Picture this scene: The best athletes in your community are gathered for the
annual high school varsity letter awards banquet. Halfback Henry and Jumpshot
Jenny already have received accolades from the Master of Ceremonies for their
accomplishments, but the attention is now focused on Susan Strike, Central
High’s varsity bowling superstar. Bowling is Central High’s newest varsity
letter sport," he proclaims, "and we’re extremely proud to announce
Susan Strike has not only earned All-Conference honors for leading the Little
Nine with a 206 average, but she led Central High to its first state bowling
championship." A standing ovation follows. You beam because Susan is a
product of your youth league program. She is the first of a new generation of
Varsity Bowling letter winners and she’ll serve as an inspiration for hundreds
of young bowlers in your community. This scene may sound like a dream to you,
but it’s a reality in some areas of the United States where a handful of
dedicated proprietors have laid the groundwork to launch the nation-wide Varsity
Bowling program during the 1998-99 bowling season. Varsity Bowling is going to
be a two-pronged attack: 1. From the Top Down – Five states have been selected
to participate in a targeted Varsity Bowling program during the 1998-99 with a
focused effort to secure state high school athletic association approval for the
sport. 2. From the Bottom Up – Every local/regional proprietor group in any area
of the United States is invited to "test" the Varsity Bowling waters
on their own. A comprehensive organizational kit, including detailed manual,
videotape and support materials, is available today from the Young American
Bowling Alliance and the Bowling Proprietors Association of America to help your
proprietor group and local association volunteers get a headstart in organizing
a "high school club conference" to demonstrate the program’s
feasibility. Varsity Bowling is a program that cannot succeed without the
commitment and dedication of the proprietors. You own the arenas, you have the
expertise and it’s your youth bowlers who will benefit the most. Varsity Bowling
is one of the most comprehensive step-by-step organizational programs ever
developed in bowling (or any sport). It is based upon 10 years of experience and
research in Northern Illinois and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, culminating in
resounding success. Be Part of Bowling’s Biggest Success Story in Decades
Varsity Bowling will become our sport’s most significant success story in
decades, with your help. Mark these figures down and watch them grow: In
1996-97, only 728 of America’s more than 16,000 high schools offered any kind of
bowling program. Out of 6.1 million high school students who participated in
athletics in 1996-97, only 15,600 were able to bowl for their schools. Only
seven of America’s 50 states had as many as 30 high schools offering bowling as
an extracurricular activity. Bowling has nearly 500,000 young people
participating in Young American Bowling Alliance leagues and tournaments. They
know and love bowling, and most of them are denied the opportunity to experience
the thrill and excitement of bowling for a letter for their high school teams.
American Sports Data states interest in bowling is at an all-time high among
young people, with a 15% increase in interest among pre-teens and 17% growth in
interest among high schoolers. As a proprietor, you will never experience any
program as rewarding as you’ll discover by becoming a part of the Varsity
Bowling team. Send for your comprehensive Varsity Bowling organizational kit,
including detailed manual, videotape and support materials, today! order your
kit now or Send for your comprehensive Varsity Bowling organizational kit,
including detailed manual, videotape and support materials, today! To order your
Varsity Bowling kit, please send an email to Jennifer Williamson or call her at
the Young American Bowling Alliance (414 423-3398. Smart Program The Scholarship
Management and Accounting Reports for Tenpins (SMART) program will help locate
and secure existing bowling scholarships for YABA’s membership. SMART will also
help any organization start and manage a new bowling scholarship program while
relieving new and existing bowling scholarship providers from the burden of
administering their scholarship funds. YABA has developed two service levels to
accomplish this mission: LEVEL ONE Level one is SMART’s information and
assistance level. This SMART level can be contacted in one of three ways -
telephone, mail or email. SMART Level One will provide the following services:
Information on how to start a bowling scholarship league, tournament or written
application. Information on how to manage the scholarship dollars collected.
Advise, assist and support organizations regarding any problem encountered in
conducting or administering their scholarship programs. A booklet containing
location of scholarship leagues, tournaments, and written scholarships offered
worldwide; universities and colleges that offer bowling scholarships and those
offering bowling as a scholastic or club sport; and national scholarship
applications. LEVEL TWO In Level Two, the organization forwards their
scholarship dollars to SMART, and SMART will manage their scholarship dollar on
a daily basis. SMART charges no fee to use the program. SMART operates off the
interest made on the scholarship funds. At the end of each bowling season (July
31st) SMART will deduct the operating expenses from the total interest earned.
The remaining interest will be credited to each organization. The amount each
organization receives will be determined on a percentage basis by the total
amount of scholarship funds in their account. The organization then may use the
interest as new scholarships at their discretion. For more SMART information,
write to SMART 5301 S. 76th St., Greendale, WI 53129, call 414/423-3343, fax
414/421-3014 or e-mail Ed Gocha at egocha@bowlinginc.com. 1999 Youth and
Collegiate Bowlers Scholarships SMART’s 1998 Youth and Collegiate Bowling
Educational Guide is provided here for you to download. Junior Olympics Program
To help young bowlers progress from their first visit to a center to becoming a
Junior Olympic Gold member, YABA has created a pipeline (to be released in July
1999), to guide them through the different stages of development and prepare
them for active roles as participants in the adult membership organizations.
