*Welcome to the New York State USBC Website *

CLICK HERE for the NYS USBC Facebook Page

New York State USBC
Seeks Candidates to Apply
for Association Manager Post

DECEMBER 11, 2019 -- The New York State USBC is accepting resumes for the Association Manager position that will become open next season.

The position has been held since the organization's inception in 2011 by Mike Pettinella of Batavia, who announced that he will be stepping down effective Sept. 30, 2020.

CLICK HERE for a job description and information on where to send resumes and cover letters.

Resumes must be received by NYS USBC President Roger Buckman by Feb. 15, 2020.

Support NYS Youth Bowlers
Youth Team, Pepsi Ads
Offered at Special Price
Through Mid-January

DECEMBER 10, 2019 -- Local associations and bowling centers can help support the New York State USBC's youth scholarship program by taking out ads in the Youth Team and Youth Pepsi tournament program books.

NYS Youth Committee Chairman Tom Solimine Sr. announced that sponsor ads in the two books can be purchased at a discounted rate through Jan. 15, 2020.

Full page ads in both books can be purchased for only $100 -- that's a savings of $50.

"This is a great opportunity for local associations and proprietors to help out our kids," Solimine said. "And please know that all donations will go 100 percent toward scholarships."

To learn more about the program books and the New York State USBC youth tournaments, contact Solimine at solimine2000@aol.com.

CLICK HERE for Youth Team program book ad form (front).
CLICK HERE for Youth Team program book ad form (back).

CLICK HERE for Youth Pepsi program book ad form (front).
CLICK HERE for Youth Pepsi program book ad form (back).

Scholarship Opportunities Abound
NYS USBC to Award
$15,250 for 2019-20

CLICK HERE for a one-pager about the scholastic awards.

For more information, scroll over the Youth tab and click on the Youth Scholarships tab.

USBC Sets New Requirements
for Coaching Certification

DECEMBER 2, 2019 -- Open letter to bowling coaches and instructors.

USBC Coaching Certification and Development would like to make you aware of changes regarding the status of USBC coaching certifications.

As many of you know, a Federal law was passed requiring National Governing Bodies to implement SafeSport Training, and SafeSport Training now is a mandatory part of the Registered Volunteer Program (RVP).

For more details, click on the Coaching tab of this website.

USBC to Implement Tiered
Center Certification Program 

NOVEMBER 25, 2019 -- Following a recent study of the lane certification process and analyzing data from lane inspections, the United States Bowling Congress determined it will implement a center certification program, featuring tiered levels of certification and a national staff of lane inspectors, over the next five years.

Details of the tiered center certification program will be announced at the 2021 USBC Convention. The USBC Equipment and Specifications Committee, which made the decision to implement the program, has delegated authority from the USBC Board to make changes to equipment specifications.

USBC also determined it will not require local associations to perform annual lane inspections as the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications team continues its work to fully develop the program. The decision means all bowling centers will be certified until the national staff begins center certifications in 2022.

Once the tiered center certification program is in place, centers will be inspected and assigned to a tier based on the level it meets in regard to USBC specifications. The decision to make any necessary improvements, based on the results of an inspection, will be left to the center and no longer mandated by USBC.

“The research and the discussions with stakeholders made it clear that a tiered center certification program is the right direction for USBC,” said Andrew Cain, chair of the USBC Equipment Specifications Committee. “It is our responsibility as the National Governing Body to deliver efficient and consistent inspections for all centers and allow members to see the certification level of the center.”

During the last three years, as USBC began to compile data from lane inspections, it also looked at how a national program could manage the inspection of the nearly 4,000 centers. It required evaluating staff needed and the tools required. During the evaluation, the focus turned to the time required for an inspection.

The USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications team is examining the tools to streamline the inspection process. Additional testing of the tools will continue.

USBC also plans to hire and train a small team of national inspectors, who will coordinate with centers to efficiently conduct lane inspections throughout the country.

