Posted by USBC
International Bowling Campus Youth Development has set the dates and divisions for the 2021 Junior Gold Championships that will take place in Indianapolis.
The 2021 Junior Gold Championships will be held July 5-17, 2021. Indianapolis will extend its record for most times to host, as the 2021 event marks the event’s sixth visit to the city.
With the maximum age for USBC Youth membership changing to 18 with the start of the 2020-2021 season, the U20 division will take place during the first week of the event, breaking away the adult from the youth divisions. The U20 division will be for bowlers born between Aug. 1, 2000 and July 31, 2002.
The U18 division becomes the oldest division for USBC Youth bowlers, with the U18, U15 and U12 divisions hitting the lanes following the U20 competition. The age breakdowns for the other Junior Gold divisions are: U18 (Aug. 1, 2002-July 31, 2005); U15 (Aug. 1, 2005-July 31, 2008); U12 (Aug. 1, 2008 and later).
The Junior Gold qualifying season officially kicks off May 1, 2020 and will run until May 16, 2021. Competitors must have a Junior Gold membership, which costs $10 for U12 competitors and $30 for all other divisions, in addition to USBC Youth membership or, for U20 bowlers, adult membership.
Junior Gold coordinators also need to be aware that U20 qualifying events must be held separately, with only U20 competitors in the field. Qualifying events for U18, U15, and U12 divisions can be combined.
With many states remaining under COVID-19 restrictions, IBC Youth Development encourages local coordinators to follow local guidelines before hosting a qualifying event.
IBC Youth Development also set dates for the national youth events that will take place in Indianapolis in conjunction with the Junior Gold Championships.
The USA Bowling National Championships qualifying rounds will be held July 7-8 with the U12 and U15 title matches on July 11. Regional qualifying events will start in the fall.
The Bowling.com Youth Open Championships will take place July 7-9, 16-18 and 24-25. U18 will be the oldest division for the event.
The Survivor Tournament for the U20 division is set for July 9 with the Youth Survivor taking place July 16-17.
IBC Youth also will launch two Junior Gold technology projects for the Junior Gold program.
A new Junior Gold qualifier portal, launching next week, will allow tournament directors to submit their Junior Gold Qualifier applications, upload rules, and make deposits online prior to their event. After the event, directors will be able to go online to upload results, enter advancers and alternates, and pay any remaining balance. The online portal will eliminate the need to submit paper forms.
The Junior Gold membership portal, which will launch this summer, will allow athletes to go online to log in and purchase their Junior Gold membership. Youth bowlers will be notified when the portal is available.