Justin Bohn and Anna Callan Capture Titles in U20 at 2022 Junior Gold
July 15, 2022
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Justin Bohn and Anna Callan each won three matches on the way to titles in the 20-and-under division of the 2022 Junior Gold Championships on Friday at Fairlanes Bowling Center. It marked the first career Junior Gold wins for both competitors.
The double-elimination format of the event required the No. 1 seeds, Ryan Barnes for the boys and Lara Kurt for the girls, be beaten twice for someone else to claim the championship. Bohn, of Jackson, New Jersey, took care of Barnes of Denton, Texas, 207-192 and 226-214, while Callan of La Crosse, Wisconsin, defeated Kurt of Leland, North Carolina, 235-205 and 244-167.
To get to the title match, Bohn first had to contend with No. 2 seed Cayleb Carey of Hobart, Indiana, in the opening match of the BowlTV.com live-stream. The match was a messy affair as both players suffered a trio of opens through eight frames. It was a four-pin match heading into the ninth frame. Carey converted a 3-6 leave in his ninth frame. Bohn struck in his ninth frame, and on his first shot in the 10th. He got eight on his second shot in the 10th, opening the door for Carey. Needing a double to win and advance, Carey left the 4-6-7 split on this first shot in the 10th, and Bohn survived, 183-166.
The boys title match featured the sons of United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famers paired against each other. Both Chris Barnes and Parker Bohn III were in attendance to watch their sons face off for the championship (Barnes’ wife Lynda, Ryan’s mom, also is a USBC Hall of Famer).
In Game 1, Barnes would have trouble on the left lane (lane nine), leaving a pair of 2-8-10 splits that led to open frames. Bohn had nothing but marks from the second through the 10th frames. Bohn converted a critical 2-4-5-8 leave in the ninth frame, then struck and converted the 2-4-8 combination in frame 10 to wrap up the Game 1 win.
“In practice before the show, I knew the left lane was tighter,” said Barnes, who like Bohn and Carey, uses a two-handed style from the right side. “Then after I came back after they bowled the first match, it was way tighter, and I got a little tricked, I think. Probably should’ve made a ball change in there somewhere.”
With the title on the line in Game 2, Barnes, who will be a junior on the bowling team at Wichita State University, sandwiched doubles on either side of a spare conversion in the third frame. Bohn answered by rolling strikes in three of his first five frames. Both players spared in the sixth, and Barnes held an eight-pin advantage heading into the seventh frame.
It was Bohn who would take control late, striking in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames. Barnes converted a 2-7 split in his 10th frame, but when Bohn got nine pins on his first shot in the 10th, it was enough to secure the win and the title.
For Bohn, whose brother Brandon captured Junior Gold titles in 2017 and 2021, the win was a validation of sorts.
“This win is everything,” said Bohn. “The long, long hours of trying to figure out how I can get to that next level, it’s now worth it. I’ve felt like I’ve been good for a long time, but I’ve never been really good. I’ve always been close, but I’ve never been quite there. Watching it all come together this week in an event like this with a variety of patterns and limited ball choices, you dream of stuff like that.”
For Callan, a red-shirt freshman on the University of Nebraska bowling team, the march to the title started with a win over No. 3 seed Jaelle Hamman of Jarrell, Texas, who won the U18 title at last year’s event. Each competitor had difficulty taking advantage of opportunities as the match came down the homestretch. Callan opened in the eighth frame, failing to convert the 3-6-10. But Hamman missed a single-pin spare (6 pin) in the ninth. Callan had a chance to close out the match in the 10th but left another open frame when she couldn’t convert a 4-10 split. Hamman needed to fill 17 pins in her 10th frame to win and advance but missed another single-pin spare (10 pin) as Callan took the win, 179-172.
Feeling like she was given new life, Callan started Game 1 of her match against Kurt by striking in seven of her first eight frames. Kurt, who is a sophomore on the bowling team at Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, never got comfortable on the left lane and Callan won Game 1 by 30 pins.
The trend continued in Game 2. After a strike in the first frame, Kurt converted spares in her next four frames. She then tried a ball change in the sixth frame, but that resulted in an open frame after a 1-2-4-6-10 leave. Callan spared in her first two frames, then rolled a five bagger before a 2-7-8 split in frame eight temporarily slowed her momentum. She then threw the last four strikes to wrap up the title.
