The Thomas Damon / Carroll Ditteaux Memorial Singles Scholarship Tournament is a competition for youth bowlers hosted by Virginia Beach Youth Bowling, Inc., at Pinboy's at the Beach in Virginia Beach VA, October 10th thru 12th 2025. This event will be open to U8/U10/U12/U15/U18, male and female bowlers. The families of Thomas Damon and Carroll Ditteaux have donated $10,000  EACH to supplement the prize fund. Rules and registration information is below. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Bowlers will bowl 5 games, moving to a different pair after each game. Bowlers may follow each other immediately, in order, on the alternate lane. One lane courtesy will be observed.

Thomas Damon / Carroll Ditteaux Memorial Singles Scholarship Tournament

2025 Rules

DATES: October 10-11-12, 2025

Maximum of 90 entries per squad. Total entries maximum of 270 bowlers.

1. This is a USBC certified tournament. All USBC rules apply. Any matters not covered by USBC rules will be decided by the Tournament Director. Bowlers will bowl on the same fresh Sport compliant condition in each squad. The sport pattern will not be released until the end of the competition on Sunday.

2. The tournament consists of three singles events running simultaneously. The Thomas Damon and Junior Gold events are scratch. The Carroll Ditteaux event is pins-over-average. Scores bowled during a squad are used for the Thomas Damon, the Carroll Ditteaux, and the Junior Gold qualifying events. A maximum of five (5) games are bowled during a squad.

3.  The Thomas Damon / Carroll Ditteaux tournament entry fee is $50.00. A $10.00 late fee will be charged for entries received after September 30, 2025. Junior Gold qualifier fees are listed in Rule #21.

4. All entrants are competing in the Thomas Damon and Carroll DItteaux events. Optional Junior Gold Qualifier events are offered during each squad. Additional entry fees apply.

5.  Average for the Carroll Ditteaux event will be the bowler’s 2024-2025 sport average on Bowl.com. If a bowler does not have a sport average on Bowl.com, other averages will be converted to sport averages per USBC conversion chart. If a bowler does not have any average on Bowl.com, a verifiable average from his/her current 2025-2026 season league will be used and converted if necessary. Bowlers with no verifiable average will use 210 as an entering average. Bowlers are responsible for providing average verification. Bowler must email the tournament director prior to October 7, 2025, the most recent average sheet reflecting the current 2025-2026 average.

6. All bowlers must hold a 2025-2026 USBC sanction card or will be required to purchase a $4 youth standard sanction card. Bowlers may enter the scholarship tournaments only or both the scholarship tournaments and Junior Gold Qualifier. A bowler cannot enter only Junior Gold Qualifiers.

7. ****Due to the Junior Gold Qualifiers being for SUMMER 2026, bowlers who choose to enter the Junior Gold Qualifiers will be required to pay for a 2025-2026 Junior Gold Membership of $50 (U16/U18),  $40 (U14) or $25 (U12) prior to bowling the qualifying squad. ALL JUNIOR GOLD MEMBERSHIPS MUST BE PAID ONLINE AT https://bowl.com/youth/youth-tournaments/junior-gold-championships/membership

8. All tournament staff will be “Safe Sport” compliant.

9.   Prize Fund:

 a. Thomas Damon and Carroll Ditteaux events each have a separate guaranteed prize fund of $10,000.00 (a total of

$20,000.00).

 b. $17.50 from each entry fee will be split evenly between the Thomas Damon and Carroll Ditteaux events.

 c. Scholarships will be paid with a minimum ratio of 1:6 based on participation with additional funds being provided by

 VBYBI at the Tournament Director’s discretion.

 d. All funds from collected “late fees/walk-ins” will be added to the prize funds with 50% going to each event.

 e. All prize funds collected from entry fees will be returned 100%.

 f. Scholarship funds will be sent to USBC SMART account # 9942.

 g. Any prizes earned from optional events: brackets, high game pots, and the eliminator will be deposited into the

winners’ SMART accounts.

10. Format for Thomas Damon event:

 a.  Thomas Damon Qualifying Squads -Bowlers will bowl five (5) games. Bowlers will move after each game to a different

assigned lane. Upon the completion of all three squads on Saturday, the Top 8 in each of the 10 divisions will advance to

Sunday’s Match Play Bracket. 

 b. ONLY SCRATCH SCORES WILL COUNT TOWARDS ADVANCEMENT TO THE DOUBLE ELIMINATION BRACKET.

 c. Double Elimination Bracket

 - Each match will be 1 game – winner determined by total pin fall.

 - The Final match of the bracket between the #1 seed in the winners’ bracket and the #1 seed of the losers’

 bracket will be 1 game. If the #1 seed of the winners’ bracket loses the game, a second game will be bowled to

 ensure one of the bowlers has 2 losses.

 -  *In the event of a tie during match play bracket rounds, a 9^th and 10^th frame roll off will determine the winner.

 This will continue until a winner is determined.

