JUNIOR BOWLERS TOUR TOURNAMENT RULES - 2020-21 (Singles Events)

1. Junior Bowlers Tour tournaments are open to all male and female junior bowlers (21 years of age or less as of August 1, 2020) who have never been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association. The 2020-21 Junior Bowlers Tour (JBT) season runs from September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2021. Bowlers may choose to compete in either the scratch or the handicap division.

Eligibility for JBT events is based only on age as described above. Bowlers may compete in any type of league or tournament play for any types of prizes and still be eligible for JBT events. Joining the Professional Bowlers Association is the exception which will make a bowler ineligible for JBT participation. As always, the JBT reserves the right to accept or reject any entry in any event operated by the JBT.

2. FORMAT:
Handicap Division:
Entrants will bowl five games in the qualifying round. 100% of the difference between the bowler's average and 200 will be added to each game. The top 40% of the field will advance to the semi-final round and will bowl three additional games. All totals from the qualifying round will be carried forward. The top five bowlers after the eight games will advance to the step-ladder finals. If there are less than seven semi-finalists, the top four bowlers will advance to the step-ladder finals. 100% of the difference in the bowlers' averages will be the handicap in the finals.

Scratch Division: Entrants will bowl five games in the qualifying round. The top 40% of the field will advance to the semi-final round and bowl three match games. There is a thirty pin bonus for each match game victory. If there are five or more girls competing in the scratch division, a minimum of one girl will be among the 40% which advance to the semi-finals (if there are ten girls, at least two will advance, etc.). All totals from the qualifying round will be carried forward. The top five bowlers after the eight games will advance to the step-ladder finals. If there are less than eight semi-finalists, the top four bowlers will advance to the step-ladder finals.

SCRATCH CHALLENGE EVENTS (indicated on schedule) will use the same format as the scratch division above with the following adjustments: Entry is limited to bowlers in high school or below. Competition will be held on challenging lane conditions. There will be separate qualifying for boys and girls, with the top 40% of each group advancing to the semi-finals. Qualifiers will be combined for the semi-finals and finals. A minimum of one girl will qualify for the step-ladder finals.

3. Entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. All entrants must be ready to check-in 15 minutes prior to scheduled starting time. Walk-in entries will be accepted at the tournament site as space permits. Please check starting time for the tournament(s) you have entered.

4. The entry fee is $47 per tournament. The entry fee for JBT members when paid prior to the date of the tournament is $42. All bowlers entered in the tournament are eligible for scholarship prizes.

5. Plaques will be awarded to all step-ladder finalists in each division. Scholarship prizes will be awarded based on the final standings of each tournament. The first place scholarship of $200 in each division is GUARANTEED and will increase as entries surpass 25 in a division. At least one scholarship prize for every five entries will be awarded in each division.

6. Proper dress and behavior is expected of all participants. Bowlers are NOT permitted to wear hats, sleeveless shirts, torn clothing, clothing with offensive language or graphics, or any apparel which the tournament director feels is inappropriate. Collared shirts are strongly suggested. Dress shorts (not basketball shorts or jean cut-offs) are permitted in JBT events. Smoking is not permitted by JBT bowlers BEFORE, DURING or AFTER the tournament. Any bowler who uses foul language, makes obscene gestures or abuses equipment will be subject to disqualification, as determined by the tournament director. Any bowler who fails to put forth his/her best effort at all times during a tournament may be immediately disqualified, at the sole discretion of the tournament director. Only those bowlers who are still in competition, scorekeepers and tournament officials are permitted in the settee area.

7. AVERAGES: Bowlers are to submit the higher average of: 1) highest current winter league average for 15 games or more in the 2020-21 season, or 2) highest final winter league or JBT average for the 2019-20 season. Bowlers will use their current JBT average after they have bowled 21 games in JBT competition, providing it is higher than their entering average. Those who bowled less than 21 games in JBT competition in the 2019-20 season will be re-rated (prior to each tournament) by splitting the difference between their entering average and their current JBT average; if the re-rated average is higher than the entering average, the re-rated average will be used. Additional re-rating of a bowler's average may be done at any time at the discretion of the Junior Bowlers Tour. Bowlers who have not competed in a JBT tournament for 13 weeks or more are required to re-submit their average as if they were a first-time bowler.

8. All rules not specifically covered will be governed by the rules of the Junior Bowlers Tour and the general rules of bowling. The tournament director reserves all rights regarding all rules decisions and the operation of the tournament.



JUNIOR BOWLERS TOUR MEMBERSHIP / DISCOUNT BOOKLET: Individuals may obtain a Junior Bowlers Tour membership for $25. JBT membership is valid through August 2021 in all conferences of the JBT and will entitle the member to a $5.00 discount for prepaid entries in each regular singles event as described in Rule #4. All members will also receive a set of Junior Bowlers Tour discount coupons which can be used at tournaments throughout the season. Membership is not required to compete in JBT events, however it is strongly encouraged due to the benefits to the member.