“I felt like my reaction got lost in that second game,” said Kurt. “I kind of got into that stuck situation where if I moved left and I threw it out, it would just flatten. If I moved right, it would pick up too much. That’s why I tried switching balls. She had a good look the whole time and threw great shots.”
A little bit of outside advice helped get Callan’s mind right for the championship round.
“Shawn Wochner, my brother’s coach, was here and he told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to lose. Be fearless.’ And that was like the biggest ‘Aha’ moment for me,” said Callan. “I just walked in and told myself that I couldn’t be scared, because if you play scared, you don’t play well.”
When asked where this win ranked in her still young bowling career, Callan said, “I would say it’s definitely No. 1 right now. Just because of the feeling that I had after I won. This was something I’ve been working on for four years, ever since I started bowling this event. So, finally getting it puts it at the top of the list.”
For Barnes and Kurt, there was a silver lining associated with their second-place finishes as competition in the U20 division also served as a qualifier for automatic spots on 2023 Junior Team USA. In the boys and girls divisions, the top four qualifiers after 26 games of qualifying, the event champion, and the event runner-up qualified for Junior Team USA 2023.
Based on those criteria, the automatic qualifiers for 2023 Junior Team USA are:
Boys Division:
Spencer Robarge, Springfield, Missouri (first after 26 games of qualifying)
Jeremy Kinealy, St. Louis (second after 26 games of qualifying)
Julian Salinas, Richmond, Texas (third after 26 games of qualifying)
Nathan Smith, Noblesville, Indiana (fourth after 26 games of qualifying)
Justin Bohn, Jackson, New Jersey (event champion)
Ryan Barnes, Denton, Texas (event runner-up)
Girls Division:
Mabel Cummins, Elburn, Illinois (first after 26 games of qualifying)
Jaelle Hamman, Jarrell, Texas (second after 26 games of qualifying)
Kirsten Moore, Tallmadge, Ohio (third after 26 games of qualifying)
Mary Orf, O’Fallon, Illinois (fourth after 26 games of qualifying)
Anna Callan, La Crosse, Wisconsin (event champion)
Lara Kurt, Leland, North Carolina (event runner-up)
Competition in the 2022 Junior Gold Championships continues Monday with qualifying in U18, U15 and U12.
The double-elimination format of the event required the No. 1 seeds, Ryan Barnes for the boys and Lara Kurt for the girls, be beaten twice for someone else to claim the championship. Bohn, of Jackson, New Jersey, took care of Barnes of Denton, Texas, 207-192 and 226-214, while Callan of La Crosse, Wisconsin, defeated Kurt of Leland, North Carolina, 235-205 and 244-167.
To get to the title match, Bohn first had to contend with No. 2 seed Cayleb Carey of Hobart, Indiana, in the opening match of the BowlTV.com live-stream. The match was a messy affair as both players suffered a trio of opens through eight frames. It was a four-pin match heading into the ninth frame. Carey converted a 3-6 leave in his ninth frame. Bohn struck in his ninth frame, and on his first shot in the 10th. He got eight on his second shot in the 10th, opening the door for Carey. Needing a double to win and advance, Carey left the 4-6-7 split on this first shot in the 10th, and Bohn survived, 183-166.
The boys title match featured the sons of United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famers paired against each other. Both Chris Barnes and Parker Bohn III were in attendance to watch their sons face off for the championship (Barnes’ wife Lynda, Ryan’s mom, also is a USBC Hall of Famer).
In Game 1, Barnes would have trouble on the left lane (lane nine), leaving a pair of 2-8-10 splits that led to open frames. Bohn had nothing but marks from the second through the 10th frames. Bohn converted a critical 2-4-5-8 leave in the ninth frame, then struck and converted the 2-4-8 combination in frame 10 to wrap up the Game 1 win.
“In practice before the show, I knew the left lane was tighter,” said Barnes, who like Bohn and Carey, uses a two-handed style from the right side. “Then after I came back after they bowled the first match, it was way tighter, and I got a little tricked, I think. Probably should’ve made a ball change in there somewhere.”
With the title on the line in Game 2, Barnes, who will be a junior on the bowling team at Wichita State University, sandwiched doubles on either side of a spare conversion in the third frame. Bohn answered by rolling strikes in three of his first five frames. Both players spared in the sixth, and Barnes held an eight-pin advantage heading into the seventh frame.