In recent years, USBC set out to improve the center certification process, studying the process over a three-year period and publishing its study of 64 centers and more than 1,000 lanes across 20 states. The results led to changes in the center certification process that were announced at the 2017 USBC Convention.

Data collection and analysis, including spot-checks to determine the accuracy of the data collected, confirmed a new approach to center certification was needed.

The USBC Equipment Specifications team, in coordination with the committee and a third-party consultant, then spent the next 12 months working on a tiered center certification model. It enlisted several focus groups of industry stakeholders to evaluate and build the model.

Additional education and awareness, including an ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders, will be important as the process moves forward.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the tiered center certification program.

Go to BOWL.com/EquipAndSpecs and click on Center Certifications to view all the work being done in this area.

Media Conference Call
USBC will hold a conference call for official media members with Equipment Specifications Committee members and USBC staff on Monday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. (Eastern). Please email terry.bigham@bowl.com if you want to participate in the call.

Webinars
USBC will hold three webinars with USBC staff for everyone else who may have questions. The schedule (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m.

To register, please visit BOWL.com/CenterCertification

ONE-TWO PUNCH: NYS USBC Association Manager Mike Pettinella, left, congratulates Nick Miseno and Bill Young on their 1-2 finish Saturday at the 3rd NYS Senior Masters at Owego Bowl. Photo by Randy Snyder, NYS USBC director.

NYS Senior Masters

Miseno Adds 50 & Over Victory
to His Two Regular Masters' Titles

NOVEMBER 10, 2019 – Nick Miseno Jr. of Ballston Lake now has a New York State Senior Masters crown to go along with his two New York State Masters titles.

The 51-year-old right-hander, bowling in his first state singles event for NYS USBC members 50 years of age and up, defeated Bill Young of Cortland, 436-372, in the two-game championship match on Saturday to win the 3rd NYS Senior Masters at Owego Bowl.

Miseno posted 240 and 196 to outdistance Young, who rolled 173-199, on the Route 66 “challenge” oil pattern.

CLICK HERE for qualifying and match play results.

The victory was worth $800 for Miseno, a high school special education teacher, while Young, a NYS USBC Hall of Famer, took home $450.

The tournament, which was sponsored by A.L. George Distributing of Binghamton and Hemp Geek of Owego, drew 62 entrants.

Miseno said that “trusting his arm swing and staying in the moment” were keys to his success on a day where he averaged 225.

“I’m all about ‘feel’ and more than anything it is putting trust in my arm swing,” he said. “Even when I felt that I didn’t have a good ball reaction, I felt like my timing and my arm swing – as comfortable as I felt – were going to help me get through some of those tough times.”

Miseno qualified as the No. 8 seed for the 16-bowler finals with an 889 four-game total on the second squad (after posting 824 on the opening squad), and then went on to post two-game match totals of 452, 455, 494 and 436.

“Those high scores in match play came out of nowhere because during qualifying on both squads my carry wasn’t the best it could have been,” he said. “It wasn’t until really that last game (in the second qualifying round) when I shot 256, and that just carried over into match play.”

He said he used three bowling balls -- Ebonite Futura, Solid Choice, Track Mako (in finals).

Miseno won the NYS Masters in 1997 and 2016, and also won the Super Bud Bowl in Oswego in 2006.

Young qualified as the 11th seed and had to win four matches to reach the title match.

The most exciting was an opening round 514-509 victory over Ryan Shafer of Horseheads. Young rolled 245-269 while Shafer had 247-262.

In the semifinals, he defeated Joe Scianna of Ronkonkoma, 478-390, while Miseno ousted Ken Ball of Avon, 494-363.  Scianna, a quarterfinalist last year, and Ball each earned $275.

