Q: How does the entry fee work?

A: For the $60 'basic entry' in a standard regular season singles event, a bowler is playing for:

               - The plaques that go to the top 4 scratch and handicap finishers. 

            - Scholarships to the top 1:6 finishers, with $300, $150, $75, $560 minimum to the top 4. 

            - The points that connect each of our events.  Points are very important because the top point scorers at the end of the season get to bowl in our year end Invitationals and/or Touring Players' Championship, which have very large prize funds and help determine our year-end awards.  More on points below. 

        There are also  optional brackets available.  Brackets work just like brackets in adult bowling.   8 person brackets usually run games 2-4 in the qualifying round, with each bracket winner receiving a $15 scholarship on a full bracket.

So, your entry fee can be anywhere from $60 on up at a regular event, depending on what you want to enter.   Each optional is separated into scratch and handicap divisions just like the tournament, and all awards fees are returned 100%- often a lot more than 100%, thanks to our sponsors.  

Please note that some events have different formats and thus may have different entry fees.  See the schedule page for all the details on each event, and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Q: Is there a dress code?

A: YES.  And there's two levels:

1) To bowl a JBT event, you must have a collared shirt or bowling related t-shirt (like a league t-shirt, USBC youth shirt, branded logo shirt, etc).  You can wear shorts or long pants, but if you wear shorts, they can't be basketball-type 'gym' shorts.  No hats or tank tops either.  If you're not sure, don't wear it.  If you're not in dress code, you can't bowl the semifinal round.  You get a one tournament warning for first-timers who didn't know.

2) If you're in 'pro'-style dress, meaning a collared (or mock turtleneck or 'dye sub'-style) shirt with your name on it (or your college or high school team), and long slacks or nice dress/khaki shorts/skirts/skorts, you get an extra 10 points on your season point total.  This can add up if you bowl with us a lot, so it pays to look your best!

Q: What ages are eligible? And why?

A: Anyone age 21 or under as of 8/1/22 can bowl JBT events all season.  We are well aware that other events are (again) rapidly changing their rules.  We are not in the habit of changing what works for us because other groups keep changing :-)   Anyway... '21 and under' (as most traveling Tour groups have been and continue to be) may seem like a wide age range to some.  Well, it is.  However, we feel our bowlers improve so rapidly and at such a young age BECAUSE they test their skills against the older 'kids', NOT in spite of them.  Also, we are a scholarship Tour, that's our reason for existing. 'Kids' up to 21 need scholarships, so that's the age limit we intend to keep.

Q: Tell me more about points.

A: Every event we run (unless otherwise noted)  awards points based on your performance in each event.  In a standard event, you get 10 points for showing up (and not being disqualified), and 100 additional points for winning, 80 for 2nd, 70 for 3rd, down to 10 for 25th.  Some events are announced as double point events, the Invitationals are triple points, and the TPC is quadruple points.  Wearing a "name shirt" and slacks / dress shorts earns you an extra 10 points.  (The Main Event is outside our 'regular season' and does not have JBT points attached.)

Each of our five conferences maintains its own point list, which you can check on at the "Statistics" section of this website. The top point scorers at the end of the season qualify for each Conference's Invitational tournament.  Plus, the top 5 point scorers in each division receive a bye into the finals of the Invitationals, which is a huge bonus and a guaranteed scholarship.   The Invitationals have a big prize fund, so they're not to be missed.  

We also keep a combined All-Conference point list for bowlers that travel to bowl JBT events the most often. The top 100 bowlers in combined all-conference points, plus anyone finishing in the top 20 in an individual division's final point list, qualify for the season-ending Touring Players' Championship, our most prestigious and elite event. 

Also, the points lists are major factors in determining our year-end awards such as Bowler of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and All-Star team.   Additional bonuses for top point scorers are periodically announced during the season.

Thus, every point is valuable- pins mean points- so get every pin you can! 

Q: Am I good enough for the JBT?

A: YES!!!! Any age and any skill level can and does do well in the JBT- that's what the handicap division is for.  Bowlers under age 10 and bowlers with averages under 100 regularly enter and succeed in our events.  Any age bowler 21 & under may compete- we have 8 year olds, for example, that love playing against the big boys and girls.  Don't miss out on the JBT because of a misconception that you're not good enough or old enough- YOU ARE!!!  Just scan through our previous results to check it out!

Q: Are you a 'sport shot' Tour?

A: No, we're an 'everything' Tour.  Over the course of a season, we put out a full spectrum of patterns, from 'easy' to 'tough', short to long, high volume to low.  The goal is to have you see everything, so you're ready for anything!  Much more detail at the 'lane conditions' section of the website.

Q: Explain the formats again?

A: Our regular season tournaments run under many different formats to keep things fresh for our regulars.  The 'classic' format is used most often. The classic format is a five game qualifying round, with the top 40% of the field advancing to 3 more games, and then the top 4 bowling a stepladder final.  Read through the details of each format at each event's page on the website.

Each event also offers our included and optional scholarship programs.

Q: What average is good enough for the scratch division?

A: We suggest that 180-185 on 'house'-level patterns is the borderline number to start thinking about entering the scratch division, but there is no required number.  Any bowler can compete in whichever division they choose.  For example, we have some 190+ bowlers competing in the handicap division, and some 175 and lower averages in the scratch division.  Season-long points races may also be a large factor in choice of division.  There are pros and cons either way.  The choice of division is the bowlers'.

Q: Do I have to bowl all the tournaments?

A: NO!  You can bowl wherever and whenever you choose.  We have bowlers that just bowl one or two stops a year, and some who bowl every stop.  The advantages to bowling more include more chances at scholarships, more experience on varying conditions, and more chances to earn points to qualify for or improve your standings in our Invitationals and TPC.  Plus it's just good fun to bowl, dangit!!!

Q: How do I know what place I'm in?

A: We keep track of the standings after every game- you'll quickly see that we're very into our stats!  Scoreboards are usually located near the tournament desk, as well as bracket standings, and all sorts of other information.  A tournament official will be happy to help you read the scoreboard, or fill out your scorecard.  

  Also, elsewhere on this website are all our season and career statistical categories, all time records, and more.  We love our stats!

Q: So how much can I win?

A: Lots!  Check our "Stats & Scholarships" page for current and career scholarship charts.  We have hundreds of bowlers with at least $1,000 in scholarships. We award an average of over $1,800 per tournament, and awarded over $150,000 in scholarships last year alone, even through covid restrictions.  True, we're not cheap to bowl in, but we also believe we award more scholarship money per bowler dollar spent than any other junior bowling organization IN THE WORLD.  So get in on the fun, and get your piece! 

Q: What lane conditions are used?

A: Our motto is simple: be ready for any lane condition at any time!  Over the course of the season, you'll hit a complete spectrum of lane conditions, some easy, some hard.  Lane conditions are not pre-announced (unless otherwise mentioned).  Prepare to be versatile!  Check out the Lane Conditions section of the website for more info.