The latest from YBC

Introducing the YBC Shooting Stars Leader Board

With the amazing talent on display in YBC leagues across Canada, YBC has developed a new LEADER BOARD to highlight some of the great achievements in every age division throughout the season.

Whenever a bowler reaches the scores detailed in the plateaus shown below, YBC Program Directors can submit the scores online, making sure their league’s Shooting Stars are recognized on the Leader Board for all to see.

Recognizing excellence throughout the season is the goal, and at season’s end, the HIGH SINGLE and HIGH TRIPLE recorded in each division will receive an award to commemorate their accomplishments (ties included).

SCORE PLATEAUS:
Fivepin Singles: Bantams 330+, Juniors 380+, Seniors 400+
Fivepin Triples: Bantams 800+, Juniors 900+, Seniors 1000+
Tenpin Singles: Bantams 230+, Juniors 260+, Seniors 280+
Tenpin Triples: Bantams 600+, Juniors 675+, Seniors 750+

Only scores bowled during regular YBC League Play or scores bowled in any round of the YBC National Championships are eligible to be posted on the YBC Shooting Stars Leader Board.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LEADER BOARD

YBC Shootout right on target

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 2nd 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!

2022 YBC NATIONALS UPDATE

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 31st 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 1st.  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

Teen Masters Championships

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

2020 YBC NATIONALS FINAL UPDATE

With regret, today Youth Bowl Canada announces that the decision has been made to cancel the 2020 YBC Nationals.

We know what this decision means to the athletes and fans, and we are truly sorry that our passionate and national community must suffer this loss.  Sadly, things today are what they are. And while our sport is not alone in losing a key event, it is little consolation to our dedicated and passionate community nation wide.

In the end the decision comes down to the logistics of planning an event of this nature under never-before-seen conditions. Youth Bowl Canada does not have the confidence that we can keep our athletes and families safe, have the facilities and other services we need in place, run the event in compliance with laws in place at the time, and run an event that is up to the standards we expect for our community.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, and provincial YBC Chairs from across Canada, I send our deepest regrets to the over 200 athletes who have worked so hard throughout the year to become Provincial Champions and qualify for the YBC Nationals. We hope they remain very proud of their accomplishments this season and we congratulate them on a very successful year. They are all Champions in our book.

YBC NATIONALS UPDATE #3 – COVID-19

The Bowl Canada Board of Directors met May 5th with YBC Nationals as Item 1 on the Agenda.  YBC had previously made arrangements to reschedule the Nationals to July 19-20-21, which was the only weekend through the summer where we would have been able to line up the required logistics (available hotels, bowling centres, etc.).  Due to circumstances in the City of Calgary, which recently banned all events up until August 31st due to the pandemic, the Board has no option but to remove these dates and, a summer timeframe, from consideration.  Bowl Canada will continue to monitor the evolving circumstances and make a final decision on YBC nationals when and as appropriate.

YBC NATIONALS UPDATE #2 – COVID-19

As detailed in a previous update, the YBC Nationals have been cancelled in terms of the original May timeline. We are otherwise currently on hold as we see how this pandemic runs its course. We have worked on an alternate timeline, and we are left with one option in early/mid July. The Bowl Canada Board will once again review the situation at their May 5th meeting and decide at that time, based on the information at hand, whether or not it is realistic to proceed with plans or cancel outright. We will keep you updated as more is known.

1ST ANNUAL YBC SHOOTOUT A BIG SUCCESS!

Youth Bowl Canada was very excited to announce a beta-test launch of the YBC SHOOTOUT earlier this season. The new online event, aims to bring continued excitement to YBC leagues in the latter stretches of the season. And it would have done just that, had the latter stretches of the season been allowed to roll out as normal. Unfortunately, as with all things these days, the Shootout fell victim to the dreaded Coronavirus.

Due to bowling centre closures across Canada the YBC Shootout had to be cut short, but the timing was better than it could have been. Forced closures were being announced as of March 17 (Ontario), which is when results of the Brackets Round of 8 were due, leaving us that day with the final 4 bowlers in each of the Scratch and POA brackets.

With some finalists hailing from provinces where closures had just been announced (and others soon to join the closures list) it was decided that the only fair thing would be to consider the remaining bowlers as CO-CHAMPIONS and call the event for the year.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the 2020 YBC SHOOTOUT co-champions! CLICK HERE FOR A LIST!