Other cashers were:

-- No. 1 seed Troy McClure of Marion, Ken Hoalcraft of Elbridge, Glenn Smith of New York City and Merle Foster of Rome ($200 apiece);

-- Chuck Pitts of Cortland, Steve Chiarella of Staten Island, Don Herrington of Ballston Lake and Jim Pitts of Elmira ($150 each);

--Shafer, Michael Palozzi of Webster, James Willey of Jamestown and Sam Ventura of Norwich ($120 apiece).

It took a score of 852 to qualify for the match play rounds.

Two-time defending champion Ray Textor of Kennedy rolled 825 in qualifying, missing the cut by 27 pins.

Around NYS - November 2019

FLYING HIGH: Members of the Mento Produce team received their "Eagles" and awards from the Central New York USBC on Saturday (Nov. 2). From left are Steve Meyer, Joe Conti, Derek Magno and T.J. Mento, and NYS USBC Association Manager Mike Pettinella, presenter. Photo by Fran Piraino.

National Honors for New York State USBC Members

The Mento Produce team comprised of Central New York, Long Island and Rochester USBC members was honored on Saturday (Nov. 2) in Syracuse for capturing the Team All-Events title at the 2019 USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas.

Team members are Derek Magno, Joe Conti and T.J. Mento (all of the Central New York USBC), Steve Meyer (Rochester NY USBC) and Anthony Pepe (Long Island USBC).

NYS USBC Association Manager Mike Pettinella and Sergeant-at-Arms Dennis O’Donnell presented the Eagles at the Central New York USBC Hall of Fame Dinner.

Their combined 9,983 pinfall (Team, Doubles and Singles) earned them the Earl Anthony Trophy as well as the prestigious Eagle trophies and watches.

More than 10,000 teams and 52,000 bowlers competed in the annual national tournament at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas.

Finger Lakes NY USBC Woman Rolls 300 Game

Congratulations are in order for Carey Rivera of Keuka Park (Finger Lakes NY USBC) who rolled her first USBC-certified 300 game on Sunday (Nov. 3) at the 46th annual New York State Women’s 600 Club Region 2 Tournament at Miller Lanes in Honeoye Falls.

Rivera, who will be 49 on Nov. 12, posted games of 213-300-170 for a 683 on lanes 7-8, eclipsing her previous high game of 268. She averaged 179 in league play at Brock’s Bowl & Pizzeria in Penn Yan last season.

The Keuka Taxi employee said she didn’t get nervous until right before delivering the 12th shot with her Storm Astro PhysiX ball.

“It was very strange.  On the 10th shot, I really wasn’t nervous. I knew there were people watching and I just thought, ‘Make a good shot. On the 11th ball, I figured I’d accomplished more now than ever, so just throw the ball,” she said.

Before the final shot, she said she was thinking, ‘Just let it go and whatever happens, happens.”

When all 10 pins fell (all the shots were in the 1-3 pocket) the celebration was on. Rivera said she will be choosing the ring from the USBC.

Southern Tier USBC Trio First in Nation with 2,378

The Ripic's Pro Shop team, with members Joseph Barker, Beckie Ripic and Jeffrey Ripic, combined for a total team scratch score of 2,378 while bowling in the Binghamton City League on March 5, 2019 at Midway Lanes in Vestal.

Individual scores were 812 for Barker, including a 300 game; 791 for Beckie Ripic and 775 for Jeff Ripic.

The 2,378 total placed the trio first in the 2-men, 1-woman team series category on the United States Bowling Congress National Team Score recognition list for the 2018-19 season.

Each member of the team was presented with an award from USBC.

2020 Annual Meeting
Scheduled for June 6
at Holiday Inn Binghamton
Info emailed to local associations on Oct. 31

NOVEMBER 1, 2019 – The New York State USBC’s 9th Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 6 at the Holiday Inn Binghamton Arena, 2-8 Hawley St., Binghamton, NY 13901.

The Annual Meeting will begin at 1 p.m., and will be preceded by a Memorial Service at 12:30 p.m.

The Holiday Inn also will host the NYS USBC board of directors meeting on Friday, June 5, and the Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner on the evening of June 6.

