Scholarships

The vision, dedication and hard work of pioneers like Jiro Mochizuki and Paul Suzuki are often forgotten or unknown by today’s CBO Sports League participants. Youth sports leagues cannot exist without a gym to play in nor devoted officials to referee the games. It is a testament to these pioneers that Asian American youth sports leagues have endured for over half a century and have become the envy of other sports leagues. Their effort has touched generations of young people and continues to offer a venue in which to participate in competitive sports while learning the values of friendship, commitment, and sportsmanship. With this acknowledgement the CBO Sport League awards three scholarships to graduating seniors.  

Jiro Mochizuki Memorial Award ($1,500)

The Crescent Bay Optimist (CBO) established the Jiro Mochizuki Memorial Scholarship to commemorate his contribution to the CBO Sports League.  As an early member of the CBO, Mr. Mochizuki was an instrumental “gym facilitator”, securing gym time for the fledgling CBO Sports League during its early years.  Working through the labyrinth of school and municipal district policies Mr. Mochizuki was able to obtain permits so that the young participants would have a gym to play their Sunday games and also a gym to practice at during the week.

Today, we take for granted the availability of gym facilities not realizing that they are in high demand and not easily obtained.  Because Mr. Mochizuki established an excellent working rapport with the school and municipal districts we continue to reap the benefits of his hard work.

The recipient of the Jiro Mochizuki Memorial Scholarship is presented to the Outstanding CBO Senior Academic Athlete.

Paul Suzuki Memorial Award ($1,000) 

The CBO Sports League established the Paul Suzuki Memorial Scholarship to honor his dedication to Japanese American sports leagues.  Mr. Suzuki was an early official in the Nisei Athletic Union (NAU), a Japanese American sports league founded after World War II, officiating baseball, softball as well as basketball games.

When the Community Youth Council (CYC) started in the 1950s and the Crescent Bay Optimist (CBO) in the 1960s, Mr. Suzuki took on the responsibility of finding and assigning qualified officials for both Asian American youth sports leagues.  Although he was a trustee of the CYC youth sports league, Mr. Suzuki was instrumental in helping the CBO Sports League get established.  He was quoted as saying, “We all worked together to get the youth leagues off the ground.”

The recipient of the Paul Suzuki Memorial Scholarship is presented to the Distinguished CBO Senior Academic Athlete. 

Mary Woo Excellence in Community Service Award ($1,000) 

The CBO Sports League Award was renamed in memory of Mary Woo in 2016 to honor her commitment to youth basketball and her tireless efforts in supporting it.
 
Mrs Woo's involvement in Asian America youth basketball started in 1982 when she volunteered to be the parent representative for her son's team in the West Los Angeles Youth Club (WLAYC) This led to her becoming the boys commissioner and a member of the WLAYC Board of Directors.  In 1991 she became a Crescent Bay Optimist Sports League (CBO) commissioner and continued to serve both organizations for another 25 years until she passed away in 2016. While she filled many roles, she was instrumental in securing gym space, scheduling referees, arranging for team awards as well as providing her invaluable advice to the CBO Board. 
 
Her commitment to the youth of our community has given thousands of children the opportunity to learn sportsmanship, teamwork and respect for others in a safe and secure environment.  Mrs Woo was an example of how much the unselfish efforts of just one person can help so many.
  
The Mary Woo Excellence in Community Service Award is presented to the CBO Senior Athlete that best exemplifies the qualities of Mrs Woo, including a dedication to community service, exceptional leadership skills as well as scholastic achievement.


DUE DATE:

A completed application packet must be received by:
 
Sunday January 13, 2019. 

Applications postmarked after January 14th will not be considered. Please mail or email completed applications, transcript, letters of recommendation, and senior picture to:

CBO Scholarship Committee

c/o Aya Yamashita

23108 Maple Avenue
Torrance, Ca 90505

or email application to: info@cbosportsleague.org 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at info@cbosportsleague.org

AWARD ELIGIBILITY: 

1. Have played a minimum of 5 years in the CBO Sports League, grades 3rd -12th. 

2. Graduate in June 2019 and have an overall, weighted grade point average of at least 3.0. GPA shall be based on the final grades received in the 10th and 11th grades and the 1st semester of the 12th grade. Please include a copy of the transcript with the application. 

3. Completed at least 40 hours of community service. 

4. Submit a letter of recommendation from a qualified school official (any active teacher or counselor) or an unrelated adult (coach, minister, professional, supervisor, etc.). 

5. Submit a wallet sized or scanned senior picture (to be used on website). The photo will not be returned. 

6. Participate in a 15 minute interview conducted by the CBO Scholarship Committee.  Eligible applicants will be notified of this date.