TNBA Youth Weekend heads to ITRC for 15th edition
August 14, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas – The National Bowling Association Youth Weekend at the International Training and Research Center recently celebrated its 15th edition, welcoming seven student-athletes to Arlington, Texas, to take part in a three-day experience at the home of Team USA.
The 2026 event, created through a partnership between the United States Bowling Congress and TNBA, was held from July 30 - Aug. 1.
The first edition of the event took place in 2010, and, including this year’s class of participants, more than 105 bowlers have taken part in TNBA Youth Weekend at the ITRC since its inception.
During the experience, the athletes received on-lane training and participated in drills and classroom sessions with the ITRC staff. The program also featured a guest speaker and tours of both the ITRC and International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
Applications were sent to TNBA youth members in high school who also held USBC membership. As part of the application process, players were asked to submit a video showing their bowling style from different angles along with a resume of their accomplishments and at least one letter of recommendation.
This year’s participants included:
The instructional aspect of the weekend was provided by USBC Director of Coaching Development and USBC Gold-level coach Stephen Padilla, USBC Gold-level and ITRC coach Lou Marquez and Tom Nassar of USBC’s Equipment and Specifications team.
Robyn Graves – the brand manager of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association – was the event’s guest speaker. She shared the story of her path to the bowling industry and spoke about the opportunities available for those aspiring to a career in the sport.
While they absorbed information from the staff and focused on improving their games during the classroom and on-lane sessions, the experience also served as the chance to meet other young athletes from across the country. This was one of Davidson’s favorite parts of the trip.
“I feel like the most fun was when everybody was in the museum and we were all getting to know each other,” Davidson said. “I would recommend this weekend. I got to meet a lot of other bowlers, which is kind of hard because I’m from such a small state. It’s also fun and immersive to actually be with coaches that coach some of the people that I watch on TV.”
The time spent with the coaching staff was something each of the student-athletes noted as a highlight.
For Dukes, the tips on covering corner pins will be used looking ahead to future competitions.
“Picking up my 10 pins – the coaches helped me a lot on that,” Dukes said. “I think it’s pretty great, and I think it’s a good experience for all the youth here. I’m so proud of the coaches and how they’re helping everybody.”
Turner also appreciated having a new plan to take care of 10 pins. She went on to rate the overall experience as a “10 out of 10.”
“So, I use a wrist brace – I call it my bionic arm when bowling,” Turner said. “I had it at an angle that changed my wrist. I was told that for 10 pins, if I put it back down flat, it would make it so the ball wouldn’t hook away at the last second. It has been very helpful, and I’m excited to get to use that information in further stuff.
“It’s been awesome. There’s been so many things I never thought I’d get to do or experiment with. The coaching is amazing. There are things I didn’t know existed in general that I’ve gotten to find out about. The people are great, the place is great and it’s been all around amazing.”
The work on the physical game obviously is important, but noting ways to improve the mental game also played a big part in the weekend.
Browder is excited to see how a fit change can elevate his game, but he mentioned applying a mental refresh from shot to shot as the most beneficial tip.
“It was probably the tip from Lou about my mental game,” Browder said. “Just throw the shot away – no matter if it was good or bad. You reset and go up there and do it all over again.
“I would most definitely recommend this. This is the closest I would say – if you can’t make Junior Team (USA) – this is the closest thing you can get, so I would most definitely recommend this to other youth bowlers our age.”
In addition to some instruction to help him not muscle the ball, Lynn was able to get out of his comfort zone while working with the coaches.
“Usually, I don’t like help – that’s just the way I am,” Lynn said. “If there’s someone out there like that, I would say definitely take this experience. You might not want it, but you need it.”
Cloud appreciated the challenge to push himself and his game forward.
“I just want to improve myself and be the best that I can be,” Cloud said. “If you want to improve, I would recommend it because I think out here you get more opportunities and the people here want to help you.”
While Roberts is beginning to look ahead to college, she used the opportunity to take in as much as she could across her three days in Texas.
“I would for sure recommend it for many reasons,” Roberts said. “One, you can meet other people and get out there, but you also learn a lot more than you think. You might think you know a lot about bowling, but I learned a lot of things being here.
“I’m having a lot of fun, and if I could, I would come back again for sure.”
For more information on The National Bowling Association, visit TNBAInc.org. To learn more about the International Training and Research Center, head over to BowlingITRC.com.
