Anderson hosts prestigious national youth bowling tournament
Jul. 22—ANDERSON — Anyone playing the find-the-states license plate game would have done well to visit the parking lot at Championship Lanes this week during the National Junior Gold Championships.
Saturday morning, the lot was filled with vehicles from Oregon, Tennessee, Ohio, Rhode Island, Illinois and several other states. Even though the prestigious national bowling tournament was wrapping up, finalists from all over the country were still competing for thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
"This is the premier youth bowling tournament in the country," said Angie Colip, general manager at Championship Lanes. "It's amazing to meet people from all over the country and show off our area, our part of the world."
Colip said the tournament drew nearly 5,000 competitors in a total of eight divisions. Championship Lanes was one of six venues in the Indianapolis area to host matches, which organizers said meant valuable exposure for the area's hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
"It does bring in a lot of economic value — hotels, restaurants, everything," Colip said.
By drawing entrants from all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, the event also creates an environment to kindle lifelong friendships, Colip noted.
"All of these kids from all over the world, whatever their backgrounds are, their differences, the one thing they have in common is bowling," she said.
"You meet people from all over the world, and in today's world, especially with social media, they stay in contact. It's quite interesting to see those relationships develop."
Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.