JUNIOR BOWLERS TOUR POINT SYSTEM: Point standings for all bowlers who compete in the JBT will be computed to help determine season-end award winners and to determine eligibility for special JBT tournaments. All bowlers will receive 8 points for each tournament in which they compete. Additional points are awarded based on each bowler's final position finish as follows:

1st - 50                    7th - 23                    13th - 17                    19th - 11

2nd - 40                   8th - 22                    14th - 16                    20th - 10

3rd - 35                    9th - 21                    15th - 15                    21st - 9

4th - 30                   10th - 20                   16th - 14                    22nd - 8

5th - 25                   11th - 19                   17th - 13                    23rd - 7

6th - 24                   12th - 18                   18th - 12                    24th - 6

All semi-finalists who do not finish in the top 24 will receive 3 points        


SPECIAL EVENTS: During the course of the season, various special events (with larger scholarship prizes) are conducted by the Junior Bowlers Tour. Some of these events require a bowler to have participated in a minimum number of JBT tournaments during the 2019-20 season in order to be eligible to enter these events. Some events have no minimum participation requirement.            
SUPER BRACKET RULES

1. Entry fee is $3.00, payable any time prior to the start of the tournament. This is an OPTIONAL event which offers bowlers an additional opportunity to earn scholarship prizes.

2. Scratch and handicap competition will be held during each Junior Bowlers Tour singles tournament. Bowlers may only enter the Super-Bracket in the division in which they are competing that day.

3. Bowlers will be randomly distributed to determine opponents in one large match-play bracket for each division. Beginning with the SECOND game of the tournament, entrants one-game score will be compared to their opponent's score. Handicap division bowlers' scores will include handicap. Winners will advance to face another opponent in the next game, until one overall winner in each division is determined.

4. All Super Bracket entry fees collected will be returned 100% as scholarship prizes in each event. The number of scholarship prizes and the value of scholarship prizes will be based on the number of entrants in each event, in each division.
SCHOLAR DOLLAR SCRATCH ROLL-OFF

1. Entry fee is $3.00, payable any time prior to the start of the tournament. This is an OPTIONAL event which offers bowlers an additional opportunity to earn scholarship prizes.

2. The Scholar Dollar Scratch Roll-off will be held during each Junior Bowlers Tour singles tournament. All scores used will be the SCRATCH scores of the bowlers. Handicap division bowlers may participate but will use their SCRATCH score to determine advancement.

3. Competition will begin using scores from the first game. One-half of the Scholar Dollar entrants will survive and advance each game based on highest game score. The second game scores will be used to eliminate one-half of the remaining bowlers. Third game scores will be used to eliminate one-half of the remaining bowlers.

4. All remaining bowlers after the third game will use their FOURTH GAME score to determine scholarship winners.

5. All Scholar Dollar entry fees collected will be returned 100% as scholarship prizes in each event. The number of scholarship prizes and the value of scholarship prizes will be based on the number of entrants in each event.
REPEATER BRACKET

1. In each JBT singles event, a 16-person bracket will be created for each division based on the final position finish of the previous singles event in that conference. These bowlers will be paired (1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, etc.) to form single-game matches with each winner advancing to the next game in the bracket. The Repeater Bracket will use the scores from Game One through Game Four of the qualifying round to determine results. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE FOR THIS EVENT, and only those bowlers who finished in the top 16 positions of the prior event are eligible.

2. Any bowler matched up against someone who does not bowl in that day's event will automatically win that game and advance to the next round of the Repeater Bracket.

3. Chuck's Buck's will be awarded to the top four finishers in the Repeater Bracket in each division. The winner will receive 15 Chuck's Bucks; the runner-up will receive 10 Chuck's Bucks; the third & fourth place finishers will each receive 5 Chuck's Bucks.

4. Chuck's Bucks may be used towards the entry fee of any JBT regular singles tournament held in April, May, June or July. Chuck's Bucks may also be used for the JBT Masters Tournament, the Nerve-Wracker, the Scratch Survivor Tournament and the Buddies Pro Shop Open. There is NO LIMIT to the number of Chuck's Bucks a bowler may accumulate during the season.

5. Chuck's Bucks may be earned from September 1, 2019 through April 1, 2020. Any Chuck's Bucks that are earned must be used towards the entry fee of the tournaments listed above and may only be used by the bowler who earns them. Chuck's Bucks expire and the end of each season and any unused Chuck's Bucks have no value.
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The general rules of the Junior Bowlers Tour singles tournaments are below