Seven TNBA Youth Members benefit from weekend at ITRC
August 27, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas – The National Bowling Association Youth Weekend returned to the International Training and Research Center, providing seven student-athletes with the unique opportunity to receive instruction and train at the world-class facility.
The event, created through a partnership between the United States Bowling Congress and TNBA, took place this year from Aug. 14-16. The first year of the TNBA Youth Weekend at the ITRC was in 2010.
Over the course of the three-day program, players received on-lane training and participated in drills and classroom sessions with the ITRC staff. Participants also had the opportunity to hear from guest speakers and tour the ITRC and International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
Applications were sent to TNBA youth members that were high school students in grades 9-12 who also were USBC-certified bowlers. As part of the application process, players were asked to submit a video showing their bowling style from different angles along with a resume of their accomplishments and at least one letter of recommendation. This year’s seven participants were selected from that pool of TNBA youth program applicants and included five boys and two girls:
Gavin Fernandez, Henderson, Nev.
Jordan Peareara, Providence, R.I.
Pryce Robinson, Chicago
Leoangelo Salcedo, North Las Vegas, Nev.
Aarin Shepard, Highland, Calif.
Amari Thompson, Eastover, S.C.
Sara Ward, Cranston, R.I.
The participants were joined by TNBA Assistant Junior Program Manager Dominique Walker and Field Representative and Western Region Tournament Director Pam Sterling.
Providing instruction to the student-athletes were USBC Director of Coaching Development and USBC Gold-level coach Stephen Padilla, USBC Gold-level and ITRC coach Lou Marquez, and Tom Nassar of USBC’s Equipment and Specifications team and the Wicks Pro Shop.
“My favorite part has been working with some of the best coaches in the world and the training they give you,” Thompson said. “I think it’s something that everyone should get to do, but I know that I’m lucky that I got to do it. I’m grateful for that.”
Shepard noted what a great job the instructors did as well.
“They’re great at making you understand what you’re capable of, and they fix things that you didn’t even notice were a problem before,” Shepard said. “Everything they do is helping me a lot, and it’s moving pretty fast.”
Professional Bowlers Association champion and Team USA member Packy Hanrahan was the guest speaker for the event. He discussed his background and talked about how he got into bowling later in life. Hanrahan recounted his collegiate career at Wichita State where he was “the ninth-best bowler on the team,” but decided to pursue bowling after graduation with the support of his family. He spoke about his love for the sport and told the attendees that “bowling is the type of sport that you can get better at by being committed, practicing often and taking advice from those around you.”
Hanrahan’s presentation and words of wisdom left a lasting impression on the attendees.
“The coolest thing for me was meeting Packy,” said Peareara. “For him to share his knowledge of the game, being open and honest about his journey and all the things he’s gone through, that was pretty cool. Not everyone would do that and share those things.”
The fact that Hanrahan is a two-hander had a direct impact on Shepard.
“Having Packy here definitely helped since I switched to two-handed not too long ago,” Shepard said. “He was able to give me some specific tips since he’s also a two-hander.”
During the weekend, an emphasis was placed on individual instruction to develop both the physical and mental game. The instruction featured analysis through several of the training tools used at the ITRC, including the facility’s advanced video system and Specto technology. There were sessions covering the bowler’s release and an assessment of each player’s spare shooting.
“I learned a lot about lane transition and how to deal with that,” said Salcedo. “It was something that I was struggling with before, so I think learning about it here will help me.”
“I’ve learned how important it is to be consistent and to hit my mark every time,” Fernandez said. “I’m hoping to go pro one day, so this experience will help.”
In addition to on-lane instruction, the participants took part in classroom sessions on topics that included the physical game, bowling ball dynamics, ball motion dynamics and understanding the science of lane conditions and lane play.
“It wasn’t just the bowling part, but the classroom part was really good for me,” Robinson said. “It shows you that you can learn things outside of the lanes as well.”
Ward agreed with Robinson. “The classroom environment has been very helpful; I learned a lot through that.”
The classroom and on-lane instruction were complemented by tours of the facility, including the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame at the conclusion of the first day.
Visiting the IBMHOF wasn’t the only tour provided for the participants as they also enjoyed a tour of USBC’s Equipment Specifications Department.
Peareara, who, as he grows older, wants to help others learn the sport, summed up the weekend.
“Honestly, everything I’ve learned here is going to help me; I couldn’t pick out one specific thing,” he said. “I want to be a bowling coach or youth instructor in the future, so I can take the things I’ve learned here and apply them to that.”
