[Junior Gold 2023] Final Results

A total of 21 HJBC bowlers competed in the Junior Gold Championships held in Indianapolis, IN, with representation in all six divisions (U12, U15, and U18 boys and girls).

Hickam Junior Bowling Club at the Party in the Park Opening Ceremony. July 16, 2023. Indianapolis, IN.

Final results, including scholarships won:

U12 Boys (226 bowlers)
Louis Cloud: 49th (2654, 165.88 avg) – $150
Kyson Yoshimoto: 73rd (2513; 157.06 avg) – $150
Jacob Badua: 214th (1868; 155.67 avg) – did not bowl Day 2

U12 Girls (102 bowlers)
Aliyana Debina-Gasper: 37th (2310; 144.38 avg) – $150

U15 Boys (700 bowlers)
Ryder Baisac: 30th (second advancers cut; 193.42 avg) – $350
Kaz Yamada: 78th (first advancers cut; 184.43 avg) – $250
Koby Shinogi-Ling: 209th (2839; 177.44 avg) – $150
TJ Ichimura: 220th (2829; 176.81 avg) – $150
John Badua, Jr.: 338th (2693; 168.31 avg)
Darin Debina: 404th (2627; 164.19 avg)
Quentin Terada: 492nd (2527, 157.94 avg)

U15 Girls (326 bowlers)
Alicen Ichimura – 127th (2592; 162 avg)
Charis Shimabukuro – 170th (2507; 156.69 avg)

U18 Boys (1,313 bowlers)
Jesse Holtcamp: 319th (2950; 184.38 avg) – $200
Nicholas Kidd: 627th (2768; 173 avg)
Dylan Terada: 632nd (2766; 172.88 avg)
Kalani Castro: 1,111th (2503, 156.44 avg)
Guylen Shimabukuro: 1,166th (2441; 152.56 avg)

U18 Girls (588 bowlers)
Masie Shimabukuro – 210th (2744; 171.5 avg) – $200
Mae Bishop – 342nd (2619; 163.69 avg)
Caitlyn Chang – 501st (2401; 150.06 avg)

Great job on your resilience, everyone! Additional kudos to the bowlers who cashed scholarship money!
If it didn’t go your way this year, take notes and let’s put in the work for next year!

Additional high finishers include:

U12 Girls – Karissa Kamada (Schofield) – 7th/8th (Match Play) – $500

U15 Boys – Ezra Bentkowski (Leeward) – 83rd (first advancers cut) – $250

U15 Girls – Jayna Yockman (Barbers) – 19th (second advancers cut) – $350
Kaila Kamahiai (Leeward) – 34th (first advancers cut) – $250

U18 Boys – Noah Akiona (Leeward/Newman Univ.) – 28th (second advancers cut) – $400
Shaine Fujii (Leeward/Midland Univ.) – 122nd (first advancers cut) – $300

For full results, click here.

[Junior Gold] Kanile‘a Ukulele Fundraiser

Donate to the club and for each dollar donated, you receive one chance to win a beautiful brand-new ukulele!

This Kanileʻa Concert Ukulele (Made in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi) is a K-1 C Deluxe Silk (SN. 1221-D-010). It has a solid deluxe Koa body; ebony fretboard, bridge, and head-plate; white mother-of-pearl position marker and logo inlays; UV cured silk finish ; Kanileʻa geared tuners; and ebony bridge pins. The ukulele also includes a Kanileʻa branded oha carrying case. Retail value of the ukulele is $1,595. In addition to the ukulele, the winner will receive one month of ukulele lessons from Kapena School of Music and Creative Expression. The one month of group lessons includes the registration fee, a draw string bag and a lug-gage tag. Retail value of the lessons is $110.

Follow the QR code or https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/91e1f104-5e90-4d80-ab45-015f16e2e1d0

Do you know someone who might want to support the club but wouldn’t be interested in the ukulele? The same links give an option to simply donate to the club as well!

We will announce the winner at the end of May.

(The online service that we have used requests a donation to their service platform.By clicking “other” you can bypass the donation if you’d like. We are grateful for their services, as we get 100% of your donation!)

For a printable/shareable flyer, visit https://bit.ly/HJBCukulele

HJBC Junior Gold Fundraiser Tournament #2: March 19th @ Leeward

Our next Junior Gold Fundraiser Adult No Tap Tournament will be held on Sunday, March 19th! In addition to teams, we’re also looking for bake sale, lucky draw, and silent auction donations! Please reach out to hickam.jr.bowling@gmail.com for more information on how to donate.

