ARLINGTON, Texas – Mabel Cummins of Elburn, Illinois, and Briley Haugh of Faribault, Minnesota, have been selected to receive the Youth Ambassador of the Year Award by the International Bowling Campus Youth Committee.
The Youth Ambassador of the Year Award is presented annually to one male and one female United States Bowling Congress Youth member for their exemplary contributions to the sport of bowling, academic accomplishments and community involvement. Each winner receives a $1,500 scholarship and could be selected to serve on the IBC Youth Committee.
Cummins is a sophomore at Kaneland High School and has kept a 4.0-plus grade-point average while taking Advanced Placement and honors classes. She earned USBC Level I coaching certification in 2015 and served as a volunteer coach at Kaneland Harter Middle School last season.
She provided coaching to youth league bowlers in the Chicago area and taught best practices including proper nutrition, workouts and warmup drills.
“It’s an incredible honor to be a Youth Ambassador, and I am truly humbled to be included with the incredible group of people who have held this position in the past,” Cummins said. “As an ambassador, my primary goal is to inspire more interest in bowling among young boys and girls, so they can develop physically and mentally, and make great friends, all while having fun at the same time.”
Cummins, who won the U15 girls title at the 2016 Junior Gold Championships, served as tournament coordinator for the 2016 Strike for Vets Chicago and has served as an officer and board member for youth bowling organizations including the Illinois State Scholarship Tour and the Illinois State Youth League. She chaired the Elite Youth Tour Outreach board and the Greater Aurora USBC honored her with its Star of Tomorrow award.
Haugh is a senior at Faribult High School, and since age 11, has been an instructor for an organization, started by his mother, that provides bowling instruction and coach training.
Deciding he needed more training as a coach, Haugh earned USBC Bronze coaching certification when he was 14, and two years later, became the youngest coach to receive USBC Silver certification. He has continued to coach, while also learning about ball drilling and layouts.
He has been a league organizer for Project A.B.L.E., assisting mentally-challenged adults with their weekly events, and a league organizer for Special Olympics.
“It is an incredible honor to be named the Youth Ambassador of the Year,” Haugh said. “It is an incredible feeling to be recognized for all the time and dedication I have put in to help grow the sport of bowling.”
Haugh is serving his first term on the Minnesota State USBC Youth Committee. After graduation, he plans to attend Wichita State and major in pre-law.
Cummins and Haugh will be presented their Youth Ambassador of the Year Award at the USBC Convention and Annual Meeting, set for April 24-27 at The Orleans in Las Vegas.
Visit BOWL.com/ScholarshipsAwards for more information on youth scholarships and awards.
About International Bowling Campus
The International Bowling Campus (IBC) is the headquarters for the bowling industry and directly serves the more than 69 million bowlers in the United States. The IBC houses the resources of the United States Bowling Congress, the governing body and membership organization for the sport; the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America, representing the business interests of bowling centers; IBC Youth Development; Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm for the industry; the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame; the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association; the International Bowling Media Association; the Bowling News Network; the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America; and the International Training and Research Center.
