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Youth bowlers, parents & coaches:
Happy New (Bowling) Year!  The 2018-2019 season has begun, and youth bowling events within our association are starting very soon.  It’s “Back to School” time and “Back to Bowling” time too… are you ready?

Below is a summary of all the Association’s youth bowling events during the months of August and September 2018:

• Sunday 8/26 – The North Florida Sport Shot Series (NFSSS) kicks off its first tournament of the season at Bowl America Southside.  Check-in is 9am to 9:45am; bowling starts by 10am.  Open to all youth bowlers.
• Sunday 9/9 – Week 1 of the FCUSBC Youth Travel League takes place at King Pins Bowling Center.  League meeting / registration is at 1pm; Coaching at 1:45pm; 2pm league play begins.  Open to all youth bowlers.
• Saturday 9/15 – The Jacksonville Jr Bowling Tour (JJBT) will have its first tournament of the season at Batt Family Fun Center.  Check-in is Noon to 12:45pm; tournament begins at 1pm sharp!  Open to bowlers with a minimum 120 average for the ’17-’18 season (or current average if 9 games bowled this season).
• Sunday 9/16 – Week 2 of the FCUSBC Youth Travel League takes place at Edwards Bowling Center in Yulee.  Coaching session held at 12:45pm; league play begins at 1pm.
• Saturday 9/22 – The Youth Leaders will have their annual meeting at King Pins, starting at 1pm.  All youth bowlers ages 11+ may join this youth volunteer group.
• Saturday 9/22 – The Challenge Tournament series starts the season series at King Pins Bowling Center.  Team check-in is from 1pm to 1:45pm; Tournament starts at 2pm or at least 5 minutes after the Youth Leaders meeting concludes.  See your Center Youth Director to be added to a team roster.
• Sunday 9/30 – The North Florida Sport Shot Series (NFSSS) holds its second tournament of the season at Bowl America Orange Park.  Check-in is 9am to 9:45am; bowling starts by 10am.  Open to all youth bowlers.

Please submit questions or feedback via email to fcusbcyouth@gmail.com — we want you to be informed and we also want to hear from you (both good and not-so-good feedback)!

The entire youth website for the First Coast USBC has just been updated to reflect all Association events for the 2018-2019 season (which began on 8/1)!  While some of the tournament locations are still being worked out, all of the dates should not change.

Please be sure to bookmark the youth website on your browser to quickly access information about leagues, tournaments, scholarship opportunities, and more!

We have updated our calendar page with the tentative schedule of Association events, but the locations have not yet been finalized.  http://fcusbcyouth.com/home/calendar/

Bowlers, Parents and Coaches –

Please join us in a celebration of our area’s youth bowling at the Annual Youth Coaches Memorial.  The Coaches Memorial events take place on Sunday, March 11th at Bowl America Southside starting at 10:00am (arrive early to get a seat, bringing your own chair is recommended).

The day’s events begin with the Memorial of recently-passed area coaches, followed by our annual Hall of Fame Ceremony, Awards Ceremony (for Christmas Classic and Annual Youth City Championship), and finally our annual Coaches Memorial No-Tap Tournament.

The entry form for the tournament is provided here — CM Entry Form

Looking for the results of our 53rd Annual Youth City Championship?
Visit our “Annual City Tournament” page for the PDF of all OFFICIAL results, including the All Events results for all participants.  *UPDATE* – There was a glitch found in the All Events Handicap calculation… those results are not yet official.

Special reminder:

With the Annual City Championship Tournament taking place at the end of January, there will NOT be a JJBT, Challenge Tournament or Sport Shot (NFSSS) tournament during the month of January.  All 3 events return in February (see schedule below), along with our Annual Scholarship Tournament.

