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Welcome to the Morris County
NJ USBC Website
Located
in Morris County, New Jersey
Our goal
is to encourage and support the sport of bowling, both Youth and Adult. This site was
developed to keep you informed of what is happening in the Morris County
NJ USBC. Our services and activities are listed, just click
on the buttons to the left to view the respective information.
We
provide a United States Bowling Congress presence in 7 premier bowling
centers in Northwest NJ, which include Morris, Sussex, and Warren Counties.
The Morris County
NJ USBC would like to wish everyone a Happy, and Safe Holiday
Season!
Morris County
Bowlers!!
Big hand for Ernie Lukacs for shooting an 898 series on 12/11/24.
Ernie's ball of choice for his
latest honor series, the new Brunswick Ethos Hybrid. It was shot in
the Monday Mixed Doubles League, on a sport pattern called "Bourbon
Street", at Oakwood Lanes! This just months after being inducted
into the NJ State USBC Hall of Fame! Oh what a year its
been!!
Congratulations
Ernie!
2024-2025 Morris County NJ USBC Honor Roll
2023-2024 Morris County NJ USBC Honor Roll
2023/2024 Season Morris County Average Book
Upcoming Morris County Tournaments
Morris County
Ladies! The 600/500 Club Tournament has completed. You can view the
scores and standings HERE!!
Sunday February 9th
2025. That's right, SuperBowl Sunday!
The 54th Annual Emma P. Hendrickson Adult/Junior Championship
Tournament. 10am Start at
Sparta Lanes. (Please arrive 30 minutes prior) $40 entry per
team. Last years winners were: Karlee and Sandra Steinwand - Bantam
Division, Logan and Lemonte Williams - Prep Division, Lea and Chris
Lorent - Junior Division, and Nathan Pantuso and William Henderson -
Major Division. Can they defend their titles? You'll need to enter
to see if they can be beat!!
Application can be downloaded here!
Entries close February 2nd!! Don't wait!!
We have a fun new
tournament in the works for Spring 2025.
Watch for it to be announced here SOON!
Attention League Secretaries!!
League Secretaries, Please DO NOT hold on to awards forms, as processing
can sometimes be delayed, and your bowlers may not receive their award(s).
Bowlers, hound your league secretaries to make sure they are doing
the job you paid them for!
PLEASE DO NOT HOLD ON TO AWARD PAPERWORK.
TURN IT IN TO THE ASSOCIATION MANAGER AT LEAST MONTHLY!!!
It has come to our
attention, that the rule regarding youth bowlers (any bowler UNDER
18) is being misunderstood. Unfortunately, bowlers under 18 can NOT
bowl in ANY adult leagues. For a youth bowler to become a league
member, the league would be required to sanction as an adult-youth
league, ALL adult bowlers would require
SafeSport training, and league officers would be REQUIRED to
become USBC Certified
RVP members (Registered
Volunteer Program). This information is important in the event a
bowler will turn 18 during the season, and a team wants to "squeeze
them in" which by the rules cannot be done. Sorry. The rules
regarding youth bowlers competing with adult bowlers (Rule 100a/2)
is written in the
Playing Rules handbook, and the applicable rule can be found
below:
100a. Qualifications
1. USBC will certify leagues participating in the game of American
Tenpins provided they meet the following requirements:
a. Apply for USBC certification.
1) A league is temporarily certified at the start of its current
schedule for 30 days counting the first day of competition.
2) The league will be eligible for all membership services while
temporarily certified provided its league application and membership
fees are submitted on or before the end of the grace period.
b. Consist of four or more teams with the playing strength of one or more
players per team as determined by league rule.
c. Bowl in accordance with a prearranged schedule based on the number of
teams in the league.
d. Adopt rules and
prize list (if any). (See Rule 106a and Rule 102.) (Suggested adult
and youth league rules can be found on BOWL.com.)
e. All players seeking membership must be qualified under the bylaws and
policies of USBC. (See the USBC Playing Rules, Rule 16.)
f. Provide for the designation of a team champion by the games bowled in
scheduled competition.
g. All games must be bowled and conducted in strict compliance with the
playing rules.
h. Govern themselves by USBC rules. Other rules may be added but must not
conflict with USBC rules.
2. Every time the league is scheduled to bowl, three consecutive
games are to be bowled by each team, unless another number of games
has been established by league rule.
100a/2 Can a 16-year-old
bowl in a USBC adult league?
