Can someone give me the Reader's Digest condensed rules for youth wanting to bowl in adult leagues? The question came up in our bowling meeting tonight, because one guy wants his grandson to sub. It was brought up that everyone in the league would have to take the two hour online Safesport class to bowl in the league. I was under the impression that the league would have to vote to let him bowl. I searched on bowl.com, but couldn't find much info! Sounds like a way to destroy an adult league! Thanks

When does this take effect? I'm subbing in an adult/junior league tomorrow night and won't have time to watch some two-hour video before then.

I can tell you this, if i want to bowl a league, and i get DQ'd or thrown out because an underage teen wants to bowl and i get forced to go to a 2hr course just to be able to bowl, that will be the day USBC loses me as a bowler. Will never bowl again. Forcing stuff on their membership and telling them do this or you wont be able to bowl is not right. If 'they' were paying me yea that's fine. But I'm paying them so they cant dictate what i have to do. They would also have to reimburse me my sanction fee and all league fees up to said point. What does this do to tournaments also? So if an underage person bowls nationals, and there are bowlers bowling nationals that haven't been thru the training, are they forced to go thru the training before they bowl the tourney? Quick fix to all this, in the league signup at the beginning of the year, state in the requirements for the league that the league is for bowlers 18+ only and we can all avoid the controversies.

Can someone give me the Reader's Digest condensed rules for youth wanting to bowl in adult leagues? The question came up in our bowling meeting tonight, because one guy wants his grandson to sub. It was brought up that everyone in the league would have to take the two hour online Safesport class to bowl in the league. I was under the impression that the league would have to vote to let him bowl. I searched on bowl.com, but couldn't find much info! Sounds like a way to destroy an adult league! Thanks

Your best bet for a answer is to just write the rules dept of the USBC for clarification.

To me this all this Safesport seems to be for people in the Registered Volunteer Program, not ordinary league members/bowlers.

But how the info is written does make it sound like it might apply to ordinary league members and might could force them to become Registered Volunteers.

https://www.bowl.com/Registered_Volunteer_Program/RVP_Home/Information/

Who is a required to become a Registered Volunteer?
Anyone 18 years of age or older who has regular contact or authority over USBC Youth members and those individuals within USBC governance structure. Specific roles or positions within USBC require compliance. Those roles are:

    USBC Headquarters employees
    USBC National Board and Youth Committee members
    USBC Team USA and Junior Team USA Members
    State and Local Youth Committee members and directors
    State and Local Association Board members
    State and Local Association Managers
    USBC Youth league officers
    USBC Youth tournament managers
    USBC Certified Coaches


SafeSport Trained Course

The “SafeSport Trained” course is required for the following individuals:

    Anyone in a role which requires one to be a Registered Volunteer Members 18 years of age or older bowling in a league with members 17 years of age or younger in either:
        An adult league which allows individuals 17 or younger to bowl
        An adult/youth league


If you want to go to a extreme, this section:

Who is a required to become a Registered Volunteer?
Anyone 18 years of age or older who has regular contact or authority over USBC Youth members ...

The youth bowlers parents would have to take the course, they have regular contact or authority on their child. Their kid wants to USBC bowl so then does that mean they have to do it?

In away you could also say that spectators have regular contact so they have to take the course ?

This would be the "Straw that broke the Camel's Back" for me. USBC can kiss my ass before I watch a two hour video so someone else could bowl.

Chad Murphy is an asshole.

I guess the adult leagues will have to have a age requirement to bowl! I think having it in the league rules that you have to be 18 years old should cover it!

Figures bowling would also take the hit because of another "sport" whose entire existence is about exploiting children finally blew up in their face (gymnastics).

Only if trying to be in the olympics.

Chasing fools gold

This issue has been around in one form or another for many years.  Around 1990 we had a US Open spot that was awarded to the winner of our scratch association tournament.  A 17 year old won the spot, as we didnt realize ABC had an age restriction of 18 for participation in the national tourney.  The dad was ready to sue the ABC when they wouldnt let him take the spot.  The irony was that the kid had been bowling nationals for at least 2 years, and was allowed to do so. 

The kid had no decent junior programs available as an alternative to adult participation.