Detroit will echo with the thunderous sounds of bowling balls smashing into pins in 2018 as the city plays host to the World Youth Championships. The kid-oriented tournament is the product of World Bowling, which is working with the Detroit Sports Commission (DSC) to make it a reality.
“Bowling has a rich heritage in our state and region, and the decision made by World Bowling to bring this premier youth tournament to metro Detroit is a testament to that,” said Dave Beachnau, DSC executive director. “We look forward to welcoming the youth bowlers and their families from around the world.”
[pullquote-right]Motown is no stranger to bowling. In fact, Garden Bowl in Detroit claims to have America’s oldest active bowling center.[/pullquote-right]
This will be the first timed Detroit has hosted a World Bowling championship event. Exact dates and the host bowling center will be released at a later date.
Every two years the best of the under-21 set of bowlers gather to compete in their chosen sport. Singles, doubles, masters, and teams of tour are all repented in nomadic tournament. The event was held in Hong Kong in 2014 where 262 players, 96 girls and 166 boys, from 46 World Bowling member federations participated in the biennial event and bowled for 10 gold, 10 silver and 18 bronze medals in Singles, Doubles, Team of Four, All-Events and Masters.
Motown is no stranger to bowling. In fact, Garden Bowl in Detroit claims to have America’s oldest active bowling center. What’s more, the Cadieux Cafe is the only place in the US where you can feather bowl, a Belgium variation that closely resembles Scottish curling. The USBC of Metro Detroit has its fair share of tournaments of all kinds, and Allen Parks’ Thunderbowl Lanes has been added to the 2015 PBA Tour schedule.
“The Metro Detroit USBC is proud that the World Bowling Youth Championships will be coming to the Bowling Capital of the World in 2018,” said Mark Martin, Metro Detroit United States Bowling Congress executive director. “The entire bowling family will welcome the participants with open arms.”
Many cities in many nations have hosted the Youth Championship since its beginnings in Manila, Philippines in 1990. Among those who have held the hosting honors include Caracas, Venezuela; Monterrey, Mexico; Hong Kong, China; Inchon, South Korea; Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic; Pattaya, Thailand; Tamuning, Guam; Berlin, Germany; Orlando, FL; Helsinki, Finland, and Bangkok, Thailand. Lincoln, NE. will welcome the event in July 2016.
“Detroit has been part of the fabric of bowling in the United States for over a century,” said Kevin Dornberger, World Bowling president. “It’s time for the world to discover the city’s great heritage.”
Detroit may be only the most recent in the line of those who have held the position of hosting this celebration of bowling competition, and it may be a few years off, but it certainly taps into something very deep within our collective fiber.
For more information about World Bowling, visit WorldBowling.org.
A version of this post originally appeared on DetroitUnspun and is used here with permission.