No. USBC Adult membership is available to individuals 18 years or
older. Any league which allows youth to bowl must be certified as an
Adult/Youth league. In any Adult/Youth league, all members 18 years
of age or older must have completed a U.S. Center for SafeSport
training within a year prior to the time the member joins the league
or immediately thereafter. In addition, all league officers must be
a Registered Volunteer
Rule 100b, regarding
Adult-Youth League Requirements is as follows:
3. Adult/Youth - An
adult/youth league is one in which youth members 18 years of age or
younger bowl with adult members 18 years of age or older.
a. The following apply to all adult/youth leagues:
1) All awards must conform to the provisions stated in Rule 400.
(See Chapter 1: Introduction.) If Scholarships are offered, all
scholarships are submitted to SMART to manage. (See BOWL.com/SMART
for instructions on how to enter lists and send funds.)
2) Leagues are comprised of males and females, unless otherwise
provided by league rule.
3) U.S. Center for SafeSport
training must be completed in the current season by:
a) All members 18 years of age or older at the time the league starts
must complete the training prior to competing in the league.
b) Any member 17 years of age who will turn 18 during the league session
must complete the training prior to turning 18 or before competing
in the league once the member turns 18.
4) All league officers 18 years of age or older, must be Registered
Volunteers.
b. Adult/Youth leagues will not be certified until all members 18 years
of age or older have U.S. Center for SafeSport training for the
current season.
Unfortunately, rule 400
regarding a parental consent form does not apply, as that applies
only to YOUTH competition and prizes awarded therein. See below:
Rule 400: USBC Youth
membership is available to individuals who have not reached their
18th birthday prior to August 1 of the current bowling season and
have maintained compliance with Item a below.
Individuals who purchase Youth membership in a summer league and
turn 18 prior to August 1 will be allowed to complete the summer
league.
a. Except as provided in Item b, a youth may not bowl, substitute or pace
in any bowling activity which offers any of the following as prizes:
1. Cash or bonds.
2. Merchandise exceeding $500 in value.
b. Youth may bowl in singles competitions (including side
competitions/brackets) offering such prizes, provided, prior to
bowling:
1. The youth and parent/legal guardian sign the Consent Form (See
BOWL.com/Rules)
2. The competition agrees to award the youth's prize in the form of
a scholarship; or
3. The youth waives his/her right to any prize in violation of this
rule.
In youth competition, youth members may participate in side
competitions/brackets provided all entries are returned 100% in the
form of scholarships only and awards comply with Item a.
Additionally, rule 400/5 further supports:
400/5 Can a youth member bowl
in an adult doubles or team event where cash or bonds are offered if
the Consent Form is signed or the competition agrees to offer
scholarships through SMART?
No. Rule 400 only allows
youth to participate in adult singles competitions with cash or bond
prizes and/or merchandise prizes valued in excess of $500 provided
they submit the Consent Form prior to participating in such a
competition.
For more information, see
Bowl.com for the
USBC Playing Rules Handbook
Why
should I sanction with the USBC?
The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is the national governing
body for the sport of bowling. The USBC's mission is to provide
resources, services, and standards for the sport. The USBC
consistently updates, interprets, and enforces the playing rules,
for USBC league and tournament competition. The Morris County NJ
USBC Association, is the local bowlers liaison to the national
governing body. We can assist you with understanding the rules and
specifications as they apply to the sport of Bowling, and ensure
your bowler statistics are recorded in the national bowler database.
Sanctioned leagues help promote fairness and integrity in the sport.
By adhering to specific rules and regulations, sanctioned leagues
ensure that all bowlers have an equal opportunity to compete and
succeed. Additionally, as a sanctioned Morris County USBC bowler,
you may be eligible for local achievement awards, and as a USBC sanctioned
bowler, honor scores will be recorded in the national bowler
database.
To become sanctioned, bowlers can fill out a USBC membership
application form, pay a sanction fee, handing the completed form and
applicable fee in to you league or competition official to be
submitted to the local association, or you can go to the USBC
website and
sanction online.
Please note: If applying online, your local association is Morris
County, New Jersey.
Association
# - 86884
2024-2025
Yearly Membership Dues are $27.00
USBC
Sanction:
$15.00, Morris
County Local: $12.00
Bowlers sanctioned out of
county, must be sanctioned in Morris County to compete in leagues and
tournaments in Morris County. This is a $12.00 (local only) sanctioning
fee. All bowlers must complete Morris County USBC sanctioning cards for
every league they bowl and/or sub in.
2024-2025 Official USBC Rules Handbook
2023/2024 Season Morris County Average Book
Morris
County Bowling News:
The NJ USBC Jamboree and
State Hall of Fame dinner was held this weekend (Oct 10-13th) at the
Bolero Resort in Wildwood NJ. NJ State USBC Hall of Fame Inductee's
this year include Michael Petrowski of the Bucks County USBC, and
Morris County's own Ernie Lukacs Jr, both inducted for Superior
Performance. Ernie's standard composite average remains above 235,
and his sport composite average has remained over 210 for many
years. Congratulations Ernie! You certainly earned your spot in the
NJ State USBC Hall of Fame!
