Junior Team USA players selected for international events

Four boys and four girls from the 16-player Junior Team USA have been selected to compete at the 2008 World Youth Championships, scheduled for July 19-25 at Boardwalk Entertainment Center in Orlando, Fla.

Two Florida natives - reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jenny Brown of DeLand and Michelle Carcagente of Palm Coast - join Emily Maier of Sparks, Nev., and Ricki Williams of Wichita, Kan., as girls team selections for the World Youth Championships, a biennial U-22 tournament being held for the first time in the United States.

Matt O'Grady of South Amboy, N.J., who competed at the 2006 World Youth Championships in Berlin, Germany, leads the boys team that also features first-time team members John Szczerbinski of North Tonawanda, N.Y., Dean Richards of Tacoma, Wash., and Adam Martinez of San Antonio, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion.

Assignments were made by Junior Team USA head coach Rod Ross and assistant coaches Kim Terrell and Teresa Ross as well as volunteer consultants Lou Marquez, Stephen Padilla and Mark Balter following Junior Team USA training camp, May 18-25, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"With another young, talented group to choose from, this never is an easy decision," said Ross, a USBC Gold coach. "The players came together as one team at training camp, and not only learned from the coaches they also learned from each other. We are looking forward to some great performances this year from Junior Team USA."

Four boys and four girls also were selected to compete for Junior Team USA at the Pan American Bowling Confederation (PABCON) Youth Championships, scheduled for Sept. 21-27 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The boys team at the U-20 event consists of Szczerbinski, Martinez, Josh Buckhardt of Beavercreek, Ohio, and Geoffrey Young of Denton, Texas, while the girls team features Brown, Josie Earnest of Vandalia, Ill., and Sarah Germano of Rochester, N.Y., along with a player meeting the PABCON age requirement (19 years old or younger on Jan. 1, 2008) to be named later by the National Selection Committee.

Burkhardt, Young, Earnest and Germano also will represent the United States in the junior division.

By Kevin Hazaert

USBC Communications