FOREST LANES

champs & finalists

          First-time wins for Frankie Katz and Johanna Earle headlined exciting JBT Southern California Conference action at Forest Lanes.

          After qualifying, bowlers competed in matchplay, with the detail that bowlers were re-seeded after each round- just like baseball desperately needs to- so the highest remaining seed always played the lowest.  In the scratch division Russell Ly had a breakthrough day to lead qualifying, and got all the way to the semifinals, before falling to veteran Justin Erickson.  In the other semi, #6 seed Katz beat #4 Aaron Calica to set up the finale.  In the decider, Frankie, at just 13 years old, became the latest example of it being talent, not age, that determines JBT success, as he bowled a great game to beat Erickson and win his first career JBT title.

          The handicap bracket was upended in round one, with the top three seeds all losing, including #16 Asa Yang’s upset of top seed Owen Foley, who had been outstanding in qualifying.  In the semifinals, #4 seed Earle stopped Yang, while #10 Max Torres stopped #15 Thomas Chen to set up a battle of non-champs trying to win their first.  The final was close throughout, but in the end Johanna pulled out the win for the thrill of a first-time JBT win!

          Ly’s excellent day included a win in the U17 subdivision, beating Jayden De Guzman for that title.  The Girls Scratch final provided the match of the day, as Earle and Charlie Katz tied, which took triple OT to break with a 9-8 third shot win, good for her first title in that category as well! 

          Big thanks to Jon and the team at Forest for their usual great job hosting our Tour.  Want in on all this fun for all ages and skill levels?  Just check out our schedule and email us your reservations today!

Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026  (This is ONE tournament that is one day long, open to anyone age 21 & under as of 8/1/26). 

Start Time: Bowling begins at 9 AM.  Check-in no later than 30 minutes before squad time.  Check-in is usually open 90 minutes to 2 hours before start time.

Re-entries?:  There's only one qualifying squad, so there are no re-entries this event..

Reservations:  Please email director@bowljbt.com to reserve a spot.   In your email, please give us your name, which event(s) you are signing up for, and which division you are planning to bowl (scratch or handicap; you can change this later).   You can prepay (not required) at the 'Prepaying' section of this website.  Reservations (paid or unpaid) must check in no later than 15 minutes before start time.  At that time, all bowlers will be taken on a first come, first serve basis until the field is full.

Format: Qualifying round is 5 games.  40% of each division advance to a matchplay bracket.

Divisions/ Averages:  Scratch or handicap.  It is the bowlers' choice of division.  Also, everyone age 16 or under as of 8/1/26, with a 170+ JBT average, is automatically entered in the U-17 side event.   Also, every female with a 150+ JBT average is automatically entered in the Girls Scratch side event.   If this is your first JBT event (and choose to bowl handicap), we will be asking for average info.  In most cases, your highest average from any current form of organized competition of at least 15 games is what we need.  If you bowl in multiple leagues / clubs, bring everything and we'll sort it out for you.  If you don't have 15+ games in any organized competition this season, we need your finishing 25-26 average(s), and any 2026 summer averages.  After your first JBT event, your average is re-rated before every JBT event according to JBT rules.  Please see JBT Rule 13 for complete details.

Points:  This event counts for So Cal and All-Conference points.  Points qualify you for the big money season-ending Invitationals and Touring Players Championship, so get all you can.  Visit the 'statistics' section of the website to check on your points.  At the end of the season, the top 40 in this conference's points advance to their respective Invitationals.

Entry fee: $60, $63 if paid on-site by credit card.  Scholarship brackets are available for $2 each.  Raffle tickets for bowling balls from the brands of Brunswick, and our PowerBowl and '31' jackpots, are available on-site. 

Scholarships: 1:6 in each division earn scholarships, scratch and handicap.  Minimum prizes are $300, $150, $100, $60.  Also, bowlers who finish in the top 40 in points this season in this conference qualify for the Invitational, which features $1,000 for first place.  Bowlers who finish in the top 20 in a conference's points race after the Invitational, or the top 120 in all-conference points after the last Invitational, qualify for the 2027 Touring Players Championship, featuring $3,100 for first.

Lane conditions: conditions vary from event to event, and are not posted prior to the event (unless otherwise announced).  Some events do not post the pattern until after qualifying, or even at all.  Be ready for anything- it makes you a better bowler!  Check out previous patterns and corresponding cut scores at the 'lane conditions' section of this website to get a good idea of what you might expect.

Dress code:  Anything goes EXCEPT tank tops, gym shorts, clothing promoting alcohol, drugs, or firearms, or excessively ripped or short clothing, subject solely to the director's discretion.  However, bowlers wearing slacks or dress shorts/skirts, and a 'name shirt' or PBA-style 'dye-sub' shirt, or college or high school team shirt, earn an extra 10 points on their season-long points total.  If you're not sure about dress code, check with us.  If you're new to us, the vast majority of the bowlers do dress in the 'bonus' dress code, and those points become very important, so plan accordingly.

RESERVED BOWLERS:

This reservation is an expectation that you will be bowling.  PLEASE do not forget to contact us if you need to cancel or adjust your reservation.  Repeated 'no-shows' may result in you not being able to reserve a spot.  This list may not be updated after the Friday of the event as we travel, etc.