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A major transformation in youth bowling will begin this fall in bowling centers with the launch of the new USA Bowling Youth Sports System. The initiative is geared toward developing the skills of young bowlers - to grow the sport by teaching the sport.

The USA Bowling system is a mainstream sports model for youth bowling developed by the International Bowling Campus (IBC) Youth Development team. It shares many of the characteristics of team-based programs in other youth sports, such as soccer, baseball and basketball. That includes having practices that are separate from competition to help with proper skill development as well as featuring one coach per team.

"The USA Bowling system provides all the ingredients to build successful youth programming that will appeal to today's kids and their parents," said IBC Youth Director Chad Murphy. "When kids develop skills, they have more fun. The parents will see value in a shorter time commitment and watching their kids learn faster in a system they are already familiar with."

For youth directors and bowling center managers, the IBC Youth department has developed and will provide materials including "how to" guides, posters, counter cards, brochures and sign-up forms to help anyone start a USA Bowling program, anywhere. Contact Emily Maier at emaier@ibcyouth.com for materials.

The USA Bowling system has several features that distinguish it from traditional youth bowling leagues:
Instruction and regular practice with a dedicated coach to each team

* A short schedule of 8-12 weeks
* Kids of the same age and abilities competing together
* Teaching important life skills such as sportsmanship and teamwork
* Easy to implement with instruction books and marketing tools provided
* Seminars to teach parents and volunteers basic bowling coaching skills (see BOWL.com/usabowling/coaching for details)

USA Bowling is a product of the industry working as a team through the YES Fund, a joint initiative of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America and United States Bowling Congress that is supported by founding partners Brunswick, Columbia 300, Ebonite, 900 Global, Hammer, QubicaAMF, Roto Grip, Storm and Track.

"The founding partners in the YES Fund have made this major initiative possible," Murphy said. "The YES Fund is dedicated to the development of youth bowling, and with the help of centers and local associations, this program will pay dividends for years to come for young bowlers and the sport."

For information on USA Bowling, visit BOWL.com/usabowling.