Terry Bigham USBC Communications

The 2014 Bowling Combine for College Prospects got underway Tuesday at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington.

The event, which runs through Saturday, was developed to bring together youth bowlers who want to compete at the collegiate level and college coaches looking for bowlers who might fit into their programs. This is the fourth year of the Bowling Combine and it has become a premier summer event for young bowlers.

This year’s event once again will put more than 100 youth bowlers through a rigorous evaluation process that will be overseen by the Team USA coaching staff. The schedule will see the girls going through the process during the first two-and-a-half days with the boys starting on Thursday afternoon.

Using the state-of-the-art tools at the ITRC, the staff will evaluate the skills of the student-athletes through tests such as shot repeatability, release ratio, spare proficiency, breakpoint management, vertical leap and balance.

The student-athletes will receive an objective analysis of their skills, including a Performance Evaluation Test (P.E.T.) score that can be used to compare all student-athletes who have attended a Bowling Combine. A recruiting kit that includes video shots, bowler variables measured and a detailed report of personal data collected at the Bowling Combine also will be given to the student-athletes.

Approximately 30 college coaches are expected to attend the Bowling Combine. Coaches in attendance not only receive an evaluation of each bowler but also will have the chance for one-on-one contact with prospective student-athletes.

Go to BOWL.com/Combine or bowlingitrc.com to learn more about the Bowling Combine.