Adam Martinez and Jenny Brown

Adam Martinez and Jenny Brown both had something to prove.

In Adam's case, the 20-year-old San Antonio native showed the country that a back-up bowler could prevail as a national champion. Since he began bowling 13 years ago, the 2007 male U.S. Junior Amateur Champion has used a back-up ball delivery, where his right-handed release twists to result in a left-hand-style hook pattern.

That style works for him, giving him enough power to maintain a 222 average in the Astro Masters Scholarship League at Astro Bowl, one of six certified leagues he competed in during the 2006-07 season.

While prepping for the 2007 USBC Junior Gold Championships, Adam realized he had to place in the top five if he wanted to earn a spot on Junior Team USA. His seventh-place finish at the 2006 event was high enough to be considered for one of three additional team spots determined by the National Selection Committee, but he had been passed over in favor of bowlers with more traditional styles.

By the end of the 2007 event's qualifying rounds, Adam had worked his way up to 16th place among the 1,079 boys who competed. He also earned an 11-in-a-row award for the 296 game he rolled during his qualifying squad time at AMF Airport Lanes. It was his first official USBC Sport Bowling award, although he already had been recognized for five perfect certified games rolled on standard conditions since 2002.

Adam kept to a 203 average during qualifying and semifinals, but really turned up the heat during the finals, where he averaged more than 218 on the challenging Sport pattern. Competition among the boys for the top four spots was extreme, with only a four-point spread between Adam's first-place finish and two athletes who tied for third, but Adam prevailed to win the national title and his position on Junior Team USA 2008.

Three days later, back in San Antonio, Adam shot his sixth perfect game during the Oldies and Goodies Youth Adult League at Oak Hills Lanes. He's still chasing the elusive 300 Sport, but he's shown that goal to be within his reach, too.

At the 2007 USBC Junior Gold Championships, Jenny Brown was out to prove she has the skills and stamina to win a national title.

Soon after Jenny joined her first certified league six years ago, she earned Florida state titles in singles and all-events in 2001 and successfully defended both these titles the following year. She also helped her DeLand High School bowling team win back-to-back state championships in 2004 and 2005.

Setting her sights on national success, Jenny first earned an entry in the Junior Gold Championships in 2005, when she advanced to semifinals and finished in 25th place. The next year she returned to earn third place and a spot on Junior Team USA 2007. Since there were no international youth bowling events scheduled for 2007, Jenny hasn't had a chance to try for an international title or medal – yet.

This past July at the 2007 USBC Junior Gold Championships, Jenny took the lead among the girls in the qualifying rounds and never looked back. For 30 games she totaled 6,078, averaging more than 202 per game, and finished 150 points ahead of her closest competitor to win first place and her title as the female 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion.

Her win also gave her a spot on Junior Team USA 2008 and the possibility to compete in the three international youth events planned for next year: the American Zone Youth Championships in Lima, Peru; the World Youth Championships in Orlando, Fla.; and the Tournament of the Americas in Tamarac, Fla.

Jenny and Adam will both work toward goals of international success when they meet with world-class coaches during the team's training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., early next year.