Just signed my son up for a Junior Travel Bowling league.

[Bizwan65]

He bowls in an unsanctioned youth league on Saturday mornings, and the HS bowling season just began.

He is the oldest kid in his youth league and has the highest average, but he seems to bowl down to his competition. In the 2 weeks of practice for HS, and his first 2 matches, he is bowling much better for school than in his youth league.

One of his HS school team mates invited him to come watch the travel league today. One of the teams had a vacancy, so we signed him up. Here's hoping better competition will challenge him to be a better and more consistent bowler.

[billf]

Good deal! Better competition always makes an athlete rise to the challenge. When you are better than the competition and know it, why try harder? It's common enough for adults, who should know better, never mind kids.

[Bizwan65]

I tried to gently nudge him towards one of 2 larger, more competitive, youth leagues back when they were starting, but he wanted to say with the youth league in the alley he bowled at last year. The league last year was larger and and he knew some of the kids. Think he figured they would be back. Live and learn.

[billf]

I don't blame him. Bowling with friends is one of the reason any of us do it. Whether it's to beat them or compete with them they are a big reason bowling is still around. You can compete AND socialize at the same time.

[ArtVandelay]

Congrats and good luck to him! I wish I had been more active in bowling when I was in HS. It would have been fun!

[75lockwood]

Sweet! i love to bowl with better competition, which is part of the reason i joined my Friday night league, being the most senior bowler there at this point comes with a lack of real competition.

In my opinion, switching leagues is never the best choice, joining a second/third/forth/fifth? league is! Bowling more with never be a bad thing! (unless you hurt yourself)

[Bizwan65]

His 3 series for HS so far:
139-154-164=457 (on JV)
188-133-126=447 (on JV)
143-148-152=443 (on varsity)
A 149 average. Averaging about 25 pins better than his Saturday Youth League. He seems to respond to better competition.

[ZRock]

A 149 average. Averaging about 25 pins better than his Saturday Youth League. He seems to respond to better competition.

This may be true, however I noticed on my Sat morning leagues back when I used to bowl, they didn't strip before they reoiled and the reoil was done hastily so it wasn't a smooth consistant pattern. I averaged close to 200 in high school but in the morning league it was closer to 170...

[Tampabaybob]

His 3 series for HS so far:
139-154-164=457 (on JV)
188-133-126=447 (on JV)
143-148-152=443 (on varsity)
A 149 average. Averaging about 25 pins better than his Saturday Youth League. He seems to respond to better competition.

Good for a first year bowler. Try to get him a coach outside of the league to work with him. You'll see that average come up.

One question I have is, why is the league he's bowline in on Saturdays unsanctioned. That seems very strange that a center would want that.

[Bizwan65]

I honestly don't know. That league ended. He has joined a sanctioned youth league that one of his HS teammates is in. Likes it a lot.

[billf]

Bob, I'm not sure about where Bizwan is but here the high school teams are not allowed to bowl sanctioned leagues during the season. I don't know why and whole-heartedly disagree with this rule. We let the kids bowl our sanctioned Sat youth league before and after the season and just suspend their dues during the season.

[Bizwan65]

It appears that in NJ they can bowl in sanctioned youth leagues while participating in HS bowling. HS bowling doesn't seem to have a requirement that the bowlers be USBC sanctioned.