of the event and the closing ceremonies.

Jim Welch, Manager for Bowling Operations at Sunset Station's Strike Zone, said they are pleased to be hosting the 2011 USBC Junior Gold Championships.

"We will give the bowlers coming from all over the country a big welcome and promise they will enjoy their trip to Las Vegas," Welch said. "The host bowling centers are spectacular venues and all the participants and guests will be pleased they came."

The USBC Youth Open runs July 8-9 and 14-24 on the 64 lanes at the South Point Bowling Center. The annual seminars and exhibits that are a part of the USBC Junior Gold tournament will be at South Point on July 9.

The 70-lanes center at The Orleans also will host the Survivor Tournament in addition to Junior Gold qualifying. USBC Coaching will be available at the Gold Coast bowling center for training sessions.

The USBC Junior Gold Championships feature the elite youth bowlers in the nation competing for national titles and spots on Junior Team USA. Last year's event paid more than $140,000 in scholarships to participants. To learn more about the Junior Gold Championships, click here.

The USBC Youth Open is open to all USBC Youth members. It has four average-based divisions and bowlers are placed into a division based on skill, not age or gender. Each participant bowls nine games - three games each of singles, doubles and four-player team.