Entry blanks (fillable PDF) can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/HJBCJG23Mar

Entries can be turned into Leeward Bowl (Tracey Grado), Craig/Tammy Yamada, or any HJBC-affiliated coach/parent!

College Bowling Counselor: Mentally Preparing for Junior Gold (or any big tournament)

Taken from the College Bowling Counselor Facebook Page (emphasis own):

With Junior Gold kicking off next week for the U20 division and the other divisions the following week, I thought I’d provide some advice for those competing in Junior Gold this year. In my opinion, the three keys to success are: keeping a strong mental composure, making spares (and getting count on splits) as well as popping the big games when you can.

If you aren’t mentally tough, you aren’t going to make it into the first cut. You can’t let one bad shot, one bad game, or even one bad block get in your head. Everyone is going to throw a bad game. You have to be resilient and come back from that. You have to focus on the two things that YOU control: your attitude and your execution. Controlling these two things will help you to improve your performance. You also can’t be figuring max score in frame four after a couple of opens. Remain in the moment and just do the best you can.

Your spare shooting has to be better than par if you expect to advance. I would advise you to shoot direct at spares and not try hooking into spares, unless there is double wood. Everyone is going to miss a spare now and then, but you have to limit the frequency. Missing two spares a game can take a game from 210 to 170 real quick, depending on splits or where your strings of strike are. I would advise you to get count on your splits every time. Don’t try to make every split every time as you will lose count that way. I’ve seen guys miss first cut, cut to final advancers and cut to match play all by less than 5 pins. EVERY PIN COUNTS!

If your mental game is in check and your spare shooting is on point, popping at least one big game each block should be doable. Having a positive attitude will help you create your breaks. Don’t get caught up in the breaks of others or looking at the standing sheet. Focus on taking advantage of your breaks. This will help you to string some strikes and get those numbers up.

Finally, I know Nick Hoagland (create of Junior Gold patterns) very well. I’ve coached his patterns for almost two decades now. During practice, you need to play extremes. ALWAYS try outside first. Nick usually gives straighter players an opportunity outside, even when it is a long pattern. Most Junior Gold competitors are going to start around 12-18 at the arrows…on every pattern. Don’t play in that high traffic area. Get around them (either outside or inside). Make moves quickly, never second guess yourself. If you wait to make a move until you HAVE to make it, you are going to find yourself two frames behind.

Most importantly, have fun! This is an amazing experience, treat it as such. Only one will win, but everyone can go home happy. I would recommend bringing a notebook to jot notes down in for each practice session. Know which balls to select and which to use when. Journal your thoughts after each qualifying block. Write down three things that went well and one thing you want to work on after Junior Gold. As long as you have a list of things to work on after Junior Gold, then Junior Gold will be a success. Have fun, bowl well, and learn a lot!

And parents, please know two things:

• Your kid will not throw that gutter or miss that spare on purpose! Don’t add any unnecessary pressure on them. They know how much this trip is costing and trust me when I tell you that they want to make cuts!

• College coaches are watching YOU! Don’t be the reason a coach doesn’t recruit your child. Yelling at your kid, trash talking other kids on the squad or in the event, or even being rude to a coach who accidentally stands in front of you are all reasons a college coach will cross your kids name off their list!

I hope everyone enjoys the experience, meets some new friends, and has their own version of success! Can’t wait to hear all about Junior Gold following the event!

[Junior Gold] “Kick-Off Events”

USBC recently announced extra non-competitive events taking place all over Grand Rapids, MI:

• Thursday, July 14: Product Demonstration Day with most major bowling brands at Westgate Bowl from 10am to 9pm. Registration starts for the space-limited event on June 2nd.
• Friday, July 15: Spectator Pass Pickup starts at DeVos Place (9am to 9pm)
• Saturday, July 16: Junior Gold Trade Show and Collegiate Experience with over 60 colleges/universities at DeVos Place. PBA and PWBA autograph sessions also available. Seminars are available with limited space; registration starts June 2nd.
• Sunday, July 17: Party in the Park at Millennium Park Grant Pavilion, 2pm to 7pm. Registered athletes will receive a free food ticket to use at onsite food trucks, and the first 2,000 can also receive a free commemorative T-shirt (limited sizes). Food and T-shirt tickets can be picked up at the Party in the Park booth at the Trade Show or at check-in onsite.