It was Bohn who would take control late, striking in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames. Barnes converted a 2-7 split in his 10th frame, but when Bohn got nine pins on his first shot in the 10th, it was enough to secure the win and the title.
For Bohn, whose brother Brandon captured Junior Gold titles in 2017 and 2021, the win was a validation of sorts.
“This win is everything,” said Bohn. “The long, long hours of trying to figure out how I can get to that next level, it’s now worth it. I’ve felt like I’ve been good for a long time, but I’ve never been really good. I’ve always been close, but I’ve never been quite there. Watching it all come together this week in an event like this with a variety of patterns and limited ball choices, you dream of stuff like that.”
For Callan, a red-shirt freshman on the University of Nebraska bowling team, the march to the title started with a win over No. 3 seed Jaelle Hamman of Jarrell, Texas, who won the U18 title at last year’s event. Each competitor had difficulty taking advantage of opportunities as the match came down the homestretch. Callan opened in the eighth frame, failing to convert the 3-6-10. But Hamman missed a single-pin spare (6 pin) in the ninth. Callan had a chance to close out the match in the 10th but left another open frame when she couldn’t convert a 4-10 split. Hamman needed to fill 17 pins in her 10th frame to win and advance but missed another single-pin spare (10 pin) as Callan took the win, 179-172.
Feeling like she was given new life, Callan started Game 1 of her match against Kurt by striking in seven of her first eight frames. Kurt, who is a sophomore on the bowling team at Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, never got comfortable on the left lane and Callan won Game 1 by 30 pins.
The trend continued in Game 2. After a strike in the first frame, Kurt converted spares in her next four frames. She then tried a ball change in the sixth frame, but that resulted in an open frame after a 1-2-4-6-10 leave. Callan spared in her first two frames, then rolled a five bagger before a 2-7-8 split in frame eight temporarily slowed her momentum. She then threw the last four strikes to wrap up the title.
“I felt like my reaction got lost in that second game,” said Kurt. “I kind of got into that stuck situation where if I moved left and I threw it out, it would just flatten. If I moved right, it would pick up too much. That’s why I tried switching balls. She had a good look the whole time and threw great shots.”
A little bit of outside advice helped get Callan’s mind right for the championship round.
“Shawn Wochner, my brother’s coach, was here and he told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to lose. Be fearless.’ And that was like the biggest ‘Aha’ moment for me,” said Callan. “I just walked in and told myself that I couldn’t be scared, because if you play scared, you don’t play well.”
When asked where this win ranked in her still young bowling career, Callan said, “I would say it’s definitely No. 1 right now. Just because of the feeling that I had after I won. This was something I’ve been working on for four years, ever since I started bowling this event. So, finally getting it puts it at the top of the list.”
For Barnes and Kurt, there was a silver lining associated with their second-place finishes as competition in the U20 division also served as a qualifier for automatic spots on 2023 Junior Team USA. In the boys and girls divisions, the top four qualifiers after 26 games of qualifying, the event champion, and the event runner-up qualified for Junior Team USA 2023.Based on those criteria, the automatic qualifiers for 2023 Junior Team USA are:
Boys Division:
Spencer Robarge, Springfield, Missouri (first after 26 games of qualifying)
Jeremy Kinealy, St. Louis (second after 26 games of qualifying)
Julian Salinas, Richmond, Texas (third after 26 games of qualifying)
Nathan Smith, Noblesville, Indiana (fourth after 26 games of qualifying)
Justin Bohn, Jackson, New Jersey (event champion)
Ryan Barnes, Denton, Texas (event runner-up)
Girls Division:
Mabel Cummins, Elburn, Illinois (first after 26 games of qualifying)
Jaelle Hamman, Jarrell, Texas (second after 26 games of qualifying)
Kirsten Moore, Tallmadge, Ohio (third after 26 games of qualifying)
Mary Orf, O’Fallon, Illinois (fourth after 26 games of qualifying)
Anna Callan, La Crosse, Wisconsin (event champion)
Lara Kurt, Leland, North Carolina (event runner-up)
Competition in the 2022 Junior Gold Championships continues Monday with qualifying in U18, U15 and U12.