Ernie accepting his Hall of Fame plaque
with Carol Chadwick of both the Morris County, and NJ State USBC
Associations
Looking for a previous featured article?
They are all saved, and can be viewed by
clicking here!
USBC
National News!
USBC to make
adjustments to Open Championships starting in 2026
by: Aaron Smith, October
02, 2024
FAQ |
Rule No. 21 for the 2026 Open Championships
ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress Open
Championships has shown continued growth in participation, and the
2025 event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is trending toward posting the
largest team count at the tournament since 2012.
This growth stems from continually evaluating tournament data and
reviewing participant feedback, going back to the addition of a
third division in 2017. External working groups also have provided
valuable feedback and recommendations to continue to build for the
future of the tournament.
This process has helped identify some areas to improve at the USBC
Open Championships, and several adjustments to the tournament
structure will be introduced at the 2026 event in Reno, Nevada.
Those key changes include: An adjustment to the average ranges for
each of the tournament’s three divisions. An increase in the entry
fee, which goes solely to the prize fund. An adjustment to the rules
for team/doubles composition impacting past national team members,
collegiate athletes and professional bowlers age 60 and older. Along
with the adjustments at the Open Championships, the USBC Women’s
Championships will give competitors an extra opportunity to claim a
coveted gemstone trophy with the addition of Team All-Events at the
2025 event in Las Vegas.
The new average ranges at the Open Championships are based on a
bowler’s Championships Average (based on the most recent 27 games at
the tournament over a specific time frame) or league/composite
average (highest from the previous three seasons based on 21 or more
games) converted down to a Sport average.
The Championships Average is listed first below, followed with a
comparison to a bowler’s average on a typical league condition. To
view the conversion chart for Sport, Challenge and Standard
averages, click here.
At the 2026 Open Championships, the average-based divisions will
be:
Classified – 160 and below (185 and below on a typical league
condition)
Standard – 161-181 (186-210 on a typical league condition)
Regular – 182 and above (211 and above on a typical league
condition)
The changes to the price structure at the Open Championships will
include a $10 increase to the entry fee for each event (team,
doubles and singles) and $5 increase for all-events (optional
entry). Each of those increases will go completely to the
tournament’s prize fund, with the amount for tournament expenses
staying the same as in the current structure.
A recent goal for USBC has been to increase the amount going into
the prize fund at the Open Championships, and this adjustment in
2026 (62.5% to the prize fund and 37.5% to expenses) will improve
the prize fund-to-expense ratio by more than 5% compared to the
current structure (57.1%/42.9%) and nearly 10% compared to 2012
(53.4%/46.6%). This also will allow for higher payouts on average
for cashing spots.
Team, doubles and singles will each cost $80 to enter, and
all-events will be $20. Along with a $5 processing fee for each
participant, the overall cost will be $265 per bowler.
In 2024, the prize fund for the Open Championships eclipsed $7.3
million with 11,012 teams. With the additional fees going to the
prize fund in 2026, a similar team count would produce a prize fund
of more than $9.2 million.
The rules in place for team and doubles composition at the Open
Championships will have a new look in 2026 with an update to the
designations for those who have represented their country,
collegiate bowlers and professionals age 60 and older (Rule No. 21).
For past adult national team members, a bowler no longer will fall
under the designation of Rule No. 21 once they have been out of the
program for 10 consecutive years. Those who represented their
country as part of a junior team will have no restrictions starting
in 2026.
Collegiate bowlers will not fall under this designation in 2026 and
will be encouraged to compete as a full team or doubles pairing.
There still will be limitations for competing with professionals,
adult national team members and past national tour titlists,
however.
Bowlers age 60 and older will be free of any designation under Rule
No. 21 in 2026, regardless if they have applied for or hold
membership in a professional bowling organization.
The addition of Team All-Events at the Women’s Championships in 2025
will recognize the top overall performance by a four-player team
over the course of 36 combined games of team, doubles and singles
competition during the event.
Similar to the Open Championships, Team All-Events will not be
contested by division. All teams entered will have the opportunity
to compete for the title without paying any additional entry fees.
There will not be a prize fund for Team All-Events.
The new category at the Women’s Championships was added based on
feedback from participant surveys. The USBC Hall of Fame Committee
also pushed for the inclusion of Team All-Events to mirror the Open
Championships and recognize additional champions at the event.
11/9/23 - ARLINGTON, Texas – The United
States Bowling Congress has released its most recent scoring
research report related to string pinsetters. The report concludes
there is no statistically significant difference between the scoring
pace of USBC-certified string pinsetters and traditional free-fall
machines.
