Junior Olympic Gold

The Junior Olympic Gold tournament, also known as simply "Junior Gold" or "JOG" is an American national youth singles bowling tournament which showcases youth bowlers who have qualified through certain events. The bowlers in the tournament consist of those who have qualified through qualifiers in other smaller tours, those who are state champions in the Pepsi Youth Bowling Championships (one male and one female), or who have earned an exemption into the tournament by making Junior Team USA. Started in 1998, the tournament has grown to become one of the most prestigious youth tournaments in the world.

History

JOG was started in 1998, headed by David Dahms, manager of the Young American Bowling Allicance USA Junior Olympic Bowling Program. The first tournament was held in 1998 in Reno, Nevada, at the National Bowling Stadium.

There were 538 bowlers in the inaugural championships, with Rory Kalanquin of Davison, Michigan, and Melissa Bellinder of Fullerton, California as the first national champions. Since then, that number has steadily grown, approaching 2,000 bowlers for the 2007 tournament. A few bowlers who excelled in the tournament's earlier years have grown to be recognizable FACES, such as Sean Rash, Shannon Pluhowsky, Andrew Cain, and Diandra Asbaty.

National Champions (1998-2007)

{| class="wikitable sortable" width=98%

! Year !! Tourn. Location !! Male Champion !! Hometown

|- | 1998 || Reno, Nevada || Rory Kalanquin || Davison, Michigan |- | 1999 || Orlando, Florida || Scott Norton || Cypress, California |- | 2000 || Las Vegas, Nevada || Nathan Bohr || Austin, Texas |- | 2001 || Reno, Nevada || Mike Remaklus || Florissant, Missouri |- | 2002 || Winter Haven, Florida || Sean Rash || Anchorage, Alaska |- | 2003 || St. Louis, Missouri || Erik Vermilyea || Maplewood, Minnesota |- | 2004 || Dallas, Texas || Clay Herrbach || Naperville, Illinois |- | 2005 || Indianapolis, Indiana || Chris Bolosan || Newport News, Virginia |- | 2006 || Fort Lauderdale, Florida || Matt O'Grady || South Amboy, New Jersey |- | 2007 || Buffalo, New York || Adam Martinez || San Antonio, Texas |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" width=98%

! Year !! Tourn. Location !! Female Champion !! Hometown

|- | 1998 || Reno, Nevada || Melissa Bellinder || Fullerton, California |- | 1999 || Orlando, Florida || Shannon Pluhowsky || Phoenix, Arizona |- | 2000 || Las Vegas, Nevada || Shannon Pluhowsky || Phoenix, Arizona |- | 2001 || Reno, Nevada || Shannon Pluhowsky || Phoenix, Arizona |- | 2002 || Winter Haven, Florida || Olivia Sandham || Boulder, Colorado |- | 2003 || St. Louis, Missouri || Stefanie Nation || Miami, Florida |- | 2004 || Dallas, Texas || Stefanie Nation || Miami, Florida |- | 2005 || Indianapolis, Indiana || Stefanie Nation || Miami, Florida |- | 2006 || Fort Lauderdale, Florida || Jennifer Wright || West Columbia, South Carolina |- | 2007 || Buffalo, New York || Jenny Brown || DeLand, Florida |}