Cain is re-elected USBC president
The USBC Board of Directors re-elected Andrew Cain of Phoenix as USBC president during its June meeting, and Tom Bluth of Davie, Fla., was re-elected vice president following his reappointment as a director-at-large.

Cain has served on the USBC Board of Directors since 2007 and has worked on many key committees, including Legal and Legislative, Finance, and Equipment Specifications. Cain, who owns a small wholesale business, graduated from Arizona State with a degree in justice studies.

Bluth is an attorney and certified public accountant. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as advanced degrees in law (J.D. and LL.M.) from Washington University in St. Louis.

Please click here to read more about the re-elections and other board appointments.

Ebonite is now Junior Gold presenting sponsor
The International Bowling Campus and Ebonite International agreed on a sponsorship deal making the Brands of Ebonite the presenting sponsor for the 2013 and 2014 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships.

The Brands of Ebonite International also becomes the official bowling ball of the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships and the USBC Survivor Tournament. The Brands of Ebonite include Track, Columbia 300, Ebonite and Hammer. For more on the agreement, please click here.

Team USA starts U15 development program
Youth bowlers age 15 and younger have a new reason to be USBC Junior Gold members with the creation of a U15 development program for Junior Team USA. The move comes in connection with a successful addition of a new U15 division as part of the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships.

Four U15 bowlers in the recently completed Junior Gold Championships who were age eligible to compete in the Tournament of the Americas in 2013 earned the first spots in the new developmental program. The young bowlers will have the chance to train at the International Training and Research Center (ITRC) with the Team USA coaching staff. They also will represent Team USA in the U15 division of the Tournament of the Americas next year.

For more information on the new development program, please click here.

Changes for Pepsi Youth Championships
The Pepsi Youth Championships will undergo several changes for the 2012-13 season, including new divisions and the move to scratch competition.

The Pepsi Youth Championships will feature five divisions for both boys and girls – U6, U8, U12, U15 and U20 – starting in 2012-13, and all divisions will use scratch scores. Previously, the Pepsi had divisions for 11 and under and 12 and over using handicap, and a scratch division for 12 and over.

The decision to move to age-based divisions came after conducting research through the state Pepsi coordinators, and discussions by board members of Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, USBC and the USBC youth committee. For more information on the changes, please click here.

SMART Fund gets big show of support
In a demonstration of support for the SMART Fund, the Southern California Grand Prix Scholarship Foundation has transferred more than $475,000 in youth scholarship funds to SMART.

The Foundation of the Bowling Proprietors Association of Southern California had previously managed the Grand Prix funds prior to the transfer to SMART. Youth bowlers who earned scholarships through the Southern California Grand Prix competition may now access their funds through SMART.

For more information on this transfer and the SMART program, please click here.

National Bowling Stadium renovations highlight new USBC-Reno agreement
The National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation and upgrade as part of new agreement between USBC, Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) and the city of Reno. In consideration of this extraordinary public commitment to bowling, USBC will continue to bring the USBC Open and Women’s Championships to the National Bowling Stadium in a regular rotation through the year 2030.

As part of the new agreement, USBC will bring a total of 10 championship tournaments to the stadium from 2019 through 2030. USBC has the flexibility to determine scheduling of when events come to the stadium in future years. For details on the upgrades, please click here.

HKSI, USBC agree to partnership
The Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) and USBC have agreed to a long-term research, testing and data collaboration partnership. Key elements of the agreement involve the exchange of technology in testing, training and evaluation techniques of bowling athletes.

Please click here to read more about this innovative partnership.

Junior Gold program sets records
A record number of youth bowlers took part in the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships in Indianapolis last month, and the USBC Junior Gold program has established a membership record for the 2011-12 season.

The 2012 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships sold 2,088 spots, shattering the previous record of 1,980 set in 2009, also in Indianapolis. It is a 14-percent increase over last year's mark of 1,821 entries.

The USBC Junior Gold program has more than 4,000 members for the first time in the program's 15-year history, a 12-percent increase over last season's total, also a record.

Go to BOWL.com/juniorgold to learn more about the tournament and the Junior Gold program.

Dexter/USBC All-Americans named
Zachary Fylling, a recent graduate of Bangor John Glenn High School in Bay City, Mich., is the fourth male athlete to become a repeat selection to the Dexter/USBC High School All-American Team.

Fylling heads the list of 10 high school bowlers selected to the team for the 2011-12 school year. Dexter and USBC have selected five boys and five girls for the All-American Team each season since the 2005-06 school year. To see this year’s Dexter All-American Team, please click here.

USBC awards Gift For Life Scholarships
Twelve USBC Youth members have been selected to receive a USBC Gift For Life Scholarship. The scholarships are annually awarded to USBC Youth members who are in high school, have a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and have demonstrated financial need. Each recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship managed through the SMART program.

To learn more about the Gift For Life Scholarships and to see this year’s recipients, please click here.

Alabama youth earns Zeb Scholarship
Jarrod Hicks of Hueytown, Ala., has been selected to receive the 2012 USBC Annual Zeb Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship is awarded each year to a USBC Youth member, who is in their junior or senior year of high school, has a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (4.0 scale) and has given back to their community through service.

The scholarship is named for Jim Zebehazy, who served as executive director of the Young American Bowling Alliance from 1996-2004, and first was presented in 2005. Zebehazy currently is a Regional Manager for USBC.

To read more about Hicks, please click here.

Baca receives Jaryszak Award
Sam Baca, the first Director of Lane Maintenance for the Professional Bowlers Association, has been named The Jim Jaryszak Laneman Award recipient for 2012.

Baca was presented the award in June during Bowl Expo in Reno, Nev. He was selected by a committee consisting of the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications team. Herman Glenn, USBC Director of Equipment Specifications, presented the award to Baca on Phantom Radio presented by Kegel. The internet radio show is hosted by Len Nicholson, who was the first recipient of the award in 2011.

The Jim Jaryszak Laneman Award is named for the former USBC Research Manager who passed away in 2010. Jaryszak was instrumental in setting up the USBC Sport Bowling program and was the point person as USBC worked with the PBA on updating their five “animal” patterns. To read more about Baca’s career, please click here.