THE BOWLING COMBINE TO CONNECT YOUTH BOWLERS AND COLLEGE COACHES

ARLINGTON, Texas – A program to bring together youth bowlers who want to compete at the collegiate level, and college coaches seeking players for their programs, will take place Aug. 10-11, 2011, at the International Training and Research Center.

The Bowling Combine for College Prospects is a two-day event in which young bowlers will be evaluated using today’s most objective standards and college coaches will attend to analyze potential fit of the student-athletes for their programs.

“College coaches want to see potential recruits in person and young bowlers hoping for an opportunity to bowl in college want to be seen,” said Gary Brown, International Bowling Campus High School and Collegiate Manager. “The Bowling Combine is specifically designed to meet those needs and will be a lot of fun for everyone involved."

The Bowling Combine is open to bowlers who have collegiate eligibility remaining and have completed at least their sophomore year in high school. Space is limited.

Bryan O’Keefe, assistant coach for Team USA and the program director for The Bowling Combine, said the evaluation of the student-athlete’s skills will not only give the college coaches a better idea of what they can expect from the bowler, but also will help the bowlers learn their strengths and weaknesses.

“We test specific skills and provide an overall score called the Performance Evaluation Test or P.E.T. score,” O’Keefe said. “P.E.T. scores are an objective measurement of the bowler’s abilities and we can use it to not only compare the bowlers at the Combine, but also against future Combine participants.”

The Team USA coaching staff will direct and evaluate the bowlers during the Combine at the ITRC, the official training center of Team USA. The ITRC has state-of-the-art technology including Bowler Vision Eye Tracking, DigiTrax™ ball motion technology, video analysis and more.

Some of the bowler’s skills that will be evaluated include Shot Repeatability Analysis, Release Ratio, Spare Proficiency, Breakpoint Management, Vertical Leap, and Balance Test. The tests at the Combine are used to evaluate a bowler’s skills and abilities; this is not a coaching clinic.

Bowlers will receive a Recruiting Kit at the conclusion of the Combine. The kit will have video shots and bowler variables measured, and a detailed report of personal data collected during the Combine including their overall P.E.T. score. Coaches will receive an evaluation of each bowler and will have the opportunity for one-on-one contact with prospective student-athletes.

To learn more about the program and for applications, visit BOWL.com/combine.

 
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