The Champion Baseball League for physically and mentally challenged children
was founded in 1989 by a local banker and an area psychologist. At the
time, it was believed to be only the second league of its kind in the United States.
Since its inception, the Oriole Advocates have been the major sponsor of the
project.
This organization teaches the players the fundamentals of baseball, progressive
skills development, encouragement, sportsmanship, and self-esteem. The
ages of the children range from six to 21 years of age; most of the children
have developmental disabilities.
There are now 8 Champion and Challenger leagues throughout Maryland. Contact info
for several can be found below. More will be added in the near future.
The
Oriole Advocates' Challenger Tournament
The Oriole Advocates, along with the Cal Ripken Sr Foundation,
sponsor a Challenger baseball tournament every year, with teams from Pennsylvania, Virginia
and Maryland
all taking part. The Oriole Bird entertains the crowd and a
retired Oriole player is usually on hand to sign
autographs. It is a labor of love for everyone involved.
Every year the tournament is held in a different location, thereby allowing
each league a chance to host. The 2009 tournament was hosted by the Calvert American Little League Challengers on April 19th and was a rousing success! To see a photo album of the tournament, click here.
If anyone knows of a Challenger
league interested in joining the tournament, please contact Mary Hevey,
410-227-1697.
