ARLINGTON, Texas – Cleveland will be the epicenter for youth bowling this summer and will feature the largest trade show for participants and their parents leading into the biggest week of competition.
The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland Hall C, which has 83,500 feet of space, is the site for the annual trade show and registration, featuring the Collegiate Experience, seminars and much more, on Saturday, July 15. The trade show is held in conjunction with three major youth bowling events – the Junior Gold Championships presented by the Brands of Ebonite International, the Bowling.com Youth Open Championships and USA Bowling National Championships presented by Sixlets.
“While youth bowlers are in Cleveland for the competitions, they will have the opportunity to attend seminars, hear from the top coaches in the sport, learn about colleges that offer bowling, and so much more,” IBC Youth Development Managing Director Gary Brown said. “It is an opportunity for the bowling industry to engage young bowlers as we all work to build a future for the sport.”
Some of the key events at this year’s trade show, which will run from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.:
Collegiate Experience – More than 60 colleges will be on hand so bowlers and their parents can talk to representatives and learn about what it takes to bowl in college.
The Preparation: Lane Patterns and Arsenal Building – Del Warren, United States Bowling Congress Gold Coach and member of the Team USA coaching staff, will discuss the tools bowlers need to understand lane patterns, lane breakdown and how to build an arsenal.
The Process: How Bowling Balls are Made – Ebonite Bowling Product Development Manager Nick Tomaszewski will take you on a virtual tour of the Ebonite International plant and provide a hands-on demonstration.
The Execution: Two-Handed Bowling – Stephen Padilla, a USBC Gold coach, will look at the most popular new trend in the physical game of bowling, and offer instruction during this seminar.
Also on-site, The Brands of Ebonite International will have autograph stations, InsideBowling.com will livestream from the event, plus there will be 20 additional exhibitors, including an airbrush artist.
In addition to the trade show, there will be several special events including Ebonite International’s Demo Day and the Bowl With The Pros pro-am that will take place at The Game of Wickliffe on Friday, July 14, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Bowlers will have the opportunity to try the latest products from the Columbia 300, Ebonite, Hammer and Track lines, and from those who registered for Demo Day, selections were made for the pro-am event that will include Bill O’Neill, Tom Daugherty, Tommy Jones, Ronnie Russell and many other pros.
Since it is summertime, the Ebonite International Beach Party on Sunday, July 16, will have games, food, fun in the sun, and more at a lakeside setting from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., then bowlers can get ready for the Junior Gold Opening Ceremony that kicks off at the Cleveland Public Auditorium at 7 p.m.
A final clinic will be held Friday, July 21, at AMF Brookgate Lanes, with USBC Hall of Famer John Gaines, a USBC Silver coach, teaming with Stephen Padilla on the Sport Pattern Clinic, where they will teach bowlers about short, medium and long patterns, how to line up and the best equipment for your game.
Bowlers also should note this year’s Survivor Tournament, on July 21-22 at Roseland Lanes, not only will be a Junior Gold qualifying event for 2018, but will include an option to get an exclusive Hammer Scandal bowling ball with your entry fee only available to Junior Gold participants.
A reminder that CBS Sports Network will televise the finals of each division (U12, U15 and U20) of the Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International and the title matches of the U15 and U12 divisions of the USA Bowling National Championships presented by Sixlets. The finals will air over a five-week period starting Tuesday, July 25.
Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold and click on the Registration tab for complete details on all events. Participation is limited on some events, so make sure to register soon.
About International Bowling Campus
The International Bowling Campus (IBC) is the headquarters for the bowling industry and directly serves the more than 69 million bowlers in the United States. The IBC houses the resources of the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body and membership organization for the sport; the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, representing the business interests of bowling centers; IBC Youth Development; Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm for the industry; the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame; the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association; the International Bowling Media Association; the Bowling News Network; the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America; and the International Training and Research Center.
