Even the most successful programs can be improved, so each year USBC surveys the participants of the USBC Junior Gold Championship for their opinions on what they like and dislike about the program.

In previous years, USBC sent out paper and e-mail surveys to the members asking fortheir feedback. This past year, a system of random blind focus groups were held which gave Junior Goldmembers the opportunity to converse face-to-face with Junior Gold staff and make their concerns known.

A number of the issues raised were consistent with the input provided in previous years, such as the value the bowlers found from their Junior Gold membership. When asked what benefits Junior Gold members would want, an overwhelming majority voiced a desire forUS Bowler magazine be sent to them. These members believed USBC's adult membership magazine provided more skill improvement information and they saw a significant value in that information. In response to this, Junior Gold has addedUS Bowler magazine to the Junior Gold membership benefits program.

Another issue raised had to do with the distribution of Junior Gold qualifying events across the country. The bowlers believed the concentration of qualifying events was excessive in certain areas while other areas were severely underserved. Junior Gold is looking at a number of alternatives that will provide opportunities to those members and prospective members to participate in the national finals event.

When the bowlers were asked why they participated in the USBC Junior Gold Championships, the unanimous response was the chance to earn the honor of representing the United States as a member of Junior Team USA. This was the ultimate goal of all participants in the focus groups.

The format of the national championships event drew few negative comments. The most frequent response was a request that USBC find a way to separate the qualifying squads by gender. Both genders stated their belief that bowling on the same lanes with the other gender resulted in an inconsistent breakdown of the lane patterns to the detriment of the other.

In other words, the girls stated that the boys broke down the lanes in a way that was detrimental to the girls games. The boys felt the same way about the lane transition caused by bowling with the girls.

The importance ofUSBC Junior Gold Championships maintaining its place as the premier event in the country for youth bowlers to display their skills for college recruiters is fully realized by the Junior Gold members. USBC is instituting a number of changes to make the national finals event more recruitment-friendly which should increase the attendance of colleges andprovide more opportunities for the bowlers to get exposure. One of Junior Gold's plans is to offer a designated area at the Junior Gold registration area socolleges can meet the participants and provide literature on their programs.

One significant change to the qualifying format of this year's national finals that addresses both the issue of the lane transition, and improving recruiting efforts, is that of moving to boys-only and girls-only squads forthe qualifying.

Since the historical makeup of the USBC Junior Gold Championships has been two boys for every one girl, the nine squads offered are now being divided into six (6) squads reserved exclusively for boys and three (3) squadswill be exclusively for the girl participants. Each day one center will now host all of the girls squads and the other two centers will host the boys squads. This will provide colleges a more efficient way to view all the boy participants or all the girl participants depending on their specific recruiting needs.

The USBC takes any changes to the Junior Gold program very seriously and many factors come into any decision to make a change in this successful program. This event is much more than a family vacation. For many of these young bowlers, this is the opportunity to make their future by getting noticed by the right college at the right time, or achieving the ultimate goal of representing their country on Junior Team USA.