Practice, hard work pay off for pair at USBC Junior Gold Championships
07/11/06
Karen Grygiel's wake-up call came in St. Louis in 2003. It was then she realized the key to finding success at the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships.
Since then, Grygiel of Brick, N.J., has worked on her game and has challenged herself on USBC Sport Bowling lane conditions, both in practice and in competition. In the 2006 event's opening round of competition on Monday, she saw some results from that hard work.
The Vanderbilt University bowler had games of 187, 159, 204, 206, 252 and 207 at Boca Raton Lanes. Her 1,215 total was a strong start to a long week of competition, which continues with qualifying on Tuesday.
"St. Louis was my first experience in this tournament and it was tough," the 19-year-old Grygiel said. "After each year, you get better and better. If anything, this tournament inspires you to improve."
On the same squad, fellow Brick, N.J., native Jessica Worsley also capitalized on her experience bowling on Sport conditions. Worsley had games of 219, 207, 192, 181, 221 and 211 for a 1,231 opening-round total.
"We get to practice on Sport conditions and almost every tournament we bowl in is on Sport," said Worsley, a 19-year-old who bowls for the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. "The shot today was actually pretty close to some of the short patterns I've seen in the past."
Each of the three bowling centers conducting qualifying rounds are using a different Sport Bowling condition - short, long and medium. All players will bowl six games on each pattern before the first cut is made.
Many premier bowling tournaments - including all four Professional Bowlers Association majors - are conducted on Sport Bowling lane patterns, which require bowlers to rely on accuracy, ability to read lanes and spare shooting skills.
Worsley and Grygiel are among a sold-out field of 1,458 of the top youth bowlers in the country who have qualified to compete at the Junior Gold Championships. The event features $80,000 in scholarship money and the top players will earn spots on the 2007 Junior Team USA.
The top five finishers who are U.S. citizens in the male and female divisions will earn a spot on Junior Team USA, serving as United States representatives in international competition in 2007. The National Selection Committee will choose six additional Junior Gold competitors, three males and three females, to round out the 2007 team.
After 18 games, one out of every seven entrants will advance to the semifinals. The semifinalists bowl 12 additional games to determine the top 16 males and top 16 females who compete in the finals. The 32 finalists bowl 16 games of round-robin match play to determine the top five males and top five females who earn automatic berths on Junior Team USA 2007. The U.S. Junior Amateur champions are the male and female leaders after match play.
Top 10 with City/State and six-game total
Boys Divison:
1, William Haverland, Round Rock, Texas, 1,389. 2, Tim Pfeifer, Cranberry Township, Pa., 1,374. 3, Jim Bosse, Berlin, Conn., 1,371. 4, Kyle Bischoff, St. Cloud, Minn., 1,349. 5, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,338. 6 (tie), Nathan Voss, Westerville, Ohio, and Jason Wunderlich, Homestead, Pa., 1,311. 8, Brian Walker, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 1,298. 9, Adam Martinez, San Antonio, Texas, 1,290. 10, Justin Lesser, La Porte, Ind., 1,283.
Girls Divison:
1, Amanda Falk, Tucson, Ariz., 1,242. 2, Samantha Hesley, Wellington, Fla., 1,241. 3, Christina Peak, Machesney Park, Ill., 1,233. 4, Jessica Worsley, Brick, N.J., 1,231. 5, Britney Yuratovich, Olathe, Kan., 1,229. 6, Crystal Stutler, Clearwater, Fla., 1,222. 7, Amy Corbin, Cincinnati, 1,218. 8, Kim Wirth, Arnold, Mo., 1,216. 9, Karen Grygiel, Brick, N.J., 1,215. 10, Brandy Hensley, Harborcreek, Pa., 1,208.
USBC News
Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States (July 8-14, 2006)
Karen Grygiel's wake-up call came in St. Louis in 2003. It was then she realized the key to finding success at the United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships.
Since then, Grygiel of Brick, N.J., has worked on her game and has challenged herself on USBC Sport Bowling lane conditions, both in practice and in competition. In the 2006 event's opening round of competition on Monday, she saw some results from that hard work.
The Vanderbilt University bowler had games of 187, 159, 204, 206, 252 and 207 at Boca Raton Lanes. Her 1,215 total was a strong start to a long week of competition, which continues with qualifying on Tuesday.
"St. Louis was my first experience in this tournament and it was tough," the 19-year-old Grygiel said. "After each year, you get better and better. If anything, this tournament inspires you to improve."
On the same squad, fellow Brick, N.J., native Jessica Worsley also capitalized on her experience bowling on Sport conditions. Worsley had games of 219, 207, 192, 181, 221 and 211 for a 1,231 opening-round total.
"We get to practice on Sport conditions and almost every tournament we bowl in is on Sport," said Worsley, a 19-year-old who bowls for the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. "The shot today was actually pretty close to some of the short patterns I've seen in the past."
Each of the three bowling centers conducting qualifying rounds are using a different Sport Bowling condition - short, long and medium. All players will bowl six games on each pattern before the first cut is made.
Many premier bowling tournaments - including all four Professional Bowlers Association majors - are conducted on Sport Bowling lane patterns, which require bowlers to rely on accuracy, ability to read lanes and spare shooting skills.
Worsley and Grygiel are among a sold-out field of 1,458 of the top youth bowlers in the country who have qualified to compete at the Junior Gold Championships. The event features $80,000 in scholarship money and the top players will earn spots on the 2007 Junior Team USA.
The top five finishers who are U.S. citizens in the male and female divisions will earn a spot on Junior Team USA, serving as United States representatives in international competition in 2007. The National Selection Committee will choose six additional Junior Gold competitors, three males and three females, to round out the 2007 team.
After 18 games, one out of every seven entrants will advance to the semifinals. The semifinalists bowl 12 additional games to determine the top 16 males and top 16 females who compete in the finals. The 32 finalists bowl 16 games of round-robin match play to determine the top five males and top five females who earn automatic berths on Junior Team USA 2007. The U.S. Junior Amateur champions are the male and female leaders after match play.
Monday's Results - First Round Qualifying
Top 10 with City/State and six-game total
Boys Divison:
1, William Haverland, Round Rock, Texas, 1,389. 2, Tim Pfeifer, Cranberry Township, Pa., 1,374. 3, Jim Bosse, Berlin, Conn., 1,371. 4, Kyle Bischoff, St. Cloud, Minn., 1,349. 5, Steven Arehart, Chesapeake, Va., 1,338. 6 (tie), Nathan Voss, Westerville, Ohio, and Jason Wunderlich, Homestead, Pa., 1,311. 8, Brian Walker, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 1,298. 9, Adam Martinez, San Antonio, Texas, 1,290. 10, Justin Lesser, La Porte, Ind., 1,283.
Girls Divison:
1, Amanda Falk, Tucson, Ariz., 1,242. 2, Samantha Hesley, Wellington, Fla., 1,241. 3, Christina Peak, Machesney Park, Ill., 1,233. 4, Jessica Worsley, Brick, N.J., 1,231. 5, Britney Yuratovich, Olathe, Kan., 1,229. 6, Crystal Stutler, Clearwater, Fla., 1,222. 7, Amy Corbin, Cincinnati, 1,218. 8, Kim Wirth, Arnold, Mo., 1,216. 9, Karen Grygiel, Brick, N.J., 1,215. 10, Brandy Hensley, Harborcreek, Pa., 1,208.