From Saturday, 3 July to Sunday, 18 July, the state-of-the-art Illawarra StrikeZone will be will be buzzing with bowling action. The sport is increasingly popular with teenagers and young boys and girls, and pre-booked entries in this year’s Championships have delighted organisers, Tenpin Bowling Australia. “Our total entries last year numbered 3,172 and we’ve already received about 2,500 entries, so with three weeks to go we're certainly on track to better last year’s event” said TBA Chairperson and event co-ordinator, Peter Coburn.

The 34th National Championships will feature a wide array of events throughout the hectic two-week schedule of the Championships. Singles, Doubles and Teams events, together with Graded and Open Masters events for Boys and Girls will be contested at Illawarra StrikeZone, while two additional Centres - Northern Bowl in Corrimal and AMF’s Warrawong Bowl – have been appointed as back up venues in order to handle the expected record-breaking entries in this year’s Championships.

Adding to the excitement of pin-flying action are several individual and team events, including the popular National Intercentre Teams Cup, the Royal Rumble, and the Bumper Challenge.
A colourful highlight of the Championships will be the President’s Shield, an Interstate teams event staged over three consecutive days, commencing on Wednesday, 14 July.

The tournament is open to all Junior bowlers affiliated to Tenpin Bowling Australia, the sport’s national governing body. Entering averages are determined by a bowler’s highest accredited league average over a minimum of 18 games, as of 31 December 2003 and entries are graded according to the Tournament Gradings Table on the official Entry Form.

The Junior Nationals also incorporates Sports Science seminars, Anti-Doping Policy and Coaching forums for officials, parents/guardians and junior bowlers. An important part of TBA’s role as the national governing body for the sport is its responsibility for the development and education of junior athletes. TBA works closely with, and is strongly supported by the Australian Sports Commission in regulating, developing and promoting the sport of tenpin bowling in Australia.

Tenpin bowling is one of just ten sports chosen to be part of the program for the II Commonwealth Youth Games, being held in Bendigo from 29 November to 4 December 2004. Its inclusion on the program of this pinnacle multi-sport event for young bowlers reflects the focus on young athletes by the sport’s administrators and supporters.

Full details on the 2004 Junior National Championships and live scores throughout the event can be viewed on TBA’s official website - www.tenpin.org.au