The hotel’s phone number is 607-722-1212. Room rate for NYS USBC delegates and guests is $119 plus taxes. The Hall of Fame dinner information will be announced in the near future.

On Thursday (Oct. 31), the NYS USBC office mailed delegate forms to local association managers, who are asked to return these forms with a list of their representatives to the Annual Meeting no later than Jan. 15, 2020.

Other attachments to the email included:

-- A letter about the Annual Meeting and about serving on the NYS USBC Board of Directors.

-- A chart indicating the number of delegates each local association can send to the Annual Meeting.

CLICK HERE for the chart.

-- A resume form for those interested in running for a position on the NYS USBC Board of Directors, which is located on the Officers page of this website.

All registered delegates will have voice and voting privileges at the Annual Meeting.

Please return the delegates forms by U.S. mail or by scanning them and emailing by Jan. 15, 2020 to NYS USBC, 55 Edgewood Drive, Batavia, NY, 14020, or bowlny300@yahoo.com.

Positions up for election in 2020 are as follows:

-- Vice President (see resume form for specific qualifications).

-- Three Adult Directors.

-- Two Youth Directors.

Potential candidates must send a copy of the resume form to the Nominating Committee chair – Janet Moro, 102 Wickson Rd., Syracuse, NY 13219, by Jan. 15, 2020.

For qualifications, please refer to Article 5, Section B of the NYS USBC Bylaws, which can be found on the About Us page of this website.

Delegates at the Annual Meeting also will elect the NYS delegate and alternate to the 2021 USBC Annual Meeting.

NYS Open Senior Championships
Six-Game Combine Winners
Represent Six Associations

UPDATE -- NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Official standings and prize list are posted. Checks are scheduled to go out on Nov. 18-19.

OCTOBER 22, 2019 – Bowlers representing six local associations captured Six-Game Combine titles as the 41st NYS Open Senior Championships concluded its two-weekend run at Sportsmans Bowl in Schenectady on Sunday.

CLICK HERE for official standings.

CLICK HERE for prize list.

The leads in three age classifications changed hands over the weekend with Richard Lambrecht (Seven Valley USBC), Robert Rudnick Jr. (Greater Buffalo USBC) and Charles Trudell (Central New York USBC) moving into the top spot in the 55-59, 65-69 and 70-74 divisions, respectively.

Leaders in the three other age groups held on to first place.

Troy McClure (Rochester NY USBC) successfully defended his title in the 50-54 division, while John Sponable (Southern Tier USBC) and Glenn MacDougall (Fulton USBC) are on top in the 60-64 and 75-up age groups.

Six-Game Combine champions will be eligible to represent New York State at the 2020 USBC Senior Championships next summer in Louisville, Ky., with entry fees paid by the NYS USBC.

Divisional leaders are as follows:

Six-Game Combine

50-54 – Troy McClure (Rochester NY USBC), 1,485; Timothy Hunt Sr. (Columbia Greene USBC), 1,458; Anna Porter (Finger Lakes NY USBC), 1,449.

50-55 – Richard Lambrecht (Seven Valley USBC), 1,481; Kenneth Dubois (Central NY USBC), 1,490; Sam Monroe Jr. (Mid-Hudson USBC), 1,475.

60-64 – John Sponable (Southern Tier USBC), 1,493; Richard Winters (Tri-County NY USBC), 1,470; Kimberly Wilson (Troy USBC), 1,462.

65-69 – Robert Rudnick Jr. (Greater Buffalo USBC), 1,461; Richard Otto (Adirondack USBC), 1,460; Janet Argus (Albany USBC), 1,432.

70-74 – Charles Trudell (Central New York USBC), 1,466; John Maloy (Mid-Hudson USBC), 1,425; Alan Amodeo (Adirondack USBC), 1,393.

