Strange Sports Scholarships

Championship marble play can lead to scholarships.

In 2011, championship marble play is enough to earn a $2,000 scholarship at the National Marbles Tournament held annually in June. Tournament competitors are all champion "mibsters," or marble shooters, between 7- and 14-years old, from around the country. This is one of several sports scholarships that some call strange. But the reality is that these scholarships offer real money to enable the winners to pursue higher education, and perhaps that is the greatest championship of all.

The Gertrude J. Deppen Scholarship

The Gertrude J. Deppen Scholarship is available to students attending Pennsylvania's Bucknell University in Lewisburg. The terms of the scholarship forbid participation in strenuous athletic competition, habitual use of tobacco, intoxicating liquor and narcotics. Scholarship holders are graduates of Mount Carmel Public High School and residents of the township of Mount Carmel for at least 10 years. Gertrude J. Deppen was a member of Bucknell's Class of 1902. Her brother, Joseph H. Deppen of the Class of 1900, established the scholarship in her memory.

The Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) Scholarship

U.S. residents enrolled as full-time students in state-accredited high schools can apply for the SAMMY scholarship. Applicants need a minimum GPA of 3.20. The application requires a 250-word essay to explain how milk helps the applicant academically and/or in athletic terms. Other conditions are that applicants be active in a high school or club sport, and have no criminal record. In 2011 the value of this scholarship is $7,500 plus the opportunity to star in a Milk Mustache commercial.

The Evans Scholars Foundation Scholarship

Both male and female golf caddies are eligible for the Evans Scholars Foundation scholarship.The Foundation is a charitable arm of the Western Golf Association (WGA). Established since 1899, the Association's golf championships are among the most famous in the United States. In 1929, golfer Charles "Chick" Evans, Jr., approached the WGA to administer the scholarship fund he established previously for caddies to attend college. The WGA awarded the first two scholarships in 1930. Application criteria include scholarship, leadership, character and financial need.

The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship

The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship is for graduating high school seniors with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher who are active skateboarders. They must also be U.S. citizens. Enrollment in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year institution is another stipulation.The scholarship honors the late Patrick Kerr, a Philadelphia teenager whose passion was skateboarding. Kerr died in a skateboarding accident.

References

• The National Marbles Tournament: Information
• Bucknell University: The Gertrude J. Deppen Scholarship
• Body By Milk:The Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) Scholarship
• Evans Scholars:The Evans Scholars Foundation Scholarship
• Western Golf Association: History Of The Evans Scholars Foundation Scholarship
• New Visions: The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship

Resources

• Jeff Kanezo: Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Homepage