Read more
"The Future of the Sport 2023 recap, 2024 Preview"
An article by Chad Murphy, Director of the USBC, addressing the year
of 2023 in review and upcoming future of the sport.
Please note USBC
specific
equipment specifications and
changes as of 8/1/2020.
Note as of 8/1/2022
COVID rules are no longer in effect and shall not apply to any
league or competition.
Did you know? A little bowling 101
Bowling Ball
Specifications
Learning bowling ball specifications can help you better understand
bowling ball construction and ultimately help you choose your next
bowling ball. Reviewing some of the useful details relating to the
manufacturing limits and tolerances under the guidelines of the
United States Bowling Congress (USBC) will help you become
familiarized with bowling ball specifications
Any bowling ball used in USBC certified competition must be approved
and identifiable as a ball listed in the approved bowling ball list
at USBC headquarters. A bowling ball must be constructed of solid
material without liquids or voids in the center. Any materials added
to or included in the coverstock shall be equally distributed
throughout the entire coverstock of the ball. Altering a ball in any
way so as to increase its weight or cause it to be off balance
outside specifications is prohibited.
The surface of a ball shall be free of depressions or grooves other
than holes used for gripping purposes. No foreign material may be
placed on the outer surface of the ball. If the surface friction is
altered by sanding or polishing, the entire surface must be prepared
in the same manner. Plugs, grips, or tape may not extend from the
inside of a gripping hole beyond the surface of the ball.
The complete equipment specification rulebook is available for
viewing on the
USBC Specifications Page
There are no color restrictions for a bowling ball so long as all
additives in the coverstock are distributed throughout the entire
coverstock of the ball.
Since there are no tolerances provided for coverstock texture, the
manufacturers of bowling balls offer a variety of textured
coverstocks to match with varying oil lane conditions. Therefore, as
a bowler, your first decision in choosing a new ball should be the
type of coverstock needed to best match with oil conditions where
you intend to use the new ball.
Generally, solid coverstocks are typically pliable and will grip the
lane better than a stiff or pearl coverstock. A very aggressive,
solid coverstock is designed for heavy oil whereas a a moderately
aggressive, solid coverstock will work on medium oil conditions. Of
course, your skills as a bowler come into play regarding variables
such as rev-rate, ball speed, and bowling ball axis tilt. For dry
lanes, using a stiff or pearl coverstock increases ball skid on the
front part of the lane and helps conserve energy for the back end of
the lane.
Altering the surface texture is certainly permitted so long as the
entire surface of the ball is textured the same way. You can wake up
the coverstock of a ball by using the services of a pro shop and the
high speed ball spinner to apply any grit of pad to the surface of
the ball so the texture best matches the oil conditions you are
challenged to overcome. The same is true with cleaners and polishes.
Use of these substances are permitted so long as the entire surface
of the ball is prepared in the same way. You can use
USBC approved
cleaners during competition and you can clean and polish your ball
by hand after competition to prepare the coverstock of your ball
prior to using it next time you bowl.
Selecting the drilling layout is the other factor which will
influence bowling ball motion while the ball travels down the lane.
There are an extremely high number of scientific layout patterns to
choose from that the decision process can be confusing. We recommend
you consult with your pro shop operator before doing anything else.
Next, consult with your
Pro Shop and make a joint decision how
best to layout the ball for drilling and matching the lane
conditions you are targeting. If there is one key factor to consider
above all others, then it would be to try and match the break point
of the bowling ball to the break point on the lane. The bowling ball
break point is controlled by length potential and hook potential
ratings of a given ball, by the surface texture preparation, by the
layout pattern selected in drilling the ball, and by the individual
bowler's abilities. Since the break point of the lane is determined
chiefly by the distance and cross lane ratios of oil application by
the lane machines settings and by the volume of oil used in the
given ratios, the break point down the lane can range from 5-7 feet
past the final distance oil is applied to the surface. As a rule of
thumb, the break point on the lane is nearer the edge of the lane on
shorter distance oil patterns and closer to the center of the lane
on longer distance patterns.
We recommend that you consult a
certified coach
when seeking greater information about the break point of the lane.
It is also recommended to consult with your
Pro Shop when trying
to determine a layout pattern and surface preparation strategy to
also match the break point of the ball to the lane. Of course, it
never hurts to sharpen your bowling skills by working with a
certified coach or instructor so your ability to make consistent
deliveries improves with practice.
We hope this information about bowling balls provides useful insight
into achieving success on the lanes.
Thanks for visiting!
If you have
any suggestions, comments or requests, please email the Association
Manager at
morriscountynjusbc@gmail.com.
Contact Information
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