• The next JJBT is Saturday 2/10 at BA Orange Park
• The Annual Scholarship Tournament is Sunday 2/18 at BA Orange Park
• The next Challenge Tournament is Saturday 2/24 at Batt Family Fun Center
• The next NFSSS Tournament is Sunday 2/25 at BA Orange Park

Youth bowlers, parents & coaches:
Happy New Year!  Below is a summary of all the Association’s youth bowling events during the month of January 2018:

• Saturday 1/6 & Sunday 1/7 – Baker teams compete in the USA Bowling Coastal South Regional event at Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando.
• Wednesday 1/10 – Deadline for Youth Directors to submit team entries for “City” (the 53rd Annual Youth City Championship Tournament).
• Saturday 1/13 through Friday 1/19 – The second round of Pepsi / FL Handicap Tournament qualifiers take place within all leagues.  As a reminder, these tournaments take place at Pin Street in Fort Myers between late March and late April.
• Saturday 1/13 – The Youth Committee is holding a 2:30pm meeting at Batt Family Fun Center.
• Sunday 1/14 – The Youth Leaders are having a 11:30am meeting at Batt Family Fun Center.
• Sunday 1/14 – Travel League Week #9 is at Batt Family Fun Center. Lane assignments start at 12:15pm, we start bowling at 12:30pm . The cost of the league $16 each week, where we bowl 4 games on a certified sport pattern. Even though the league has already started, youth bowlers are certainly welcome to join mid-season to gain experience on sport shots!
• Sunday 1/21 – Travel League Week #10 is at Jax Lanes Grove Park.  Lane assignments start at 10:30am, since we start bowling at 11:00am. The cost of the league $16 each week, where we bowl 4 games on a different sport pattern.
• Saturday 1/27 & Sunday 1/28 – The 53rd Annual Youth City Championship tournament will take place, with the Team event at NAS JAX Freedom Lanes and the Doubles/Singles events at Bowl America Southside.  Please confirm your squad times and locations with your center’s Youth Director (final squad assignments are to be announced on 1/16).

With the City Tournament being the highlight of our youth tournament schedule, there is NO Challenge Tournament, JJBT or NFSSS during the month of January.  All of these monthly tournaments will resume in February, which will also be when we have our “Annual Youth Scholarship Tournament”.  Looking ahead, here is a list of events for February & March:

• Sunday 2/4: Travel League Week #11, 1pm start @ Bowl America Southside.
• Saturday 2/10: JJBT – 1pm start @ Bowl America Orange Park.
• Sunday 2/11: Travel League Week #12 (FINAL REGULAR WEEK), 11am at Jax Lanes Grove Park.
• Sunday 2/18: Annual Scholarship Tournament, 10am start @ Bowl America Orange Park.  Open to ALL youth bowlers (handicap and scratch divisions), no minimum age or average.  2 Junior Gold spots awarded (no add-on fees).
• Saturday 2/24: Challenge Tournament – 2pm start at Batt Family Fun Center.
• Sunday 2/25: North Florida Sport Shot Series (NFSSS) tournament – 10am start at Bowl America Orange Park.
• Saturday 3/10: JJBT – 1pm start @ Mayport Bowling Center.
• Sunday 3/11: Coaches Memorial (10am City Awards Ceremony & Annual Recognition; 1pm Fun Tournament for all youth bowlers AND select coaches) — held at Bowl America Southside.
• Saturday 3/17: 2pm Youth Committee Meeting @ Batt Family Fun Center.
• Sunday 3/18: 2pm Travel League Open Tournament @ King Pins.  All youth bowlers are encouraged to participate / try out sport bowling!  We may open this up to adult bowlers too (their own division) if space permits.

If you have any questions about these events, contact your Center Youth Director or send us a message at fcusbcyouth@gmail.com

 

 

Youth bowlers, parents & coaches:

Below is a summary of all the Association’s youth bowling events during the month of December:

