Spots on Team USA, Junior Team USA up for grabs at Team USA Trials in Las Vegas
January 01, 2023
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Rosters: Men I Women
LAS VEGAS – Having the opportunity to represent one’s country is frequently listed among the highest honors that any athlete can hope to achieve.
Starting Tuesday, a field of 175 men and 152 women will try to earn that honor for themselves when the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships get underway at the Gold Coast Bowling Center inside the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Darren Tang of Las Vegas and Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, come in as defending Team USA Trials champions while Trent Mitchell of Chicago and Chloe Skurzynski of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, are back to defend U.S. Amateur titles of their own.
Despite eventually emerging victorious, Tang didn’t approach the 2022 Team USA Trials with overly high expectations; instead, he just wanted to enjoy the experience and take something away that he could use in the future.
Since that strategy resulted in a first-place finish at last year’s Team USA Trials, Tang isn’t planning on switching anything up this year.
“Even though my last four years of trials have been pretty solid, my expectations weren’t super high last year, but everything just sort of aligned,” Tang said. “I’m really just going to try to look at it the same way this year, which means to just enjoy the moment, take it a shot at a time and let the pins fall where they may.”
On the women’s side, the pins have fallen in Pluhowsky’s favor many times over the years during Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition.
Pluhowsky has reached the top of the podium an astounding six times over the course of her storied career, capturing Team USA Trials titles in 2011, 2015 and 2022 and U.S. Amateur crowns in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
As is the case with most elite athletes, for Pluhowsky, winning doesn’t get old, so last year’s Team USA Trials victory was not something she took for granted.
“I ended the 2021 PWBA Tour season with a win at the Tour Championship, and then I was able to carry that over to trials, which was great,” Pluhowsky said. “Obviously, it felt really good to win.”
When looking ahead to the 2023 Team USA Trials, Pluhowsky was quick to point out how well most competitors know the Gold Coast Bowling Center, which should shorten the learning curve and allow bowlers to focus their attention on deciphering each day’s different challenging lane condition as opposed to having to dedicate time to learning the nuances of the bowling center itself.
Competitors will have the opportunity to begin that process during Monday’s official practice session. Tournament action begins Tuesday with the first of five six-game qualifying blocks.
Each block will feature a unique and challenging lane condition, forcing bowlers to demonstrate versatility if they hope to remain in contention throughout the five-day event.
Standings at the Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur are determined using a ranking points system specifically designed for these events.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds - the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. - with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men's and women's Team USA Trials champions. Each champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA for 2023.
While completing a successful title defense would certainly be welcomed by both Tang and Pluhowsky, just earning the right to wear the red, white and blue of Team USA for another year would be more than fine with either competitor.
“Team USA Trials is special because doing well means being able to represent your country,” Tang said. “Being a part of Team USA gets you access to amazing coaching and resources, and it allows you to bowl as teammates with some of best bowlers in the country. Team USA Trials is a great opportunity, and I just feel lucky to be able to be there.”
Pluhowsky has been lucky (and skilled) enough to be a part of the Team USA scene for more than two decades, and she doesn’t have designs on leaving that stage any time soon.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means to be a part of Team USA until you actually do it, but that’s where I’m at as I’ve been a part of it for 22 years now,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s been a huge part of my bowling career, and it’s allowed me to travel to a lot of great places and meet a lot of great people. There aren’t many things that are much better than that.
“I’m on the older side of the current team, but age is just a number. I’m hoping my bowling ball can continue to do some talking so that I can make the team again.”
Pluhowsky and Tang certainly aren’t alone when it comes to wanting to retain spots on Team USA as 11 of the 12 men on the current Team USA roster and nine of the 12 women are back competing at trials again this year.
Although competition is sure to be fierce, a bowler doesn’t necessarily have to win the title to make the team as multiple spots are up for grabs at the 2023 Team USA Trials.
In addition to the champions, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women at the 2023 Team USA Trials, based on ranking points, earn automatic spots on Team USA as well.
The final invitations awarded at the 2023 Team USA Trials will be determined by the National Selection Committee, which will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players that competed at this year’s Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2023, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of the 2023 Team USA Trials.
