ARLINGTON, Texas - For the third consecutive year, the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships established a record for number of participants and the Junior Gold program also set a membership record for the 2012-2013 season.

For the first time in tournament history, the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, presented by Track, Columbia 300, Ebonite and Hammer, broke the 2,000-participant mark as 2,080 United States Bowling Congress Youth bowlers took to the lanes in Detroit in 2013, an 8-percent increase over last year's total.

The tournament added an Under 15 division in 2012 and that division experienced tremendous growth in 2013. The U15 Boys division grew by 101 bowlers, from 213 to 314, while the U15 Girls division drew 169 participants after having 99 the previous year.

The North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, along with the Survivor Tournament presented by xbowling, had a $300,000 scholarship pool this year. It is the most scholarships awarded in tournament history.

"The addition of the U15 division, and the opportunity to earn scholarship awards and possibly a spot on Junior Team USA, has made the North Pointe Junior Gold Championships the premier national singles event for youth bowlers," Chad Murphy, International Bowling Campus Managing Director of Youth Development, said. "Many people, from Junior Gold tournament and league coordinators, to the bowling centers and youth coaches, can take pride in helping push this tournament to new levels of participation. Our sponsors also have been an integral part of making these events tremendously successful."

The program also set several records in 2013. A record 4,376 youth bowlers were Junior Gold members, a 9-percent increase over 2012, and the program saw 507 bowling centers play host to 1,070 Junior Gold competitions - both records.

The first Junior Gold tournament, called the USA Junior Gold National Bowling Championships, was held in 1998 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and drew 538 participants.

The North Pointe Junior Gold Championships was created when the Bowling Proprietors' of America North Pointe High School Championships and the USBC Junior Gold Championships were merged into one national singles championship event with four divisions - U20 boys, U20 girls, U15 boys, U15 girls. The first North Pointe Junior Gold Championships took place in 2012.

The 2014 North Pointe Junior Gold Championships, scheduled for July 12-18 in Buffalo, N.Y., will see the addition of an Under 12 division.

Go to BOWL.com/JuniorGold to learn more about the tournament and the Junior Gold program.

NORTH POINTE JUNIOR GOLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
PARTICIPATION HISTORY