Fresh faces ready to lead Junior Team USA
"We're going to have to work as a team on all fronts," the 18-year-old Upland, Calif., native said. "We need to help line each other up and get locked in. Every team there has to help each other out, no matter how much experience they have."
Blanchard will be joined at the biannual American Zone Youth Championships by fellow Junior Team USA members Daniel Farish, 19, of Louisville, Ky., Matt O'Grady, 19, of South Amboy, N.J., and Dan Vick, 19, of Pittsford, N.Y.
On the girls' side, Junior Team USA will be represented by Kayla Bandy, 19, of Danville, Va., Bryanna Caldwell, 20, of Tucson, Ariz., Emily Maier, 19, of Sparks, Nev., and Rose Brown, 17, of Modesto, Calif. -- the only high schooler on this year's team.
Bandy, a first-team All-American from Pikeville College who has been a part of Junior Team USA the last two years, is the only one headed to Mexico with international competition on her resume. She competed in last year's International Youth Friendship Tournament in the Dominican Republic and at the Tournament of the Americas in Miami.
However, Bandy believes the collegiate bowling background many on the team possess will prove beneficial - Caldwell (Central Missouri State), Maier (Wichita State), Blanchard (Fresno State), Farish (Lindenwood) and Vick (Rochester Institute of Technology) all bowl for their respective schools.
"I'm ready for it and I'm excited," said Bandy, who is hoping to be recovered from a recent right leg injury where she received stitches to close a 1½-inch gash on her calf. It came from a fall on stadium bleachers while training for the Pikeville College women's volleyball team. "Bryanna and Emily have established themselves as two of the top collegiate bowlers today and getting to know Rose at training camp, she is mature beyond her age. If we pretend we are at a college tournament, we'll win lots of medals."
Winning lots of medals is common for the United States at this event. In 2002, Junior Team USA walked away with all but one gold medal and captured 19 of the 30 medals awarded. Denny's Professional Bowlers Association newcomer Sean Rash and current Team USA member Olivia Sandham each won four gold medals at the event, while two-time World Cup champion Shannon Pluhowsky won the Masters gold in the girls division.
The United States did not compete in the 2004 event due to a scheduling conflict with the USBC Junior Gold Championships, the elite national youth tournament from which Junior Team USA members for the following year are selected.
Blanchard cannot wait to add on to that legacy and is eagerly awaiting introductions for the team representing the United States of America.
"That's when it will hit me more than anything," Blanchard said. "At that point I'll definitely realize I'm not just representing bowling in the United States, but also I'm representing the entire country."
The American Zone Youth Championships, which will be held at the 28-lane Bol La Noria Pro about two hours southeast of Mexico City, will feature more than 10 countries and nearly 100 athletes. It consists of five disciplines (singles, doubles, team, all-events and Masters). Individual totals from singles, doubles, and team are combined to determine the all-events winner. The top 12 in all-events also advance to Masters play on June 14-15.
By Kevin Hazaert USBC Communications