75-Up – Glenn MacDougall (Fulton USBC), 1,506; Ronald Lyon Sr. (Jamestown Area USBC), 1,423; Robert Moyer Sr. (Southern Tier USBC), 1,420.

Doubles

50-54 – Darren Camp and Jeffrey Lafave (Adirondack USBC), 1,562; Pamela Carney and Stephen Smith Jr. (Chen Del O USBC), 1,480; Kenneth Hoalcraft and Dennis Van Gorden (Central New York USBC), 1,426.

55-59 – William Young and Richard Lambrecht (Seven Valley USBC), 1,477; Richard Kopacz and Sam Monroe Jr. (Mid-Hudson USBC), 1,468; Pamela and Gary Burns (Southern Tier USBC), 1,461.

60-64 – Richard Winters and Robert Fix II (Tri-County NY USBC), 1,537; Mike Aumick and Robert Fix II (Tri-County NY USBC), 1,461; Peter Pilaroscia and Patrick Bruton (Rochester NY USBC), 1,407.

65-69 – Jack Scaccia Jr. and Arthur Van Buren (Albany USBC), 1,445; Edwin Peterson and John Sponable (Southern Tier USBC), 1,434; Charles Trudell and David Demperio (Central New York USBC), 1,381.

70-74 – Thomas LaPenna and Gary Kinyon (Lockport USBC), 1,381; Robert Mossotti and Vincent Porcelli (Central NY USBC), 1,365; Ron Kohler and Judy Gagliardi (Albany USBC), 1,331.

75-up – Chris McGilvray and Glenn MacDougall (Fulton USBC), 1,420; Maria Johansen and Robert Tyler (Hudson Valley USBC), 1,334; John Scaia II and Nick DeSantis Sr. (Central New York USBC), 1,304.

Singles

50-54 – Stephen Marsh (Mid-Hudson USBC), 784; William Bigelow Jr. (Central NY USBC), 749; Scott Rogers (Schenectady USBC), 747.

55-59 – Sam Monroe Jr. (Mid-Hudson USBC), 775; Marsha Williams (Mid-Hudson USBC), 760; Gene Speenburgh (Columbia Greene USBC), 748.

60-64 – Kimberly Wilson (Troy USBC), 765; Peter Lanza (Schenectady USBC), 761; Robert Wiley (Rochester NY USBC), 759.

65-69 – Robert Rudnick Jr. (Greater Buffalo USBC), 804; Wayne Potter (Canandaiga USBC), 749; Mike Gallitelli (Schenectady USBC), 747.

70-74 – Frederick Marx (Schenectady USBC), 765; Charles Trudell (Central NY USBC), 759; Alan Amodeo (Adirondack USBC), 747.

75-up – Robert Moyer Sr. (Southern Tier USBC), 775; Ronald Lyon Sr. (Jamestown Area USBC), 741; Glenn MacDougall (Fulton USBC), 740.

Highlights of the weekend:

-- Rudnick, 300 game and 777 series in Singles;
-- Lambrecht and Hoalcraft, 299 games and 778 and 769 series, respectively, in Doubles;
-- Potter and Gallitelli, 290 games in Singles;
-- Marsh, 779 in Singles.

Chet Ciembroniewicz (Schenectady USBC) won the MOTIV bowling ball.

The New York State USBC wishes to thank the Schenectady USBC officers and directors and the management and staff of Sportsmans Bowl for their support during the tournament, which was successful in every way. The tournament attracted 130 Doubles teams, surpassing last year's total by 16.

NYS USBC Directors Meeting Recap
Bowler Contributions Hit
High-Water Mark -- $29,000

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 -- Acting on recommendations from the Finance Committee, the New York State USBC board of directors on Sunday (Sept. 22) approved a record-setting Pathways contribution for the 2018-19 bowling season and agreed to additional support of the association’s three youth bowling tournaments.

Donations generated at last season’s state tournaments and Annual Meeting and through special fundraisers and individual gifts resulted in $29,000 being available for the NYS USBC’s designated charities as well as its scholarship program.