The National Selection Committee also will select additional men and women for this year’s team based on submitted resumes. Those applicants must have been Team USA or Junior Team USA members within the last 10 years or among the top 25 in earnings during the 2022 PBA Tour season or top 25 in points during the 2022 PWBA Tour season.
However, that does not mean that the 2023 Team USA roster will be made up entirely of professionals.
At the conclusion of the fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur champions, both of whom will earn spots on Team USA as well.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, the spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2022. Also, anyone who has won a professional title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is not eligible to compete as an amateur.
For youth competitors, the top four age-eligible boys and top four age-eligible girls, based on ranking points, automatically earn spots on Junior Team USA 2023. Two additional boys and two additional girls also will be selected by the National Selection Committee based on performances from either the 2023 Team USA Trials or 2022 Junior Gold Championships.
They will join the youth competitors who already earned their spots on Junior Team USA 2023 during the 2022 Junior Gold Championships.
All rounds of Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com beginning Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern and will continue daily through Saturday when competition ends and the announcement and introduction of Team USA and Junior Team USA 2023 takes place.
Many bowlers who will be watching from home have Team USA aspirations of their own. Tang and Pluhowsky encourage those men and women to consider competing at Team USA Trials and the U.S. Amateur for themselves someday.
“I think that Team Trials is a different animal because there really isn’t anything like it,” Tang said. “If you want to learn and improve, it’s a really good chance to see where you stack up against everyone else.”
Pluhowsky is inclined to agree.
“Team USA Trials is probably the next-closest things to bowling on tour,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s five days of bowling on different challenging patterns against great competition, so you get to see if that’s something that suits you. It’s maybe not as intimidating as bowling on tour, but it gives you that sort of feel.”
LAS VEGAS – Having the opportunity to represent one’s country is frequently listed among the highest honors that any athlete can hope to achieve.
Starting Tuesday, a field of 175 men and 152 women will try to earn that honor for themselves when the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials and United States National Amateur Bowling Championships get underway at the Gold Coast Bowling Center inside the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Darren Tang of Las Vegas and Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, come in as defending Team USA Trials champions while Trent Mitchell of Chicago and Chloe Skurzynski of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, are back to defend U.S. Amateur titles of their own.
Despite eventually emerging victorious, Tang didn’t approach the 2022 Team USA Trials with overly high expectations; instead, he just wanted to enjoy the experience and take something away that he could use in the future.
Since that strategy resulted in a first-place finish at last year’s Team USA Trials, Tang isn’t planning on switching anything up this year.
“Even though my last four years of trials have been pretty solid, my expectations weren’t super high last year, but everything just sort of aligned,” Tang said. “I’m really just going to try to look at it the same way this year, which means to just enjoy the moment, take it a shot at a time and let the pins fall where they may.”
On the women’s side, the pins have fallen in Pluhowsky’s favor many times over the years during Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition.
Pluhowsky has reached the top of the podium an astounding six times over the course of her storied career, capturing Team USA Trials titles in 2011, 2015 and 2022 and U.S. Amateur crowns in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
As is the case with most elite athletes, for Pluhowsky, winning doesn’t get old, so last year’s Team USA Trials victory was not something she took for granted.
“I ended the 2021 PWBA Tour season with a win at the Tour Championship, and then I was able to carry that over to trials, which was great,” Pluhowsky said. “Obviously, it felt really good to win.”
When looking ahead to the 2023 Team USA Trials, Pluhowsky was quick to point out how well most competitors know the Gold Coast Bowling Center, which should shorten the learning curve and allow bowlers to focus their attention on deciphering each day’s different challenging lane condition as opposed to having to dedicate time to learning the nuances of the bowling center itself.
Competitors will have the opportunity to begin that process during Monday’s official practice session. Tournament action begins Tuesday with the first of five six-game qualifying blocks.
Each block will feature a unique and challenging lane condition, forcing bowlers to demonstrate versatility if they hope to remain in contention throughout the five-day event.
Standings at the Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur are determined using a ranking points system specifically designed for these events.
Competitors earn ranking points based on their finishing positions during each of the five qualifying rounds - the top bowler of the round will earn one ranking point, second place will earn two points, etc. - with the lowest total of ranking points after five rounds determining the men's and women's Team USA Trials champions. Each champion will earn an automatic spot on Team USA for 2023.
