http://www.bowl.comFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Heading into the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships, Robert Mushtare of Carthage, N.Y., had a simple goal. He wanted to average 200 for the tournament.
After two days of qualifying, Mushtare, the only bowler in history to have two certified 900 series, has some work to do to reach his goal. For his first 12 games, Mushtare has totaled 2,234, an average of 186.2.
The 17-year-old right-hander had games of 164, 200, 162, 188, 197 and 177 for 1,088 on Tuesday at Don Carter Tamarac Lanes for a 1,088 total. After Monday's first round, Mushtare sat in 204th place with 1,146.
"I think when I originally set my goal that it was reachable and it still is," said Mushtare, whose two pre-bowled 900 series were officially recognized by USBC last month. "It's going to take a good score tomorrow, but with all the attention and everything it has added pressure that I really didn't need."
Throughout his first two days of competition, Mushtare has been shadowed by a camera crew from ESPN's "Outside the Lines." The segment is tentatively scheduled to air on ESPN in late July.
In order for Mushtare to advance at the Junior Gold Championships, he must have a strong showing in the final six games of qualifying Wednesday. Early projections indicate he needs to average at least 210 to have a chance to make the first cut. The top 154 males will advance to the semifinals on Thursday.
Nathan Voss
One bowler easily in the cut number is Nathan Voss of Westerville, Ohio, who after totaling 1,311 in the opening round, continued to bowl well on Tuesday. Voss had games of 225, 202, 203, 231, 210 and 220 for 1,291, bringing his 12-game total to 2,602.
"It's unreal because last year I was in the middle of the pack the whole time, and now I've come out of nowhere and bowled great," said Voss, a 20-year-old who helped restart the Ohio State University program last year. "I haven't missed any spares and every ball feels great off my hand."
Also on Tuesday, Justin Whitley of Lucama, N.C., fired a 300 game on the challenging USBC Sport Bowling conditions. It was the first perfect game since 2003 at the Junior Gold Championships and just the 11th in the nine-year history of the event. Whitley had games of 161, 167, 190, 186, 300 and 191 for a 1,195 total Tuesday. After two days, he has 2,388, an average of 199 per game.
The Junior Gold Championships features nearly 1,450 of the top youth bowlers in the country competing for $80,000 in scholarship money and spots on 2007 Junior Team USA.
The top five finishers who are U.S. citizens in the male and female divisions will earn a spot on Junior Team USA, serving as United States representatives in international competition in 2007. The National Selection Committee will choose six additional Junior Gold competitors, three males and three females, to round out the 2007 team.
After 18 games, the top 154 males and 66 females will advance to the semifinals. The semifinalists bowl 12 additional games to determine the top 16 males and top 16 females who compete in the finals. The 32 finalists bowl 16 games of round-robin match play to determine the top five males and top five females who earn automatic berths on Junior Team USA 2007. The U.S. Junior Amateur champions are the male and female leaders after match play.
For complete coverage of the 2006 USBC Junior Gold Championships, including daily updates, standings, athlete blogs and photos, visit bowl.com.
Gary................................