11. Format for Carroll Ditteaux event:

a. Additional games are NOT bowled for the Carroll Ditteaux event. Scores bowled in the squad are used for both

events.

b.  Pins over Average results are not used in determining advancers to Sunday match play brackets.

c.  Pins over Average prizes awarded are based on Saturday’s scores only. Each squad will have its own Pins over

Average prize fund based on the number of entries.

d. Bowlers will be ranked by total pins-over-average for five (5) games in a squad and prizes will be awarded.

e.  If tied, winners will be determined by a “Best Ball” roll-off.

12. Ball Registration Card:

a. Bowlers will be limited to six (6) bowling balls for the entire weekend and will be required to complete a ball registration card prior to the start of the competition on Saturday.  The last 4 digits of each serial number must be provided.

b. Bowlers should be prepared for random ball card checks throughout the tournament.

c. If the tournament staff finds a bowler in violation of this rule and is using an unregistered bowling ball, this will result in immediate disqualification with no ability to re-enter and forfeiture of entry fees and prizes earned.

13. Surface adjustments and Practice:

a. Surface adjustments can be made up until the first ball of scoring is thrown in a squad. Each bowler will be given 15 minutes of practice prior to each squad on Saturday and prior to match play on Sunday. At the completion of practice all abrasives, abralon pads, cleaners, etc., must be removed from the bowler’s area and stored in their bowling bags.

 b.  During competition, a bowling ball may be wiped/cleaned with only a dry towel.

 c. During the Match play rounds on Sunday, bowlers can make surface adjustments up until competition and scoring starts. Additional adjustments can be made ONLY between separate bracket rounds, not between the games in a bracket round. 

d. If the tournament staff finds a bowler to be in violation of this rule, the bowling ball will be removed from play and the bowler will be given a zero score for 1 frame immediately following the discovery of the violation. The removed bowling ball will be returned at the end of the squad.

14. On-site fundraising: These funds will be used at the Tournament director’s discretion to fund additional scholarships. Potential additional scholarships are, but not limited to:

a. 300 games bowled during the entire tournament weekend.

b.  High Game and/or High Series for bowlers in each division who do not advance to match play.

c. Funds raised but not awarded will be added to the tournament prize funds (50% to each of the Thomas Damon and Carroll Ditteaux events)

15. Dress code:  participants are required to wear the same attire as at the Junior Gold Championships. See the 2026 Competitor’s Guide for Junior Gold for full details.

a. Any attire considered to be outside of the dress code will be evaluated and the bowler may be required to change clothes to participate.

b. Regardless of sex, no jeans, sweat clothes, spandex, leggings or t-shirts will be permitted.

16.  Bowlers must check in at least thirty (30) minutes prior to the squad start time.

17. Each participant is responsible for recording his/her scores on the score sheet provided. Bowlers must sign their official score cards.

18. Only bowlers participating in this tournament and tournament staff will be allowed in the playing area during tournament play. Coaches, parents and spectators must stay in the spectator areas.

19. Any action determined to be inconsiderate of fellow participants and or bowling center property will NOT be tolerated. The tournament director will make the determination and may remove a bowler from the competition if needed. If this occurs, no entry fees will be refunded or prizes awarded.

20. Any violation of these rules could result in suspension and or disqualification from continued participation in this tournament.

21. Junior Gold Qualifier:

a. Each squad on Saturday will constitute its own qualifying event.

b. Advancement Ratio is 1:4 and the greatest fraction thereof and EARP if funds are available.

c. Bowlers may pay to re-enter subsequent squads to qualify, as necessary. Re-entering bowlers must also pay the cost to re-enter the scholarship tournament.

d. Participants will pay an additional fee determined by division for entry into the 2025-2026 Junior Gold Qualifier aspect of the tournament.

  · U18 = $62.50 per bowler

  · U16 = $62.50 per bowler

  · U14 = $50.00 per bowler

  · U12 = $37.50 per bowler (including U10 & U8 entrants)

 e.  Only advancements will be earned in this event. In the event an overage in prize fund occurs, overages will be awarded via SMART #9942.

22. Junior Gold Divisions: 

 a. U18/U16/U14 Boys/Girls: Qualifying will be on a 1:4 advancement ratio utilizing the greatest fraction thereof and EARP as necessary. If there are less than 4 bowlers of either sex, divisions will be merged by age and/or sex to maximize advancement.

 b. U12 Boys and Girls: Qualifying will be on a 1:4 advancement ratio utilizing the greatest fraction thereof and EARP as necessary. If there are less than 4 bowlers of either sex, divisions will be merged by age and/or sex to maximize advancement.

 c. In the event of a tie for the last qualifying spot, the bowler with the higher 5^th game of the set will win the Junior Gold Entry.

 d. All advancement winners will be asked to sign an advancement acceptance form. This form states that winners will give adequate notice to the tournament officials if the bowler cannot attend the Junior Gold Championships in 2026.

 · ***If the bowler neglects to give notice, a substitution could not be placed, and the spot goes un-used, then the bowler/bowler’s parent(s) agrees to repay the scholarship fund.