The board accepted the Finance Committee’s suggestion to give $11,500 to both Roswell Park Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, $3,000 to the Bowlers to Veterans Link and $3,000 to the Youth Education Services committee for scholastic awards.

“The NYS USBC extends thanks to the bowlers, delegates and all others who graciously donated to these fundraisers and the worthwhile causes they support,” President Roger Buckman said. “To be able to increase our charitable contributions from the 2017-18 season is phenomenal, and is a tribute to the fine people who support bowling in New York State.”

It also voted in favor of $2,000 allocations to the Youth Team, Youth Pepsi and Adult-Junior Tournaments for the next three years – a total of $18,000. Thousands of dollars in scholarships are distributed to participants in the state youth tournaments.

In addition, the board voted to continue to fund the scholarships for graduating high school seniors, grades 9-11, grades 5-8 and grades K-4 at the $15,250 level for 2019-20.

The YES C

ommittee will be looking into its options to raise funds for sustainability of the scholastic program.

In other developments, the board:

-- Approved the appointments of two at-large directors, Arthur O’Connor (in photo at right) (Long Island USBC) and Nathan Johnson (in photo at left) (Sayre Athens Waverly Valley USBC).

Per revised USBC bylaws, at-large director appointments are based on experience that will enhance the board’s ability to achieve its goals. At-large directors serve for one year (they can be reappointed) and have voting privileges.

O’Connor was selected for his experience in public relations, social media and youth bowling promotion and coaching, while Johnson, the SAW Valley USBC association manager and Level I coach, was appointed for a progressive perspective in working with future youth leaders and membership retention and recruitment.

-- Confirmed that NYS USBC members wishing to run for Youth Director positions on the board must first serve on the state Youth Committee (as Regional Tournament Managers).

-- Reviewed the list of nominations for the NYS Hall of Fame and will be emailing local associations with nomination forms for the Hall of Fame and for the Service Awards. The forms also can be found on this website.

-- Set the 2020 Annual Meeting for June 6 at the Holiday Inn in Binghamton.

Changes Made to Tourney Rules;
Entry Forms Posted on Website

UPDATE - NOV. 19, 2019

A list of hotels and rates for the NYS Women's Championships can be found by clicking on the Tournaments tab.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 -- Several changes to New York State USBC adult tournaments for 2019-20 -- including changing the handicap base in the Open Championships and going with one qualifying squad for the Queens Championship -- were made during the state association’s Board of Directors meetings over the weekend at the Holiday Inn in Binghamton.

Changes approved by the Tournament Committee primarily affect the NYS Women and Open Championships. Some of the changes to the Queens stem from the results of a survey of participants at the 2019 tournament in Saratoga Springs.

A summary of the 2019-20 events follows.

Entry forms for all the adult tournaments for this season can be downloaded from the Tournaments section of this website.

NYS MASTERS – MARCH 7, 2020 -- ROME

The 39th NYS Masters scratch singles event is scheduled for King Pin Lanes on March 7, 2020 and is limited to the first 120 paid entrants (maximum of 60 on each of two qualifying squads). There is no re-entry.

First prize is a guaranteed $2,500 and a free entry to the 2021 USBC Masters. The scratch tournament is open to NYS USBC men and women.

Dan Vick (Rochester NY USBC) won the 2019 tournament at Dixie Lanes in Elmira.

NYS WOMEN – APRIL 4-MAY 17, 2020 – SYRACUSE

The 84th NYS Women’s Championships, consisting of Team, Doubles, Singles and All-Events competition, will take place on April 4-5, 17-19, 24-26, May 15-17, 2020 at AMF Strike ‘N Spare Lanes in the Syracuse suburb of Mattydale.

A list of current reservations and paid entries can be found on the Tournaments page. Note that availability is limited on April 25-26.

Changes for this year are as follows:

-- Doubles and Singles will be bowled on the same pair of lanes – no moving to another pair after Doubles.

