Tournament Rules

Eligibility

The 2026 Cincinnati Tri-State Invitational Tournament (CINTIT) will be held on Friday, October 30 - Sunday, November 1, 2025 in accordance with the schedule of events that are published. The CINTIT 20265 is an invitational tournament and the tournament’s governing body has the right to deny entry to any individual for any reason. All USBC rules apply except as noted below:

A maximum of 120 bowlers will be accommodated.
All participants must be members of USBC and provide proof of membership in both the tournament application and at registration.
It is required that all participants hold a current season USBC membership card. Non-USBC bowlers may qualify for entry by purchase of an associate membership; this membership may be purchased at www.bowl.com. In the alternative, a bowler may qualify for entry by paying a five-dollar ($5.00) USBC participation fee (USBC Rule 300c). Bowlers that opt for the USBC participation fee forfeit the right to qualify for USBC special awards and recognitions.
Any person whose IGBO membership has been denied for the current season will not be allowed to participate.
PBA card holding members will not be accepted in the CINTIT 2026 tournament.
Tournament is open to participants ages eighteen (18) and up

Tournament Entries

Singles, Doubles and Team entry applications will be accepted. Every effort will be made to complete partial team entries.
Team and Doubles partnerships may consist of any combination of bowlers. Teams will consist of four (4) bowlers. Each member of a Doubles pair will bowl on the same team.
All bowling will be done during the scheduled events for the tournament: Teams & Double on Saturday, Singles on Sunday.
Priority will be given to applications (teams and individuals) ) that are both registered and paid in full (based on payment submission date/time).
Final entry decisions are made at the discretion of the tournament director.
Registration cutoff is October 16, 2026.

Tournament Events

CINTIT will conduct three (3) handicap events: Singles, Doubles and Team. Each event will consist of three (3) games. Each participant shall bowl three (3) games per event and must enter all three (3) events. Bowlers are permitted to bowl only once in each event.
Optional events include Optional Individual Scratch, Scratch Masters, Dark Horse Doubles, Senior Optional, Best 3 of 9, and Mystery Score.
Bowlers must enter any optional event prior to the start of the bowler’s first scheduled event.
Bowlers are personally responsible to ensure that they have entered any optional event they wish to participate in before throwing their first ball of tournament competition.

Averages and Handicap

Handicap will be calculated on 90% of the difference between bowler’s entering average and 230. No negative handicap will apply for bowlers with averages over 230.
For establishing an average for CINTIT, the following rules apply to ten-pin averages established by USBC sanctioned league. (Acceptable averages are those established by bowlers acting as a current team member or as team/league substitute – with a minimum of 21 games).
The average used to establish a handicap in CINTIT will be, in descending order:

Bowler shall use their 2025-26 composite book average (minimum 21 games). If one does not exist, then…
Bowler shall use their 2024-25 composite book average (minimum 21 games). If one does not exist, then…
IGBO member tournament average (TAD) as of October 1, 2026 with a minimum of 18 games. If one does not exist, then…
Bowler shall use their 2026-27 league average (minimum 15 games). If one does not exist, then...
The bowler will enter with a 230 average.

If a bowler’s IGBO tournament average for the 12 months immediately preceding October 1, 2026 is at least ten (10) pins higher than any of the averages established in rule 4c, and the number of games represented by that average is at least 18, the IGBO tournament average will be used. (USBC Rule 319e).
If a bowler is in a USBC designated “Sport” or “Challenge” league, the average reported is used to determine the entering average must be adjusted by the appropriate amount as specified on the USBC Average Conversion Charts on the USBC site. Visit: USBC - Average Conversion Chart
Each bowler must submit with the application verification of the highest average established under Tournament Rule 4c.
Failure to use the proper average will disqualify the scores if the submitted average is lower than the actual average.
Bowlers must report results from all tournament play (USBC Rule 319e).
Bowlers are also required to report scores and winnings for any single tournament (not including side pots) in which the bowler qualified for monetary awards of $500 (USD) or more during the 12-month period preceding the start of CINTIT (USBC Rule 319d). Failure to do so will result in the immediate disqualification of the bowler with scores of 0 entered with no refund given.
Bowlers are required to verify all average information during registration.

Average Adjustments
The Director may adjust the entering average of any bowler before the tournament begins. If the assigned average is not acceptable to the bowler, the entry fee shall be refunded.

Check-in and Substitutes

Registration must be completed at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the bowler’s first event.
It is solely and entirely the bowler’s responsibility to be present at the assigned lanes at the time of bowling. Late bowlers may begin bowling in the frame in which they are ready provided that the third frame has not be completed. All frames not bowled will be scored as zero (0).
All bowlers must check in at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the scheduled shift. All team members must be present for team check-in.
No substitutes will be permitted except if a bowler is unable to bowl. The team may replace that bowler for the entire tournament at any time prior to thirty (30) minutes before the start of the first event in which the bowler to be replaced is scheduled to bowl.
In the case of injury, USBC Rule 108b will apply except that the Director shall approve a substitute bowler.
Bowlers will be allowed ten (10) minutes of practice at the beginning of each event. Late bowlers will not be allowed to practice.

Errors and Disputes of Scored Games
All claims of errors/disputes of game scored and recorded recap sheets must be submitted in writing to the tournament director within one (1) hour of the error/dispute occurrence.

Payout

Each event (Singles, Doubles, Team, and Individual All Events) has its own prize list.
100% of the prize fee (See Entry Fee Breakdown) will be returned.
Optional events will return 100% of the prize funds collected for each respective event (excluding Bowler Insurance)
Pending audit, prizes will be paid within 30 days after the completion of the tournament, unless a pending protest makes that deadline impossible to meet.