With this road map, youth bowlers will be guided through five different levels
of bowling; Introduction to Bowling, First Organized Program, League
Participation and Introduction to Tournament Competition, Purely Competitive and
Elite Competition (TEAM USA). The Gold Progam Who are Gold members? The Gold
Program is the highest level of the USA Junior Olympic Bowling Program. To
become a Junior Olympic Gold member, athletes must carry a minimum 165 average
for girls and 175 for boys based on at least 21 games and be YABA members in
good standing. Only Gold members are eligible to participate in the Junior
Olympic Program’s pinnacle event, the Junior Olympic Gold National
Championships. More than 500 athletes competed in the National Championships
held in July in Orlando, Fla. Complete Coverage of the 1999 Junior Olympic Gold
National Championships. Gold members (YABA members with minimum average of 165
for girls and 175 for boys) may qualify to compete for a spot on the Junior
Olympic Bowling TEAM USA through the Junior Olympic Gold National Championships.
The program’s goals are to emphasize advanced training, coaching and team
bowling. In addition, the program will help develop more elite bowlers to feed
into collegiate or professional bowling and become future members of American
Bowling Congress or Women’s International Bowling Congress. How does the Junior
Olympic Gold National Championships work? Athletes qualify for the National
Championships by winning or finishing high enough in a Gold Event. (Entries paid
by the Event sponsor.) The five-day competition is conducted on multiple lane
conditions and consists of double elimination match play. The top 16 boys and
top 16 girls advance to round-robin finals to compete to win the six boys and
six girls spots available on the Junior Olympic TEAM USA. The Junior Olympic
Bowling Program was created from YABA’s partnership with USA Bowling, and in
conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee. The Junior Olympic program
focuses on athletes’ skill levels rather than age and gender and offers several
player development levels. Gold members have the opportunity to become members
of Junior Olympic TEAM USA, chosen annually at the Junior Olympic Gold National
Championships. Being a Junior Olympic TEAM USA member offers several benefits,
including representing the United States in national and international
competition, access to scholarships, training at the United States Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., all-expense paid travel and
competition fees, uniforms, recognition from other skilled bowlers and being
part of a feeder system for future TEAM USA members. Canadian members are
eligible to be Junior Olympic Gold members, compete in the National
Championships and earn scholarships. They are unable to be Junior Olympic TEAM
USA members. Canada has its own tournament, the Canadian Tenpin Federation Team
Trials, which lead to its champions being named to TEAM CANADA. For more
information about the Junior Olympic Program, email yabayl@juno.com or jogold@juno.com.
Featured Events Junior Olympics Program To help young bowlers progress from
their first visit to a center to becoming a Junior Olympic Gold member, YABA has
created a pipeline (to be released in July 1999), to guide them through the
different stages of development and prepare them for active roles as
participants in the adult membership organizations. 1999 USA Bowling
Championships USA Bowling and $10 May Get You Around the World. Nothing in
sports compares to wearing the red, white and blue and representing your country
in international competition. Your chance to experience the feeling first hand
is as easy as one, two, three "steps." Take that first step today by
bowling in a Local Qualifying event. Bowling centers may conduct qualifiers at
any time, during regular league sessions or special events. Associations can
easily build a Local Qualifier into an Association Championship tournament. Send
your all-events champion or your high-average bowler to the next level.
Coca-Cola Youth Bowling Championships Tournament June 23, 1999 The Coca-Cola?
Youth Bowling Championships, conducted by the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA)
and sponsored by Coca-Cola? USA, is the premier international tournament for
youth bowlers. Featured Events Junior Olympics Program To help young bowlers
progress from their first visit to a center to becoming a Junior Olympic Gold
member, YABA has created a pipeline (to be released in July 1999), to guide them
through the different stages of development and prepare them for active roles as
participants in the adult membership organizations. 1999 USA Bowling
Championships USA Bowling and $10 May Get You Around the World. Nothing in
sports compares to wearing the red, white and blue and representing your country
in international competition. Your chance to experience the feeling first hand
is as easy as one, two, three "steps." Take that first step today by
bowling in a Local Qualifying event. Bowling centers may conduct qualifiers at
any time, during regular league sessions or special events. Associations can
easily build a Local Qualifier into an Association Championship tournament. Send
your all-events champion or your high-average bowler to the next level. Featured
Events Junior Olympics Program To help young bowlers progress from their first
visit to a center to becoming a Junior Olympic Gold member, YABA has created a
pipeline (to be released in July 1999), to guide them through the different
stages of development and prepare them for active roles as participants in the
adult membership organizations. 1999 USA Bowling Championships USA Bowling and
$10 May Get You Around the World. Nothing in sports compares to wearing the red,
white and blue and representing your country in international competition. Your
chance to experience the feeling first hand is as easy as one, two, three
"steps." Take that first step today by bowling in a Local Qualifying
event. Bowling centers may conduct qualifiers at any time, during regular league
sessions or special events. Associations can easily build a Local Qualifier into
an Association Championship tournament. Send your all-events champion or your
high-average bowler to the next level.