Ronnie Sparks and Jesse Buss bowled the Masters this week.

I therefore have to assume that the tournaments entered by Junior Team USA are not "junior" tournaments. The eligibility criteria must be age alone?

Why don't the kids who make the teams have to agree to stay junior for the year they are on the team? Who is encouraging them to "go adult"?....team coaches? And why?

I was on Junior Team USA 3 years (04, 05, 06) and was fortunate enough to bowl most of the events.  The first year I made it was considered a "World Year."  We went to Guam and the winner of JOG was Erik Vermilya.  No doubt that guy is a hell of a bowler but that is why we are a team.  The coaches sent the players they think will mesh together and break the lanes down the best for the team.  This doesnt mean Erik is a bad bowler or shouldnt have won JOG, it was just a coaches selection.  This year again was a World Year and we went to Germany.  Chris Bolosan won JOG in Indi and again he was not selected to go because of the same reasons.  At the beginning of the week during training camp the coaches tell us there is no guarentee all of you are going everywhere.  Most of the international events are either under age 23 or 25 because in other countries, they do not have junior bowling.  I talked to Osku Polerma from Finland and he said he began bowling pot games at age 14 because they had no junior system.  The tournament in Mexico over the summer was 19 and under I believe so that is why the selections were made after JOG was over because most of the team was too old to bowl in Mexico.  International rules are much different and the Team USA coachees have to make selections to the team so they can comply with those tournaments.  I think Team USA is a great program and yes there are politics involoved but in what sport aren't there politics? There were trips I was eligible on and didn't go, but it was part of knowing the coaches send the players they feel will win the most medals at that location.  Every junior bowler who earns a spot into JOG should give it a shot and try to make the team.  It will only make you a better player and give you things to work on for the following year.  

PJ Haggerty
Jr Team USA 2004 2005 2006

Hi Kathi,

Well you are correct that the guys who win JOG every year are great bowlers.  Great players on great teams sit on the bench too.  There are 8 members of the team so the coaches can have some variety and different styles of play when we go to international competitions.  We have the best coaching staff on the planet but we only have one week in Colorado Springs to prepare us as best as possible.  At the beginning of the week at camp, Coach Rod told us he does not care how many pins we knocked down in Indi because we made the team together and the selections will not be made from that tournament.  So we all start from scratch at the start of the week.  At the end, the selections are made and the people who are not picked accept the fact they did not get picked and that is what makes a great TEAM.  They know the coaches made the right choices be sending the Team they feel will win the most medals.  Like I said there were events I did not go to and I accepted the fact that the best team was sent to that tournament to win medals.  

About the "turning adult while on jr team usa" part, like I said in the last post, a lot of other countries do not have "Junior Bowling" so that is why they allow us to turn adult after making the team.  It IS a junior team because we made the team as a JR.  

PJ
I'm not saying that the Team experience isn't a wonderful thing.

I just think this format and adding a day and another 300 bodies to the mix is ridiculous. A tournament this large for scholarship money with divisions by age, average, gender, or some combination thereof would be just fine. The money goes to SMART so NCAA and High School Associations won't have an issue. Increase the scholarship money and tell everyone the selection committee will be picking the team from among the entrants.
Just my opinion...

Unfortunately the only way I can object is to post my thoughts here and personally my family will be boycotting the tournament. I also know I shouldn't force my personal feelings on others...so I do run qualifiers at all my tournaments because, if I don't, other than Pepsi, there  aren't many other qualifiers held in New England.

PJ
My daughter has bowled JOG for 5 years with increasing success. She met lots of great people and had a great time. This year she did not attend the Jr Gold tournament as she opted to study abroad for Fall Semester (which starts July 1st in New Zealand).

She is not bowling in college as she opted to attend a school that does not field a team. She bowls local leagues & tournaments. She did compete in Reno last January. And will be back in Reno this January.

If enough of the people who don't like the format changes, etc.  would boycott the tournament, you can bet it would make a difference.

Edited on 11/3/2006 10:23 PM

Edited on 11/3/2006 10:26 PM

Yes, my daughter is still a youth bowler and planning to stay that way as long as she can. I had e-mailed Pat Winkels at USBC regarding another matter and asked this question while I was at it....
I asked if I could assume that if Junior competitors at the trials won they would received scholarship dollars. Her succinct reply "Yes".
Does seem to be a way around the issue...cash for adults, scholarship for youth. Does USBC allow this to be done at any other tournament? I don't know.