Visit;  www.YBCshootout.ca

Youth Bowl Canada (YBC) is happy to announce that its new online event, the YBC Shootout, has launched with a resounding success.   The YBC Shootout brings youth bowlers from coast to coast to coast together in an online tournament to provide the thrill of competition without having to leave your home bowling centre.

Unlike the Canada Cups Online Shootout (www.canadacups.ca), which also launched this year and was developed to provide some level of competition, and sense of community, for the adult bowling sector through the pandemic, the YBC Shootout has been on the youth calendar for a few years now.

The brainchild of Jamie Newton, proprietor of Rossmere Lanes (Winnipeg), the YBC Shootout was developed long before anyone had heard of Covid-19.  It had a test launch in early 2020 with a limited group and made it all the way to the Semi-Finals before bowling centre closures had the event wind down, with all semi-finalists declared Co-Champions.

This season, the YBC Shootout was finally launched nationwide, and is currently in its 2^nd week.  The event has 4 weeks of bracket rounds (Match Play), following which all bracket winners will compete together in a Championship Final round, with the winners being declared champions in 3 age divisions (Bantam, Junior and Senior) in SINGLES competition (teams for the adults).  Events are run for both the 5-pin and 10-pin communities, and bowlers can compete in Handicap (pins over average) or Scratch (total pinfall) divisions, or both.  A total of 12 events overall make up the YBC Shootout (running consecutively), and while not planned as a pandemic measure, the online event sure fits the bill this year!   

Over 2,700 entries, representing 96 bowling centres across Canada were received for this inaugural edition of the YBC Shootout, and the event is expected to grow post-pandemic.  We wish all competitors a best personal performance!   Ready – Set – STRIKE!

January 25, 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect life in many ways.  As a result of the latest Wave of the virus, fuelled by the Omicron variant, the bowling communities in Ontario and Quebec have been shut down throughout the month of January.   Ontario is scheduled to reopen on January 31^st and Quebec has yet to take a position with regards to reopening.

With these forced closures coming at a key time in terms of qualifying for the YBC Nationals, and with continued uncertainty in many regards, YBC representatives from across Canada have approved a rescheduling of the National Final dates so as to better ensure that all league qualifying, as well as zone and provincial finals, will be able to happen.

YBC NATIONALS (both Fivepin and Tenpin) are now rescheduled for July 10, 11 & 12, 2022.

Provincial YBC associations may reschedule zone and provincial finals as required, so long as provincial champions are decided by May 1^st.  Check with your provincial association to see if any changes have been made to your zones/provincials.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  As we all know, businesses must abide by any restrictions to operations as set by their provincial government and/or local health authority, such as (but not limited to) vaccine requirements, capacity restrictions, etc.  Bowling centres are no exception.  Therefore, Youth Bowl Canada wishes to state clearly that any requirements imposed upon the host bowling centres of our National Championships, by their governments and/or local health authorities, will be enforced as a matter of law.  For updates on requirements in the province of Ontario (Host province for both 5pin and 10pin nationals) visit… https://covid-19.ontario.ca/public-health-measures#recreational_amenities

Youth Bowl Canada to be part of the first Teen Masters North American Championships in Detroit.

Bowl Canada is delighted to announce it has formalized a relationship with Killer “B” Promotions, organizers of the TEEN MASTERS Championships…an exciting North American event offering $50,000 in Scholarships to tenpin bowlers age 19 and under (at Aug. 5th, 2022).

YBC tenpin bowlers will be fielded into the TEEN MASTERS this summer as the event celebrates its 25th Anniversary Championships at Detroit’s historic Thunderbowl Lanes from July 31 – August 5th, 2022.

The TEEN MASTERS began back in 1997 in Akron, Ohio, and since then thousands of teen bowlers have experienced both the challenges and the joys of one of bowling’s most prestigious youth tournaments.

Teens and their families from five continents have traveled to TEEN MASTERS over the years. And with Canada’s inclusion and support, event founder Gary Beck sees his long-term plan beginning to come to fruition.

“Partnering with Bowl Canada is a significant step in formalizing international participation in Teen Masters.” said Beck, who went on to say “Working through its member centers, we will identify Canada’s top teens while inspiring the next generation of competitive youth bowlers.”

In the coming years, contingent on easing travel restrictions and sponsorship, TEEN MASTERS will stage global championships for teen girls and boys representing four regions:

REGION 1: North America, including The United States and Canada;
REGION 2: Latin America, including the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America;
REGION 3: Europe, plus the Mediterranean and Africa; and
REGION 4: Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

“Our participation in the TEEN MASTERS Championships is a step in the right direction for our YBC program, and provides an elevated scholarship opportunity for our tenpin YBC members.” reports Bowl Canada President Rod Hennessey. “We’re very pleased to see this relationship develop and look forward to seeing YBC bowlers compete on the international stage this coming summer.”

Details on the Canadian Qualifiers are being worked out in the coming weeks/months with Provincial YBC associations. Watch for more details as they develop.

For information on the Teen Masters Championships, visit TeenMastersBowling.com