• Sunday 12/3 – The Christmas Classic tournament is taking place at Batt Family Fun Center.  Check-in starts at 9am, the tournament starts at 10am.  Centers have already submitted their team rosters, but those interested can still show up and be added to a sub list (in case someone does not show up or space permits for an additional team).  Visit the tournament page for more details.
• Saturday 12/9 – Reminder: Entry forms and payment for the Pepsi / FL Handicap Tournament (from the first qualifier) is due within most youth leagues.  Directors, all must be sent to Allen Solomon by 12/15.
• Sunday 12/10 – Travel League Week #8 is at King Pins.  Lane assignments start at 1:30pm, we start bowling at 2pm sharp.  The cost of the league $16 each week, where we bowl 4 games on a certified sport pattern.  Even though the league has already started, youth bowlers are certainly welcome to join mid-season to gain experience on sport shots!
• Saturday 12/16 – Challenge Tournament at Beach Bowl.  1:00pm-1:45pm check-in, 2:00pm start.  See your Center Youth Director to form a team.
• Saturday 12/30 – The North Florida Sport Shot Series will hold a special Saturday tournament at Jax Lanes Grove Park. This tournament is open to all USBC youth bowlers and offers an optional Junior Gold Qualifier event.  Pre-registration is on the Facebook page; check-in is 9:00am-9:45am (bowling starts at 10am).  Entry fees are as low as $25 for a 5-game block, plus we have some fun optional events to earn additional SMART scholarship funds.
• Sunday 12/31 is the deadline for nomination forms to be submitted for all annual recognition awards.  All bowlers, parents, coaches and directors are encouraged to submit nominations for: Volunteer of the Year, Coach of the Year, Coach Hall of Fame, Youth Hall of Fame for Bowling Achievement, and Youth Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service.  Visit our Recognition page for details, individual award page links and nomination forms.

Looking ahead to January, there’s a lot to be aware of…

• Baker teams compete in the USA Bowling Coastal South Regional down in Orlando 1/6-1/7
• City Tournament entries and payment is due from Directors 1/10
• Pepsi / FL Handicap Qualifier #2 is mid-month
• Travel League is on 1/14 & 1/21
• Annual City Tournament is held 1/27-1/28
• No JJBT or NFSSS tournaments due to the City Tournament

If you have any questions about these events, contact your Center Youth Director or send us a message at fcusbcyouth@gmail.com

Created just a few short months ago, the North Florida Sport Shot Series (NFSSS) continues to grow in size and popularity among bowlers in the area and beyond.  Today (11/26), 34 youth bowlers entered the monthly NFSSS event at Nassau Lanes in Yulee in search of friendly competition, gaining experience on tougher lane conditions, SMART scholarships, Junior Gold spots, and perhaps bragging rights!

Interest in the NFSSS events has quietly yet quickly spread beyond the First Coast, with competitors driving in from Tavares, Tallahassee, Savannah (GA), Atlanta (GA) and even Charleston (SC) to participate.  One competitor was on vacation in Orlando and made a detour to our tournament today before heading home to the Houston (TX) area!

A few things will stand out to bowlers when they compete in the NFSSS tournaments (compared to other local and regional tournaments), specifically:

• A simple check-in process, with lane assignments issued on-the-spot.
• “A la carte” tournament options.  Not everyone wants to enter and pay for the Junior Gold Qualifier or our scholarship-boosting side contests, so bowlers only pay for what they want to enter.
• The “Extreme Eliminator Challenge”, our unique side contest that provides the experience of bowling under increased pressure while building sportsmanship, camaraderie and scholarship awards.
• The “Most Spares Contest”, our side contest designed to keep the bowlers focused on making every shot count and working on their skills / acumen.
• Tournament Officials that have a genuine desire to make the events fun for both the bowlers and spectators, keeping delays between events to a minimum, providing transparency regarding all tournament finances, and being innovative (for example, we use a projector for displaying scores that refreshes constantly).

The next NFSSS tournament will take place on Saturday, December 30th at Jax Lanes Grove Park in Jacksonville.  Check-in is from 9am to 9:45am and the event starts at 10am; pre-registration via Facebook message is encouraged but walk-ins are always welcome.

The Next JJBT (Jacksonville Jr Bowling Tour) event is less than 2 weeks away… on Saturday, November 11th at Nassau Bowling Center in Yulee.  This will be the 19th annual Bill Kuchler Memorial JJBT event, with added scholarship funds donated from the Kuchler/Petersen family.

For results from the October JJBT event and more information about upcoming events, please review the OCT 2017 JJBT Newsletter!