ARLINGTON, Texas – The Brands of Ebonite International – Ebonite, Track, Hammer, and Columbia 300 – have become the presenting sponsor of the Junior Gold Championships after agreeing to a two-year sponsorship deal with International Bowling Campus Youth Development.

The sponsorship deal includes several exciting features, including a scholarship program that will award a total of $20,000 to Junior Gold bowlers across the country, and the opportunity for four bowlers to receive a special trip to Ebonite’s headquarters each year of the agreement.

The 2017 Junior Gold Championships presented by The Brands of Ebonite International will take place in Cleveland and will feature the Ebonite, Hammer, Track and Columbia 300 brands. Ebonite has an option to extend the agreement two additional years, which could push the sponsorship deal to 2020. The sites for the event past 2017 will be announced at a later date.

“The Brands of Ebonite International are thrilled to be part of the Junior Gold Championships,” said Randy Schickert, President and CEO of Ebonite International. “Youth bowling is so important to our sport and we’re excited to be involved in a great event that provides young athletes an avenue for outstanding competition.”

Key components for each brand include:

• Track – Junior Gold Road to College Scholarships
• Ebonite – Road to Junior Gold Experience of a Lifetime
• Hammer – Presenter of the Survivor tournament
• Columbia 300 – Official ball of the Pepsi Youth Championships

Starting this season, Track will sponsor the Junior Gold Road to College Scholarships. The new scholarship program will award a total of $20,000 in scholarships across the country. The program randomly will select 80 Junior Gold advancers and each will receive a $250 scholarship that will be placed in their SMART account. Under the cutting-edge Track brand, the program also will take place in 2017-2018.

The Brands of Ebonite International also will award additional scholarships during the Junior Gold Championships. Scholarship bonuses for select honor scores shot during competition will go into the winners’ SMART accounts.

“We appreciate Ebonite’s support of the Junior Gold Championships,” said IBC Youth Development Managing Director Gary Brown. “As we continue to build a future for the sport through programs such as Junior Gold, it is great to have partners who can add more value to our programs and events.”

A new promotion, the Road to the Junior Gold Experience of a Lifetime presented by Ebonite, will give four Junior Gold members and a guest an all-expenses-paid trip to Ebonite International’s headquarters in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where they will receive a tour of the facility, coaching, special prizes, and more. Ebonite randomly will select four members during each of the next two seasons, a total of eight selections, for Road to the Junior Gold Experience of a Lifetime presented by Ebonite.

Hammer will serve as the presenter of the Survivor tournament, the companion event to the Junior Gold Championships. The tournament annually is the largest single Junior Gold qualifying event, with more than 850 bowlers taking part in 2016.

Columbia 300 now is the official bowling ball of the Pepsi Youth Championships, the youth tournament that is open to all United States Bowling Congress Youth members. As part of its support of the tournament, Columbia 300 will provide each Pepsi Youth Championships state coordinator a Columbia 300 bowling ball to utilize for fundraising at their Pepsi State tournament.

The Brands of Ebonite International also plan to have a major presence when the 2017 Junior Gold Championships rolls into Cleveland.

On the Friday before registration and the trade show opens, Ebonite International will host a four-brand demonstration day so bowlers can see and test the latest equipment in the Ebonite brand lineups.

On the Friday after qualifying, The Brands of Ebonite International plan to host clinics and offer the company’s top coaches for private coaching to the bowlers who don’t qualify and want to learn how they might have better attacked the lanes. Bowlers will have the opportunity to bowl on Junior Gold patterns and coaches will help players learn how to play the lanes.

The Brands of Ebonite International also plan to connect with Junior Gold bowlers throughout the year through its website and social media.

To learn more about the brands of The Brands of Ebonite International, go to EBIbowling.com.

Visit BOWL.com/JuniorGold to learn more about the Junior Gold Championships.