With 1,021 entries this year in fivepin, and almost 100 entries in tenpin, the event shows promise and interest from the community. And considering only 50 bowling centres were invited to participate this year YBC expects that the full launch next year could see considerable growth in terms of entries, and in terms of prize money awarded.

There will be adjustments made as we hear suggestions from the community as to how to make the event even better for the years to come. Stay tuned! But for now, a big thanks to the bowlers and
leagues who participated this year and made the YBC SHOOTOUT possible.

YBC Nationals UPDATE – COVID-19

For some time now Bowl Canada has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus pandemic with the aim of being able to confidently decide on an appropriate course of action with regards to the running of our scheduled events.   Our first event of the season is our primary concern at this time, namely the Youth Bowl Canada (YBC) National Championships scheduled for early May in Calgary, AB.

The province of Alberta (host of the YBC Nationals) posted a position last night stating that all events of 250 people or more are to be cancelled “indefinitely” (click here for info from the Calgary Herald).   The announcement does not stipulate a specific timeline, so it is unclear if this restriction will still be in force come May.  Presumably the vagueness of the statement is to allow the Government of Alberta to adjust its position as required and as details change moving forward.

The safety and welfare of the bowling community is always our top priority, and the best interests of the athletes, coaches and family members and friends who would be attending the Championship will be our driving concern as we continue to evaluate the prudence of conducting the YBC National Championships as scheduled and under the foreseeable circumstances.

We will provide another update next week and ask that everyone stay tuned for further word on the matter as we take the recommendations and guidelines of Health Canada and other levels of government into our decision making process.

For those who already have arrangements in place for their trip to Calgary, don’t panic just yet;

Rest assured that you can cancel any booked accommodation at our host hotels, without penalty, right up until a few days prior to our scheduled arrival on May 2nd

If you’ve booked flights, both Air Canada and Westjet are already announcing waived rescheduling fees, though currently the conditions are somewhat restrictive (based on when the flight was scheduled for, and when the flight was booked).  We expect that the restrictions will loosen up as time, and conditions of the pandemic, move forward.

No doubt you’ve been wondering about the trip to Calgary and the YBC Nationals.  We thank you for your patience, and want you to know that while we are dedicated to conducting our cherished YBC Nationals, we will make decisions based on what is in the best interests of the bowling community and of society at large.  Stay tuned as we all continue to navigate the unknown.

Youth Bowlers Helping Flood Victims

Youth Bowl Canada is happy to announce that this week it will be donating a total of $4,880 to the Canadian Red Cross in support of relief efforts for those affected by flooding in the Bracebridge & Muskoka areas of Ontario, as well as in Laval, Quebec. The funds were raised thanks to the support of the caring youth bowling community, which was assembled for national championships from May 5th to 7th in two separate provinces/locations.

Last week Youth Bowl Canada was in Laval for its 49th Annual National Youth TENPIN Championship, which took place at Centre de Quilles 440 in Laval, Quebec. With attendees representing 7 provinces across the country, all were quick to step up and support the host community that had been struggling with rising water levels and flooding for weeks. $930 was raised through draws as well as a raffle for a new bowling ball.

At the same time in Ontario, NEB’s Funworld in Oshawa was hosting all Canadian provinces and 1 territory for the 55th Annual Youth Bowl Canada National FIVEPIN Championships. The local Oshawa committee worked hard to raise $3,950 for the hard hit communities just an hour or so away in Ontario’s “cottage country”…. Bracebridge and the Muskokas. Attendees showed their hearts by jointly donating roughly $1000 per day of the 3-day championship, with almost another $1,000 raised through a draw for a set of fivepin bowling balls. Both nationals saw the bowling ball prizes donated by Buffa Bowling Distribution out of Montreal (thanks Buffa!).

“The local bowling centre is a hub for nearly every community across Canada.” Stated Bowl Canada President Rod Hennessey, who went on to say… “And being “about” community, it’s no surprise to see bowling families supporting those in need across our great country.” Bowl Canada Executive Director Paul Oliveira points out that “The bowling community is a caring one and has proven to be quick to support those in need. In the last few years we’ve raised funds in support of the Humboldt Community…. for Gatineau, Quebec during the floods of 2017 and in support of the Fort McMurray community while the fires were still raging back in 2016.” President Hennessey adds… “We’re in the area for our National Championships, and the drastic situations are on the news and in our minds and hearts… it’s hard not to want to help out in some way. Every bit makes a difference and the bowling community has always done its part.”

Youth Bowl Canada thanks all who participated in these fundraisers in support of Canadians in need.