Optional Events

Optional Scratch (additional $20 fee)
Scratch scores (without handicap) from the handicap portion of the tournament shall be used to determine winners. The optional scratch shall be divided into three (3) separate categories within each division: Highest single scratch game (from any of the events); highest scratch three-game series (from any of the events); and Highest scratch all events (from the nine-game total from all three events). There are five (5) scratch divisions:

Division A: 0 – 145
Division B: 146 – 165
Division C: 166 – 185
Division D: 186 – 205
Division E: 206+

Scratch Masters (additional fee)

Qualification: Bowlers will qualify for this event based on the total pinfall (scratch) accumulated during their Team and Doubles events. The top six (6) bowlers in each category qualify; if one or more of the top six (6) qualifiers are unable to bowl, the next highest qualifier will replace that participant provided they are present at 12:30pm on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at the lanes.
Location: Participants will provide their own transportation to the Scratch Masters, which will be held at Superbowl Bellewood in Newport, KY. All qualifiers are required to check-in on the lanes by 12:30pm on the Sunday of the tournament or they will be disqualified and/or replaced by alternate(s) if available. Match play will begin no later than 1pm.

Divisions and entry fees:
1) Division A: (0 – 145)................ $20.00
2) Division B: (146 – 165)............ $25.00
3) Division C: (166 – 185)........... $30.00
4) Division D: (186 – 205).......... $40.00
5) Division E: (206+)...................... $50.00

Format: Step Ladder
The Champion is determined the winner of Game 5
In the event of a tie for qualification position (including alternate), the higher position will be granted to the bowler that has the highest individual series in the tournament across Team and Doubles events.
In the event of a tie in any game or the stepladder competition, bowlers will have a two (2) frame roll off. In the case of no winner after three (3) roll offs, there will be a sudden death roll off. The person with the highest pin count will be declared the winner. In the case of a tie, bowlers will continue until a winner is declared.
Sudden death is defined as a throw-by-throw competition until one of the bowlers throws a higher count than the other.

Mystery Score (Additional $20 fee)

During the first two (2) games of the Singles, Doubles and Team event, a random two (2) digit number will be drawn. If this two (2) digit number matches the last two (2) digits of the bowler’s scratch score for that game, then bowler would be eligible to win a percentage of the total prize fund collected for this event. If more than one bowler matches the drawn number, then the prize allotted would be split between all bowlers whose scratch score matched the drawn number. If no bowler matches the drawn number, then another number will be drawn until a winner(s) is selected.

Best 3 of 9 (Additional $20 fee)

Bowlers best three (3) handicap games out of the nine (9) games bowled in the Singles, Doubles and Team event will be combined into a three (3) game total. This combined total will be stacked ranked against all other bowlers combined three (3) game total who entered this event.

Dark Horse Doubles (Additional $5 fee)

Bowlers individual handicap doubles total will be randomly combined with another CINTIT 2026 bowler’s individual handicap doubles (entering bowler cannot be paired with themselves). This combined handicap score will be stacked ranked against all other bowlers who entered this event.

Senior Optional Handicap Event: (Additional $20 fee; bowlers aged 50+ only)

Bowlers individual handicap Singles, Doubles, and Team event scores will be used. This combined handicap score will be stacked ranked against all other bowlers who entered this event.

Tournament Decisions

In all matters of dispute, the Director’s decision is final unless an appeal is made in accordance with USBC Rule 329.

Applications

Only applications with complete information will be accepted. Entries must include:

Complete application (individual, doubles pair, and team entries will be accepted).
Average verification for entering average with league average sheet, league secretary contact information and USBC sanction number.

Any entry submitted after 12:00am on October 17, 2025 will be accepted at the discretion of the tournament director.
All entries will be submitted online no later than 11:59pm on October 16, 2026.
All payments must be submitted and cleared by 11:59pm on October 16, 2025.
Entry Fee Breakdown (a $5 processing fee will be added at checkout):

Lineage: $27
Banquet: $40
Prize Fund: $53
Trophies/Awards: $10
IGBO: $3
Administration: $2

TOTAL: $135

Disputes

In all matters of dispute, the Director’s decision is final unless an appeal is made in accordance with USBC Rule 329.

USBC Rules of Note

USBC Rule 18 (Bowling Ball - Altering Surface) states: While bowling in USBC competition, a bowling ball cannot:

Have the surface altered using an abrasive.
Be cleaned with any liquid substance or cleaning agent.
Have any foreign material on it including, but not limited to, powder, rosin, marker, or paint.
All bowling balls so altered or cleaned must be removed from the competition.
Note that as of August 1, 2022, USBC removed the pandemic exemption allowing the use of isopropyl alcohol.
Note there is no exception for balls being brought into play after competition begins.
CINTIT will allow bowlers to clean their equipment between events.

USBC Rule 12 (Approaches Must Not Be Defaced) states: Detracting from the possibility of other players having normal conditions is prohibited. This includes:

The application of any foreign substance on any part of the approach.
Improperly applying talcum powder, pumice, soap stone, rosin or any other foreign substance on the shoes causing the substance to be transferred to the approach.
Soft rubber soles or heels that rub off on the approach.

USBC Chapter 8 Item 7 (Drilling Requirements) states in part:

Holes or indentations for gripping purposes iii) Must be used on every delivery.
Any secondary hole drilled inside of a gripping hole that is not intended for gripping purpose is considered a void and not allowed.
No balance holes are allowed.
Balls without a thumb hole must have a scribed or engraved cross-hair lines ("+") near the center of the palm to indicate the grip orientation. The ball must be delivered in the marked orientation.