JOIN A YOUTH LEAGUE TODAY!

Youth Bowling

USBC Youth bowling is a unique opportunity to get involved with a sport that you can stay with forever and offers more than $6 million in annual scholarships that reward academic, leadership and on-lanes performance skills. USBC Youth also provides opportunities for coaching and instruction, fun and friendly competition, fair play, teamwork, and leadership development. USBC Youth bowling has membership options designed to meet the needs of all youth bowlers.

Anyone can bowl. It doesn’t matter your height or size. Bowling technique is all about leverage and timing. Bowling has a lot to offer young people including making new lifelong friends. If you or your child wants to get involved with a cool sport that anyone can play, and one that helps build their future, join USBC Youth bowling today!

Youth Memberships:

GLAC USBC youth membership is $15
GLAC USBC local fees $11
Special Olympics membership $16

Upgrade options on top of GLAC USBC youth membership:
U12 Junior Gold ($10)
U15/U18 Junior Gold ($30)

YOUTH ELIGIBILITY

USBC YOUTH MAXIMUM AGE CHANGE – As announced July 25, 2019, USBC will lower the maximum age for USBC Youth membership to 18 starting with the 2020-21 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. For the 2020-21 season, the age change will directly impact approximately 4,000 youth or 3.3% of the total youth membership. Approximately 10,000 youth, or 8.2% of the total youth membership, will turn 18 during the bowling season and be required to take the free online training through the U.S. Center for SafeSport if they plan to continue to bowl in a USBC youth league. THE MINIMUM AGE TO JOIN AN ADULT LEAGUE IS 18.

See USBC Eligibility (Rule 400)

Youth bowlers may not bowl in any activity (substitute or pace included) which offers any of the following as prizes such as:
* cash or bonds
* merchandise exceeding $500 in value

Youth may bowl in adult SINGLES competition (including side pots/brackets) offering such prizes as mentioned above PROVIDED PRIOR TO BOWLING that:
* the competition agrees to award the youth’s prize in the form of a scholarship; or
* the youth signs the USBC Singles Competition Prize Waiver waiving his/her rights to any prize in violation of this rule.

Buying or selling of earned prizes is prohibited. The prizes authorized by a state high school athletic association or collegiate athletic association recognized by USBC and USBC Collegiate are not subject to the limitations of this rule.

YOUTH LEAGUES

Majority of Youth Leagues bowl on Saturday mornings. Some centers have additional youth leagues that are on different days and times during the week. Each bowling center is different. Many youth leagues are run by a Youth Program Director and has help from the other parents and volunteers to help raise money for different events. Some centers run fundraisers so that the youth can participate in the annual state championships that is held each summer in a different location in the state. It is a weekend event and some centers and families make it part of a vacation event as well depending on where the location is for that year. Inquire with the center you are interested in to see if they participate in these types of fun events!

GLAC USBC Centers with Active Youth Programs

Bowlero Lancaster
Cal Bowl, Lakewood
Del Rio Lanes, Downey
Jewel City Bowl, Glendale
Keystone Lanes, Norwalk
Santa Clarita Lanes, Saugus
Winnetka Bowl

WHAT IS A YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR?

by Lloyd Stone
1988 Southeast District Youth Bowling Association Average Book

In any given week a youth director is a babysitter, responsible for as many as 100 children that belong to someone else. A youth director is a teacher, teaching kids not only how to bowl, but how to compete and have fun while displaying good sportsmanship.

The youth director is a referee, not just between the kids but sometimes between the parents. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to suspend a parent for two weeks.

The youth director is a pro shop operator, making adjustments on bowling equipment that was too small or that Johnnie or Suzie has grown out of.

The youth director is a chauffeur, taking kids to tournaments across town or across state. There is nothing quite like driving down a busy street, trying to follow a map, going through a red light and then trying to explain to a police officer why you have 11 kids in the back of your van and none of them are yours.

A youth director may serve as a doctor, taking care of cuts, scrapes and bruises; a psychologist, taking care of bruised egos and hurt feelings; and a diplomat, handling difficult situations without blowing their cool.

A youth director is a banker and a bookkeeper, keeping track of all finances and all fund raising activities, and a travel agent, making reservations, cancellations, rooming lists, seating charts and trip itineraries.

A youth director is a journalist, writing up newspaper articles describing the accomplishments of their juniors, and a social director, arranging a full calendar of events throughout the year.

A youth director is kind of like Dear Abby, giving advice when asked, helping kids with their problems that are sometimes too big or too small to take home.

A youth director is a secretary. Letters must be written, cards filed, awards ordered and an endless procession of entry forms filled out.

A youth director is a cheerleader, always there to root on their kids.

Most people do not realize that a youth director is like a loan company. They sometimes put up money for kids to bowl in tournaments and leagues. Sometimes they get paid back, sometimes accounts become delinquent, and often the junior director declares bankruptcy and files for Chapter 11 before they get their money.

A youth director is a graphic artist, making numerous fliers, posters, even cookbooks and calendars– whatever the program needs.

A youth director is a telephone solicitor, calling up kids and asking them to give bowling a try.

THIS AVERAGE BOOK IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF THE YOUTH DIRECTORS THAT HELP MAKE YOUTH BOWLING THE NUMBER ONE INDOOR PARTICIPATION SPORT IN THE COUNTRY.

THANKS