2023 Junior Gold Championship Continued…
By Robin Campbell
Images from Robin Campbell
Hello Monday and fellow Alabamians. Today started the first day of competition for our fellow youth bowlers in the 2023 Junior Gold Championship. A quick recap of this past weekend…
Practice started Friday. Each player is part of a squad. Each squad is given 40 minutes to practice on an unknown oil pattern, once! Each day of practice represents a day of competition. Friday’s oil pattern is Monday’s oil pattern. Saturday consisted of two practices. The first practice is Tuesday’s oil pattern and the second practice represents Wednesday’s oil pattern. Sunday is Thursday’s oil pattern.
Players are not only stepping onto lanes they are unfamiliar with but taking on an oil pattern they have to figure out. This competition is about their ability as a bowler. How resilient are they in overcoming adversities. They are competing with themselves as much as they are the other players. For the next four days, each player will bowl four games on the oil patterns they had 40 minutes to figure out. A select group will move to Friday’s advancer round and the top group will move to match play on Saturday. The final 3 will be in the TV Finals, this will also take place on Saturday.
In between the stress, Indianapolis was the host location for the trade show to include colleges who offer bowlers a place to continue their passion. Pro bowlers were on hand to sign autographs. Special merchandise was also available to everyone in attendance, to include shirts to represent U12, U15 and U18 bowlers. The U12 and U15 t shirts include all of the boy and girl bowlers on the backs. U18 is separated due to the large number of U18 boy bowlers. There was also party in the park and opening ceremonies.
Opening Ceremonies offered each state and country a chance to walk the field of Victory Fields, the home of the Indian Indiana baseball team. Both party in the park and opening ceremonies were hosted in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Each location had special signs the bowlers got to walk with. The stadium was filled with excitement and fun as they prepare to move into the competition phase of 25th Junior Gold Championship.
Every group that took the field and had a U12 bowler with them, made sure they were taken care of while walking with the group. From leading the groups, to sitting on shoulders, or just simply being able to walk with their favorite older bowler. As a mom and bowling coach, I was so proud of each group, being the examples for the younger bowlers. They made sure the younger ones had just as much fun as they did.
To keep up with how this week goes or for more information…
https://bowl.com/youth/youth-tournaments/junior-gold-championships/2023-results
