Midwest Collegiate Bowling Experience & Expo

The United States Bowling Academy will be hosting the Midwest Collegiate Bowling Experience & Expo (formerly the College Combine) at The Mermaid Entertainment in Mounds View, Minnesota. This is the tenth year the Midwest Collegiate Bowling Experience & Expo has showcased youth in front of some of the best College Coaches in the country. The event is open to all USBC youth members.

The Collegiate Bowling Experience is open to all youth still in school.  If you already have signed or committed to a college it is recommended that you do not attend.  The Collegiate Bowling Experience is currently limited to 128 bowlers.  USBA will reserve the last few open slots, and a create waiting list.  Spots will be given to high school seniors and juniors first.

Each Bowler needs to complete a bowler bio for the college coaches. Use the link below to access the Bowler Bio Form.

Go to Bowler Bio Form »

A Junior Gold Qualifier will be held. The Junior Gold qualifier is a separate entry fee and is optional. There must be at least 4 entries into the qualifier to be able to a hold a qualifier event. If there is not enough youth for that age division, we will try to combine age divisions and/or boys and girls to make enough to hold a qualifier. The qualifier uses the scratch scores for games 1-4.

The “Flight System” is a format that eliminates the need for average divisions or handicaps yet allows all youth ages and skill levels to participate in competitive bowling. All bowlers will complete an initial four games to determine the flight positioning. Bowlers will be grouped in flights based on the 4 game total scratch score. Flights will be no lower than 7 and no more than 16 bowlers.

Once flights are determined all bowlers will bowl an additional game to determine final positions within the flight. The six-game total will determine the final qualifying scores within each flight. There is no moving up or down in flights once placed.

The top two bowlers in each flight will advance to a match play final based on the five games of qualifying. Matches will be bowled in a match play format alternating frames. The higher qualifier in each match will have choice of starting lane.

Flights with higher qualifying scores will be guaranteed higher paybacks. The person finishing fourth in the flight above, will receive a higher scholarship than the person finishing first in the flight below.

All scoring is done on a scratch (no handicap) basis.

All scholarship funds shall be returned 100%. All scholarship funds for each event will be deposited in the SMART Fund. Prize ratio shall be at 40% in each flight (fractions .5 and above will be rounded up).