While completing a successful title defense would certainly be welcomed by both Tang and Pluhowsky, just earning the right to wear the red, white and blue of Team USA for another year would be more than fine with either competitor.
“Team USA Trials is special because doing well means being able to represent your country,” Tang said. “Being a part of Team USA gets you access to amazing coaching and resources, and it allows you to bowl as teammates with some of best bowlers in the country. Team USA Trials is a great opportunity, and I just feel lucky to be able to be there.”
Pluhowsky has been lucky (and skilled) enough to be a part of the Team USA scene for more than two decades, and she doesn’t have designs on leaving that stage any time soon.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means to be a part of Team USA until you actually do it, but that’s where I’m at as I’ve been a part of it for 22 years now,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s been a huge part of my bowling career, and it’s allowed me to travel to a lot of great places and meet a lot of great people. There aren’t many things that are much better than that.
“I’m on the older side of the current team, but age is just a number. I’m hoping my bowling ball can continue to do some talking so that I can make the team again.”
Pluhowsky and Tang certainly aren’t alone when it comes to wanting to retain spots on Team USA as 11 of the 12 men on the current Team USA roster and nine of the 12 women are back competing at trials again this year.
Although competition is sure to be fierce, a bowler doesn’t necessarily have to win the title to make the team as multiple spots are up for grabs at the 2023 Team USA Trials.
In addition to the champions, the top four age-eligible men and top four age-eligible women at the 2023 Team USA Trials, based on ranking points, earn automatic spots on Team USA as well.
The final invitations awarded at the 2023 Team USA Trials will be determined by the National Selection Committee, which will name two additional men and two additional women to Team USA from the pool of players that competed at this year’s Team USA Trials.
In order to be eligible for a spot on Team USA 2023, a bowler must be at least 18 years old as of the end of the 2023 Team USA Trials.
The National Selection Committee also will select additional men and women for this year’s team based on submitted resumes. Those applicants must have been Team USA or Junior Team USA members within the last 10 years or among the top 25 in earnings during the 2022 PBA Tour season or top 25 in points during the 2022 PWBA Tour season.
However, that does not mean that the 2023 Team USA roster will be made up entirely of professionals.
At the conclusion of the fifth and final round of Team USA Trials qualifying, the top three amateur men and top three amateur women will advance to a stepladder final to determine the 2023 U.S. Amateur champions, both of whom will earn spots on Team USA as well.
If the U.S. Amateur champion already has earned a spot on the team, the spot will be awarded to the next-highest Team USA Trials qualifier based on ranking points.
To be eligible for this year's U.S. Amateur, a bowler must not hold or have held a professional membership (PBA or PWBA) in 2022. Also, anyone who has won a professional title (regional, national or senior) as a professional is not eligible to compete as an amateur.
For youth competitors, the top four age-eligible boys and top four age-eligible girls, based on ranking points, automatically earn spots on Junior Team USA 2023. Two additional boys and two additional girls also will be selected by the National Selection Committee based on performances from either the 2023 Team USA Trials or 2022 Junior Gold Championships.
They will join the youth competitors who already earned their spots on Junior Team USA 2023 during the 2022 Junior Gold Championships.
All rounds of Team USA Trials and U.S. Amateur competition will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com beginning Tuesday at 11 a.m. Eastern and will continue daily through Saturday when competition ends and the announcement and introduction of Team USA and Junior Team USA 2023 takes place.
Many bowlers who will be watching from home have Team USA aspirations of their own. Tang and Pluhowsky encourage those men and women to consider competing at Team USA Trials and the U.S. Amateur for themselves someday.
“I think that Team Trials is a different animal because there really isn’t anything like it,” Tang said. “If you want to learn and improve, it’s a really good chance to see where you stack up against everyone else.”
Pluhowsky is inclined to agree.
“Team USA Trials is probably the next-closest things to bowling on tour,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s five days of bowling on different challenging patterns against great competition, so you get to see if that’s something that suits you. It’s maybe not as intimidating as bowling on tour, but it gives you that sort of feel.”