Abbotsford Challenger Baseball News

2015 was the First season Challenger Baseball was part of our Association and available in Abbotsford.

Challenger Baseball is an opportunity for children with cognitive or physical disabilities to enjoy the thrill of playing baseball, be part of a team, develop physical and social skills plus all the other benefits of participation in baseball at a level structured to their abilities. Games are played in a fun, safe environment where no score is kept. Our philosophy is very simple: 'Play, just for fun!!'

Thanks to Sponsorship, Grants, and Donation we were able to make it a no fee program in 2015, not collecting any league fees from the families who participated in Challenger.  We were also able to supply New Uniforms and New Batting helmets to keep for each player.

We had 14 Players register and  play Challenger Baseball in 2015.  At the beginning of the season we started off by visiting each family at their home to introduce ourselves, show them some baseball equipment and try on a helmet that they kept for the season.  From the 14 players two teams were formed.  Each week on Saturday's from 10am - 11am  we played a fun game at Ridgeview Park.  It was impossible to leave that park each week without feeling great.  Anyone that came out to help or watch could see how cool it was for the players and it was impossible not to spend the whole hour smiling.

A big part of the Challenger Baseball Program is Volunteers, "Buddies". We needed 2 Coaches and 1 buddy per player for each game. I was worried that organizing the volunteers for each game was going to be the hardest part of the season. I used a Online Sign up sheet for volunteers that had time slots that people could fill in for each week. It was a nice surprise that all the slots filled up so quickly and with very little soliciting from me. Our association came through big time to help out from our Angels we had:

• Coaches 
• Players 
• Parents 
• Umpires 
• Teams; Bantam AA, Bantam A 

From the community we had the Cardinals come out twice and other members of the community who committed to come out each week.

We attended BC Challenger Jamboree in Burnaby.  Each season one of the challenger leagues hosts a Jamboree which is a one day Challenger Baseball Day for all the challenger teams in BC.  There were over 13 different challenger teams there.  There was music, baseball games, food, and special guests like Ronald McDonald and Bob The Brown Bear.  We also attended the BC Challenger Night at the Nat, there was a discounted ticket price of $11 for the game. it was the San Diego Chicken Night too so the kids had a blast.  About 300 Tickets were purchased by Challenger leagues it was well attended.  Our season ending with a Wrap up and BBQ with awards for the players and coaches.

Challenger is a positive program for our Association and our community.  Our goal is to grow this program, serving families in our community and giving kids in our association the opportunity to volunteer and help others.  We are excitied about the 2016 Season. Registration is now open for the 2016 season on our website.