For more information on The National Bowling Association, visit TNBAInc.org.
For more information on the International Training and Research Center, visit bowlingitrc.com.
The event, created through a partnership between the United States Bowling Congress and TNBA, took place this year from Aug. 14-16. The first year of the TNBA Youth Weekend at the ITRC was in 2010.
Over the course of the three-day program, players received on-lane training and participated in drills and classroom sessions with the ITRC staff. Participants also had the opportunity to hear from guest speakers and tour the ITRC and International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
Applications were sent to TNBA youth members that were high school students in grades 9-12 who also were USBC-certified bowlers. As part of the application process, players were asked to submit a video showing their bowling style from different angles along with a resume of their accomplishments and at least one letter of recommendation. This year’s seven participants were selected from that pool of TNBA youth program applicants and included five boys and two girls:
Gavin Fernandez, Henderson, Nev.
Jordan Peareara, Providence, R.I.
Pryce Robinson, Chicago
Leoangelo Salcedo, North Las Vegas, Nev.
Aarin Shepard, Highland, Calif.
Amari Thompson, Eastover, S.C.
Sara Ward, Cranston, R.I.
The participants were joined by TNBA Assistant Junior Program Manager Dominique Walker and Field Representative and Western Region Tournament Director Pam Sterling.
Providing instruction to the student-athletes were USBC Director of Coaching Development and USBC Gold-level coach Stephen Padilla, USBC Gold-level and ITRC coach Lou Marquez, and Tom Nassar of USBC’s Equipment and Specifications team and the Wicks Pro Shop.
“My favorite part has been working with some of the best coaches in the world and the training they give you,” Thompson said. “I think it’s something that everyone should get to do, but I know that I’m lucky that I got to do it. I’m grateful for that.”
Shepard noted what a great job the instructors did as well.
“They’re great at making you understand what you’re capable of, and they fix things that you didn’t even notice were a problem before,” Shepard said. “Everything they do is helping me a lot, and it’s moving pretty fast.”
Professional Bowlers Association champion and Team USA member Packy Hanrahan was the guest speaker for the event. He discussed his background and talked about how he got into bowling later in life. Hanrahan recounted his collegiate career at Wichita State where he was “the ninth-best bowler on the team,” but decided to pursue bowling after graduation with the support of his family. He spoke about his love for the sport and told the attendees that “bowling is the type of sport that you can get better at by being committed, practicing often and taking advice from those around you.”
Hanrahan’s presentation and words of wisdom left a lasting impression on the attendees.
“The coolest thing for me was meeting Packy,” said Peareara. “For him to share his knowledge of the game, being open and honest about his journey and all the things he’s gone through, that was pretty cool. Not everyone would do that and share those things.”
The fact that Hanrahan is a two-hander had a direct impact on Shepard.
“Having Packy here definitely helped since I switched to two-handed not too long ago,” Shepard said. “He was able to give me some specific tips since he’s also a two-hander.”
During the weekend, an emphasis was placed on individual instruction to develop both the physical and mental game. The instruction featured analysis through several of the training tools used at the ITRC, including the facility’s advanced video system and Specto technology. There were sessions covering the bowler’s release and an assessment of each player’s spare shooting.
“I learned a lot about lane transition and how to deal with that,” said Salcedo. “It was something that I was struggling with before, so I think learning about it here will help me.”
“I’ve learned how important it is to be consistent and to hit my mark every time,” Fernandez said. “I’m hoping to go pro one day, so this experience will help.”
In addition to on-lane instruction, the participants took part in classroom sessions on topics that included the physical game, bowling ball dynamics, ball motion dynamics and understanding the science of lane conditions and lane play.
“It wasn’t just the bowling part, but the classroom part was really good for me,” Robinson said. “It shows you that you can learn things outside of the lanes as well.”
Ward agreed with Robinson. “The classroom environment has been very helpful; I learned a lot through that.”
The classroom and on-lane instruction were complemented by tours of the facility, including the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame at the conclusion of the first day.
Visiting the IBMHOF wasn’t the only tour provided for the participants as they also enjoyed a tour of USBC’s Equipment Specifications Department.
Peareara, who, as he grows older, wants to help others learn the sport, summed up the weekend.
“Honestly, everything I’ve learned here is going to help me; I couldn’t pick out one specific thing,” he said. “I want to be a bowling coach or youth instructor in the future, so I can take the things I’ve learned here and apply them to that.”
For more information on The National Bowling Association, visit TNBAInc.org.
For more information on the International Training and Research Center, visit bowlingitrc.com.