Carolina Challenge Baseball League!

Carolina Challenge Baseball League is a new non-profit youth baseball organization, which offers an alternative to travel or tournament baseball without travel, at a fraction of the cost. So many travel teams are so expensive the average income parents can’t afford for their player to participate. Working in conjunction with Little League, Dixie Youth, Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth and Pony League youth organizations CCBL is providing challenge teams a series of competitive baseball tournaments each season. Carolina Challenge Baseball League is founded, sponsored and funded by HQ4 Baseball, a leader on the cutting edge of youth baseball & softball training.


CCBL’s inaugural tournament in March 2006 had 26 teams participate in 4 different age groups. Each age group has it’s own tournament. Area youth organizations hosted each of the different tournaments. The competition was good and the baseball was FUN! Not only did the teams have a great time the host youth associations raised money by charging a gate fee and operating a concession stand. The money is used to offset the costs their challenge programs.

Carolina Challenge Baseball League’s April Tournament is scheduled to start Friday, April 28th. 43 Teams are scheduled to participate. The teams are formed from Little League, Dixie Youth, Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth and Pony League youth organizations. We anticipate great FUN & competitive youth baseball events.

Memorial Day weekend is the next tournament on the schedule. CCBL anticipates 60+ teams will participate in 7 different age divisions during the Memorial Day Weekend tournaments.

Playing challenge baseball for your local youth association team is a way to play better baseball while not losing touch with your local youth organization. It will also serve to strengthen youth associations and allow them to offer programs to help keep their better players from leaving to play for travel & tournament teams. Ultimately is allows the youth organizations to develop players and in turn strengthen and develop their leagues overall. It also allows youth orgs. to have a broader list of players with good skills and tournament experience in which to choose their post season teams from.

The CCBL website offers team guidelines, CCBL charter or mission, roster template, online team registration, online tournament entry form and payment options. CCBL accepts MasterCard and Visa. We also offer insurance coverage through K&K Insurance for that league who’s insurance does not cover challenge baseball.

For information: http://www.challengebaseball.com or
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: 704-423-0030

 

For those that have concerns of high travel costs, this is a great opportunity.
Marty Barker and company with HQ4 are unique guys. Their concern is not with the players that play on the so called (super teams) but with the majority of kids that love the game and want to have excellent coaching to improve their fundamentals.

They have devloped tournaments that fill that much needed niche and that supports the youth organizations that would like to play others to broaden their experiences.

They are having a Memorial weekend tournament and they already have 60 teams signed up for the different age brackets. Have you ever heard of tournament officials giving money back to the organizations and the people (volunteers) that help with these type tournaments? Well, these guys do.

If you ever have a chance to meet Marty Barker or Al Dahlgren, you will leave being impressed that these guys "get it". It ain't about the money...it ain't about the "next level...get in front of scouts" kind of guys. It's about providing a competitive and learning experience for the majority of kids that may or may not fit that description, but love the game of baseball and want to play in a tournament environment.

It's unique, it's fun, it's competitive and everybody is a winner!!!!!

 

Challenge League

It appears that this is just another league that is opening to compete with AAU and USSSA. Tournament teams, whether AAU or USSSA travel according to the wishes of the parents and what they are willing to contribute to accomodate this travel. Youth leagues are definately important to the communities at hand, but do they receive the type of coaching that the young player requires to hone his/her skills? My experience has shown that all too many times "DADS" are out there who really dont know the eccentricities and nuances of the game to further the players development in order for them to matriculate to either Middle School or HS Play and hopefully beyond. I,ve also seen some of these more talented players, who play in Rec leagues totally dominate the lesser players and scores of games are often really one sided. Im not against this idea I have just seen it mis-used and taken advantage of by some unscrupulous "COACHES?" in the past. But Iwish you good luck in your endeavors.

 

Any way you look at it, all youth baseball is Daddy ball.

The term "league" is a misnomer. If I understand it correctly, they develop tournaments in the Charlotte for the youth associations. Although they may have an AAU team participating, they target the Rec Leagues and getting them involved in playing a tournament type challenge without the expense that is involved with travel teams.

Marty Barker is a die hard Babe Ruth, Little League and Pony League advocate. This is his way of involving those associations without having to go the route of travel team baseball. There are many players that love baseball, but either can't afford or are not talented enough to play for a showcase type team. Those are the kids that Marty loves and targets.

If there is a better way to do it, I'm sure that Marty will be happy to hear your suggestions.

 

sense of community

From the perspective of a "rec" coach that has been there, you hate to "lose" good players constantly to travel ball.
Sounds like this CCBL is an effort to keep some good players playing for the community team.

 

reply to "old guy coach"

Sir,
USSA and AAU travel teams are not allowed to participate in our CCBL tournaments. A player must be on a regular season rec roster to be eligible for his rec league "challenge team". Yes dads are coaching these teams for the most part but one of our main goals at HQ4 Baseball is to give the average dedicated volunteer coach some much needed help teaching youth baseball. I think you would agree that baseball fundamentals taught properly as a dad or professional is important during the early stages of a young baseball player's career. Just because a coach is an AAU and USSSA coach does not guarantee he's teaching solid fundamentals.

 

It sounds to me like just another opportunity for kids to play some more baseball. What more could we want. There are only a small percentage of HS baseball players that will ever go on to play college or beyond. But, that does not mean that those that don't possess those skills, don't love playing the game. This is just a great opportunity to spend the summer doing something they love doing. Any HS coach knows that it's not 1-5 in the lineup that makes the difference in winning a conference championship or making a deep run in the playoffs. It's the production they get out of 6-9. The more you play the better you get, and this sounds like a great chance for kids to improve their games and have some fun while doing it.

 

:xyzthumbs:xyzthumbs

 

CCBL

"Not allowed to participate" in CCBL Tournaments????? What about the boys who are on USSSA or AAU Teams and also play in Rec ball, are they too 'NOT ALLOWED to participate? Sounds rather odd? Also, I, being involved in Rec ball for over 10 years I can, in 95% of all cases, tell you that AAU and USSSA Coaches know the fundamentals and nuances of the game a lot better then Daddy Ball? The path your going down has been gone down before and because of unscupulous grownups always seems to end up where there is a "Ringer" team or teams that totally dominate and therefore humiliate these ballplayers being taught the fundamentals. I just hope you don,t make the same mistakes. I,m also confused, that in an earlier post BRAVES said you do have AAU teams competing. Or did I misunderstand?

 

That's what I said...after CBBL posted, obviously they don't