The 2026 event, created through a partnership between the United States Bowling Congress and TNBA, was held from July 30 - Aug. 1.
The first edition of the event took place in 2010, and, including this year’s class of participants, more than 105 bowlers have taken part in TNBA Youth Weekend at the ITRC since its inception.
During the experience, the athletes received on-lane training and participated in drills and classroom sessions with the ITRC staff. The program also featured a guest speaker and tours of both the ITRC and International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.
Applications were sent to TNBA youth members in high school who also held USBC membership. As part of the application process, players were asked to submit a video showing their bowling style from different angles along with a resume of their accomplishments and at least one letter of recommendation.
This year’s participants included:
- Amari Browder, Cedar Hill, Texas
- Louis Cloud, Las Vegas
- Adrianna Davidson, Bear, Del.
- Jackson Dukes, Addis, La.
- Cooper Lynn, Alexander, Ark.
- Azariah Roberts, Ocala, Fla.
- Claire Turner, Troutdale, Ore.
The instructional aspect of the weekend was provided by USBC Director of Coaching Development and USBC Gold-level coach Stephen Padilla, USBC Gold-level and ITRC coach Lou Marquez and Tom Nassar of USBC’s Equipment and Specifications team.
Robyn Graves – the brand manager of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association – was the event’s guest speaker. She shared the story of her path to the bowling industry and spoke about the opportunities available for those aspiring to a career in the sport.
While they absorbed information from the staff and focused on improving their games during the classroom and on-lane sessions, the experience also served as the chance to meet other young athletes from across the country. This was one of Davidson’s favorite parts of the trip.
“I feel like the most fun was when everybody was in the museum and we were all getting to know each other,” Davidson said. “I would recommend this weekend. I got to meet a lot of other bowlers, which is kind of hard because I’m from such a small state. It’s also fun and immersive to actually be with coaches that coach some of the people that I watch on TV.”
The time spent with the coaching staff was something each of the student-athletes noted as a highlight.
For Dukes, the tips on covering corner pins will be used looking ahead to future competitions.
“Picking up my 10 pins – the coaches helped me a lot on that,” Dukes said. “I think it’s pretty great, and I think it’s a good experience for all the youth here. I’m so proud of the coaches and how they’re helping everybody.”
Turner also appreciated having a new plan to take care of 10 pins. She went on to rate the overall experience as a “10 out of 10.”
“So, I use a wrist brace – I call it my bionic arm when bowling,” Turner said. “I had it at an angle that changed my wrist. I was told that for 10 pins, if I put it back down flat, it would make it so the ball wouldn’t hook away at the last second. It has been very helpful, and I’m excited to get to use that information in further stuff.
“It’s been awesome. There’s been so many things I never thought I’d get to do or experiment with. The coaching is amazing. There are things I didn’t know existed in general that I’ve gotten to find out about. The people are great, the place is great and it’s been all around amazing.”
The work on the physical game obviously is important, but noting ways to improve the mental game also played a big part in the weekend.
Browder is excited to see how a fit change can elevate his game, but he mentioned applying a mental refresh from shot to shot as the most beneficial tip.
“It was probably the tip from Lou about my mental game,” Browder said. “Just throw the shot away – no matter if it was good or bad. You reset and go up there and do it all over again.
“I would most definitely recommend this. This is the closest I would say – if you can’t make Junior Team (USA) – this is the closest thing you can get, so I would most definitely recommend this to other youth bowlers our age.”
In addition to some instruction to help him not muscle the ball, Lynn was able to get out of his comfort zone while working with the coaches.
“Usually, I don’t like help – that’s just the way I am,” Lynn said. “If there’s someone out there like that, I would say definitely take this experience. You might not want it, but you need it.”
Cloud appreciated the challenge to push himself and his game forward.
“I just want to improve myself and be the best that I can be,” Cloud said. “If you want to improve, I would recommend it because I think out here you get more opportunities and the people here want to help you.”
While Roberts is beginning to look ahead to college, she used the opportunity to take in as much as she could across her three days in Texas.
“I would for sure recommend it for many reasons,” Roberts said. “One, you can meet other people and get out there, but you also learn a lot more than you think. You might think you know a lot about bowling, but I learned a lot of things being here.
“I’m having a lot of fun, and if I could, I would come back again for sure.”
For more information on The National Bowling Association, visit TNBAInc.org. To learn more about the International Training and Research Center, head over to BowlingITRC.com.