North Pointe Junior Gold Championships FAQs
October 25, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions about recent format changes for the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships:
Who made the decisions on these changes?
This September in Arlington, a group consisting of volunteer leaders from the United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America as well as the International Bowling Campus Youth Development team met to make these decisions. Included in this group was the USBC Youth Committee and the BPAA Tournament Committee.
Why was the format changed from round robin to bracket?
The new match-play format gives all 16 qualifiers a chance going into the last day to not only win Junior Gold but also automatically qualify for Junior Team USA.
Why was the number of games per qualifying block reduced from six to five?
This decision was made knowing the tournament will grow over the next couple years with the new divisions. We want to accommodate as many qualifiers as possible without having to shut anyone out.
What oil patterns will be used?
There will be eight total patterns selected from the bank of 12 WTBA patterns. The specific patterns will not be announced until they are posted during the tournament practice session.
How was the decision reached to award Junior Team USA spots in this way?
As in past years, this event will award six spots to each division (boys and girls) of Junior Team USA, including two picked by the National Selection Committee. The change was made to award two spots through qualifying and two spots through match play so as to reward success in different aspects of the tournament.
How many entries are you expecting in each age group?
Based on the age breakdown in 2011, the projections for 2012 are 980 entries in U20 Boys, 450 entries in U20 Girls, 275 entries in U15 Boys and 175 entries in U15 Girls.
Is the scholarship money guaranteed?
The total scholarship fund of $250,000 is guaranteed, as are the minimum payouts.
With the tournaments combining and the total prize money doubling, why aren’t the first-place scholarships twice as big as 2011?
The scholarships are now distributed between six different divisions, including the high school divisions. Bowlers in the high school divisions are eligible for their age appropriate division as well as their high school division.
Why is there a separate prize fund for high school kids when most Junior Gold participants are in high school anyway?
In the last several years, most of the larger scholarship amounts have been won by college kids. With the merger of the two major tournaments, we felt strongly that we should still award scholarship money in a high school division.
Is there a separate entry fee for the high school division?
No. Junior Gold entrants eligible for the high school division are automatically entered at no charge. Only those competing in the U20 division are eligible for the high school division.
Who made the decisions on these changes?
This September in Arlington, a group consisting of volunteer leaders from the United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America as well as the International Bowling Campus Youth Development team met to make these decisions. Included in this group was the USBC Youth Committee and the BPAA Tournament Committee.
Why was the format changed from round robin to bracket?
The new match-play format gives all 16 qualifiers a chance going into the last day to not only win Junior Gold but also automatically qualify for Junior Team USA.
Why was the number of games per qualifying block reduced from six to five?This decision was made knowing the tournament will grow over the next couple years with the new divisions. We want to accommodate as many qualifiers as possible without having to shut anyone out.
What oil patterns will be used?
There will be eight total patterns selected from the bank of 12 WTBA patterns. The specific patterns will not be announced until they are posted during the tournament practice session.
How was the decision reached to award Junior Team USA spots in this way?
As in past years, this event will award six spots to each division (boys and girls) of Junior Team USA, including two picked by the National Selection Committee. The change was made to award two spots through qualifying and two spots through match play so as to reward success in different aspects of the tournament.
How many entries are you expecting in each age group?
Based on the age breakdown in 2011, the projections for 2012 are 980 entries in U20 Boys, 450 entries in U20 Girls, 275 entries in U15 Boys and 175 entries in U15 Girls.
Is the scholarship money guaranteed?
The total scholarship fund of $250,000 is guaranteed, as are the minimum payouts.
With the tournaments combining and the total prize money doubling, why aren’t the first-place scholarships twice as big as 2011?
The scholarships are now distributed between six different divisions, including the high school divisions. Bowlers in the high school divisions are eligible for their age appropriate division as well as their high school division.
Why is there a separate prize fund for high school kids when most Junior Gold participants are in high school anyway?
In the last several years, most of the larger scholarship amounts have been won by college kids. With the merger of the two major tournaments, we felt strongly that we should still award scholarship money in a high school division.
Is there a separate entry fee for the high school division?
No. Junior Gold entrants eligible for the high school division are automatically entered at no charge. Only those competing in the U20 division are eligible for the high school division.