The 2021 Teen Masters starts Tuesday at Thunderbowl Lanes in the Detroit suburb of Allen Park, Michigan, with $5,000 in scholarship funds for the winning boy and winning girl.

In addition to the $5,000 top prize, the top female and male bowlers ages 13 & under, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 each are guaranteed a minimum scholarship award of $500. Here are the scholarship details.

All players must be 19 or younger as of July 3, and they can’t be a member of PBA or PWBA (PBA Junior is OK).

According to the rules, the Teen Masters again will offer competition on two low volume lane patterns — 42 feet with 6.685 mL of oil and 32 feet with 5.845 mL of oil — while players are limited to two balls of pre-reactive resin technology. The only choices are the SKILL 3.02 for 14-16 pounds and the Storm MIX for 12-13 pounds.

The Teen Masters does not allow adjustable wrist supports, but does allow static wrist supports so long as they are worn on all shots. All wrist supports will be prohibited beginning with the 2022 Championships. (Gloves that do not contain rigid metal or plastic are allowed.)

Bowlers with the athletic ability to switch from right to left, left to right, 1-handed to 2-handed, and 2-handed to 1-handed, are allowed to do so as long as they use the appropriate ball on each delivery.

Lofting past the arrows is banned at the Teen Masters.

All players will bowl three 6-game rounds of qualifying on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the first cut is made. The first round will be contested on long oil, the second round on short oil and the third round on mixed patterns.

The top 25 percent of the field will advance to a fourth 6-game round of qualifying on mixed patterns on Friday morning, which will determine the 18 boys and 18 girls who advance to match play.

Round robin match play on mixed patterns starts Friday night and continues for three rounds until the champions are determined. Winners will be based on total 42-game totals, with no stepladder.

Scores will be posted here.

As for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Teen Masters will follow whatever mask protocols Michigan and Thunderbowl mandate.

In addition, Teen Masters will limit the competition to three bowlers per pair, and close the tournament to the public. Players, pre-registered family members, friends, coaches, and the media much show an ID at the door.

Bryce Oliver and Caroline Thesier won the 2021 Teen Masters titles at AMF Shrader Lanes in Richmond, Virginia.

Julian Michael Salinas and Hannah Diem won the 2019 Teen Masters titles at Sawgrass Lanes in Tamarac, Florida.

The Teen Masters also features the Kegel Kup, which is a state-based co-ed team event. Special events during the week are detailed here.

I enjoy bowling gimmick tournaments like the Plastic Ball Championships held the day after Thanksgiving every year in Madison.

I would love to see a series of an adult version of the Teen Masters competition open to all bowlers with significant enough prize money to draw the world’s best. Then we’d see whether the world’s best bowlers win, or if they are at least partially creatures of their environment.

2021 TEEN MASTERS
(all times Eastern)
Tuesday, June 29 (games 1-6)
9:00 AM          A Squad
1:30 PM          B Squad
6:00 PM          C Squad

Wednesday, June 30 (games 7-12)
9:00 AM               B Squad
1:30 PM                C Squad
6:00 PM                A Squad

Thursday, July 1 (games 13-18)
9:00 AM               C Squad
1:30 PM                A Squad
6:00 PM                B Squad
Cut to the top 25% of boys and 25% of girls

Friday, July 2
9:00 AM               Top 25%, (games 19–24)
Cut to the top 18 girls and top 18 boys
6:00 PM                Girls Round Robin Match Play (games 25-30)
8:30 PM                Boys Round Robin Match Play (games 25-30)

Saturday, July 3
9:00 AM               Girls Round Robin Match Play (games 31-36)
12:00 AM             Boys Round Robin Match Play (games 31-36)
4:00 PM                Girls Round Robin Match Play (games 37-42)
7:00 PM                Boys Round Robin Match Play (games 37-42)