-- In Handicap Brackets, an individual bowler will be limited to entering 50 percent of the total number of brackets per squad. Handicap will continue to be based on 100 percent of 230.

NYS QUEENS – APRIL 18, 2020 – LIVERPOOL

The 49th NYS Queens is scheduled for April 28, 2020 at Flamingo Bowl in Liverpool (outside of Syracuse). It is a scratch singles event for NYS USBC women.

Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady is the two-time defending champion.

Changes for this year are as follows:

-- The Open Division will be for bowlers with averages of 200 and up; the Classified Division will be for bowlers with averages of 199 and under (see tournament rules for more details).

-- One qualifying squad (five games) is set for 11 a.m. with a maximum of 114 bowlers in the tournament (six per pair).

Survey results indicate that bowlers do not want re-entry (that is not a factor this year), want to continue to offer the USBC Queens entry to the Open Division champion, want to keep a Challenge/Sport oil pattern and want to continue the 1:4 cashing ratio.

NYS OPEN – APRIL 18-MAY 17, 2020 – SCHENECTADY

The 96th NYS Open Championships (Team, Doubles, Singles, All-Events) are scheduled for April 18-19, 24-26, May 1-3, 15-17, 2020 at Boulevard Bowl in Schenectady.

Changes for this year are as follows:

-- The handicap format for Division 1 is now, Team 1150-plus bowls scratch, Doubles 460-plus bowls scratch and Singles 230-plus bowls scratch. Handicap is 90 percent of 1150, 460 and 230 in Division 1 and 90 percent of 1000, 400 and 200 in Division 2.

-- Doubles and Singles will be bowled on the same pair of lanes – no moving to another pair after Doubles.

-- Team and Doubles and Singles will be offered on Fridays; Saturdays will be for Doubles & Singles and Sundays will be for Team.

-- The first squad on Sundays will begin at 9 a.m.

-- A dress code and behavior code have been added to the rules.

-- For the Brackets, handicap will be based on 90 percent of 230.

Maximum Age to 18
Starting in 2020-21

JULY 25, 2019 -- The United States Bowling Congress will lower the maximum age for USBC Youth membership to 18 starting with the 2020-2021 season.

The decision to lower to the maximum age from 20 to 18, with agreement from the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and the International Bowling Campus Youth Committee, will align bowling with other youth sports.

“Over the last decade, we have made changes to USBC Youth programs and tournaments to provide a model comparable with other youth sports,” IBC Youth Managing Director of Youth Development Gary Brown said. “We moved to age-based divisions, as opposed to average, for events, to provide peer-to-peer competition. Setting the maximum age for youth bowlers to 18 aligns us with the standard of other national youth sports organizations.”

A U18 division will become the top division for the Pepsi Youth and Bowling.com Youth Open Championships for the 2020-2021 season. During the next season, USBC will address how the age change will impact the 2021 Junior Gold Championships, which will have a separate U20 division.

Please visit BOWL.com/YouthAgeChange for additional information.

Starting with the 2020-2021 season, USBC Youth membership policy will state youth membership is available to individuals who have not reached the age of 18 prior to Aug. 1 of the current bowling season. The decision to lower the maximum age will directly impact 3.3 percent of the total youth membership. The change also better aligns USBC Youth membership with new regulations from the U.S. Center for SafeSport requiring training for those over 18 who participate in a sport with minors.

Any USBC Youth member who reaches the age of 18 during the bowling season is required to complete the U.S. Center for SafeSport online education program, which is free, to continue to compete in leagues that have participants under age 18. This requirement was announced with the release of the revised Registered Volunteer Program (RVP) handbook.

The new age limit marks the second time the USBC Youth maximum age has been lowered. In 2009, USBC lowered the maximum age for youth bowlers from 22 to 20.

Future NYS USBC Adult
Championship Tournaments

CLICK HERE for NYS Adult Championship tournaments through 2021.