Bowling Your Way to College: Scholarships for Youth Bowlers

Over the last few years, bowling has risen to the ranks as a respected NCAA sport in some parts of the country. Intercollegiate tournaments and championships are even broadcasted on television. This makes one thing clear: college students want to keep bowling.

The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) has assisted students with college funds by providing scholarships to outstanding bowlers, and even the NCAA is on board the recruiting game. Awards are available for outstanding male and female bowlers as well as those demonstrating financial need.

Two of the most prominent scholarships available are the USBC Alberta Crowe and Chuck Hall Stars of Tomorrow Awards. These are for one female and one male bowler, respectively, who have outstanding bowling performance in their youth leagues. A minimum average of 175 is required of applicants. Candidates must also have a minimum 2.5 GPA and be involved in extracurricular and community service activities.

Award amount: $1,500

Deadline: October 1^st

The USBC Youth Ambassador of the Year Award honors an accomplished bowler for his or her contributions to the community and academic accomplishments. Along with the $1,500 scholarship, the winner also has a chance at being selected to the USBC Youth Committee and traveling to board meetings and the annual spring USB Convention. The scholarship is also awarded to one male and one female.

Deadline: November 1^st

The Earl Anthony Memorial Award was established in honor of the legendary professional bowler of the same name. Each year, five youth bowlers are given the award in honor of their academic performance and community involvement, but financial need is also a consideration. Applicants must be in their senior year of high school or currently attending college with a cumulative GPA of 2.5. They can only receive the award once.

Award amount: $5,000

Deadline: May 1^st

The Gift for Life Scholarships are awarded to 12 USBC youth bowlers who are currently in grades 9-12 and have a GPA of 2.0 or better. Some applicants must present proof of financial need, and two of the six annual scholarships are available for children of police or fire department members. Students can apply every year they are in high school and may win this award more than once.

Award amount: $1,000

Deadline: April 1^st

For those who want to be on competitive bowling teams, NCAA scholarships are available, but only to female bowlers. Division I and Division II both offer five scholarships apiece. 44 schools offer bowling scholarships (29 Division I and 15 Division II). Although these scholarships do not give bowlers full rides, they are available if a potential recruit puts in a full effort to contact coaches and fill out recruiting profiles for the school of their choice correctly.

Aside from national level scholarships, local associations may offer awards of their own. Sometimes someone may come by a youth league to talk with bowlers, other times announcements are made about scholarship availability and forms can readily be filled out. Although these don't come with the same level of competition as USBC and NCAA scholarships, they are still readily available and youth bowlers should take advantage of them when the time comes to apply. Essays, letters of recommendation, and a description of bowling awards and other achievements are usually required for these applications.

Although bowling is not as widely recognized as other popular college sports, the availability of scholarships makes it obvious that students enjoy the sport and want to be successful at it. These awards are appropriate for anyone who wants to have something to speak of the time they've enjoyed in youth bowling leagues and their eagerness to take their play to the next level.