[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


           CONGRATULATING THE UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 13, 2015

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
congratulate the United States Bowling Congress, headquartered in the 
33rd Congressional District, in Arlington, Texas which I have the 
privilege of representing for leading the International Bowling Campus 
Youth Development Initiative and being the winner of the 2015 Sports 
Teach Respect Initiative Values and Excellence (STRIVE) Organization of 
the Year.
  On Tuesday, July 14, Representatives of the U.S. Bowling Congress 
will be in the nation's capital to accept the STRIVE award as part of 
the National Youth Sports Week activities being hosted by the National 
Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) along with various fun sports related 
participation stations and youth sports participants.
  Each year the NCYS recognizes five finalist organizations that meet 
the ``kids first'' approach. Nominations are submitted by the public 
nationwide and each team is accessed on how well they implement best 
practices and policies that protect kids and promote safety. The five 
finalist organizations are listed on the NCYS website for voting by the 
public. The STRIVE Award is then presented to organizations that 
exhibit heartfelt passion and dedication to helping kids succeed in 
sports, while maintaining a commitment to safety procedures. The STRIVE 
award recipient receives a $5,000 donation.
  Comprised of numerous representatives in the youth sports industry, 
NCYS was founded in 1979, and its membership represents more than 200 
organizations/corporations serving 60,000,000 registered participants 
in organized youth sports programs. NCYS is the largest known 
organization in America representing the youth sports industry, and its 
members include organizations such as, the American Association of 
Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (Cheer Safe), American Legion 
Baseball, American Youth Soccer Organization, Jewish Community Centers 
Association of North America, YMCA of America, Pop Warner, Special 
Olympics North America, and U.S. Tennis Association.
  International Bowling Campus Youth Development is a joint effort of 
the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and Bowling Proprietors 
Association of America (BPAA). It is the largest organization serving 
youth bowling (145,000 youth bowlers last season) that supports a 
ladder-based development system designed for the growth of the athlete. 
Since the inception of the U.S. Bowling Congress' SMART program, more 
than $6 million scholarships have been awarded nationally to youth 
bowlers through organized league and tournament competition. They also 
collaborate with external amateur athletic organizations to protect the 
amateur status of student-athletes within bowling, as well as other 
sports.
  I commend the International Bowling Campus Youth Development and the 
U.S. Bowling Congress on this wonderful achievement and their work in 
Arlington and around the country, as well as the National Council of 
Youth Sports on the work it does as the go-to source for youth sports 
and safety programs.




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