For over 60 years, Little League Baseball has been the primary organization for St. Louis Park kids to play ball. “I expect this to be true for the next sixty years,” said Matt Farley, President of St. Louis Park Little League. “Little League provides a great baseball experience for every kid who wants to play. This summer we had over 400 kids participate in our program. Kids are having fun and falling in love with baseball. We’re excited to help create more opportunities for kids to develop their passion for baseball in SLP.”
Now, there’s another option for those talented little leaguers who want to play more. All it took was a bright idea and some scheduling cooperation.
The Cal Ripken Youth Development Program will focus on player development with kids 8-12 without any scheduling conflicts with SLPLL. Now, Little Leaguers can participate in both programs throughout the summer.
The Cal Ripken Youth Development program will be lead by Charlie McChesney, who coached the 12 year old Little League All-Stars this past summer. “I’m excited to lead the Cal RIpken Development program,” said McChesney. “We have a lot of baseball talent in St. Louis Park. Our 2013 Cal RipkenTeams will fit seamlessly with the Little League schedule and will challenge our best players to build their skills against top competition. It will be a lot of fun for those kids – they can play in additional tournaments and still maintain a great Little League experience. We hope our new program will be an ideal complement to Little League and help pave the way to (for our kids) Williamsport.”
Williamsport, Pennsylvania is the home of the largest youth sports tournament in the world, the Little League World Series. Robbinsdale Little League represented Minnesota in the Tournament this summer after winning the District tournament and subsequently, the State Little League title. Their road to Williamsport fell just a few games short in the Midwest Regional. “Robbinsdale was solid this last year,” said McChesney, “ but we (SLP) beat them 8-5 in district pool play. We proved that SLP has the talent to win at the regional level. “
The objective of these Cal Ripken Development Teams will be to promote the skill development and teamwork of our top players. The organization will be lead by non-parent organizers who will select the players and coaches for each team. Cal Ripken Teams are designed to be a compliment to the Little League experience, taking advantage of the natural breaks in the Little League schedule. “We’d like to have at least 2 teams at each age level,” said McChesney. “we’ll just have to see how we can balance the talent and demand for more baseball.”
Cal Ripken Team workouts should begin in mid April and will conclude in mid-June right before Little League All-Star selections. Practices will be held Sunday evenings. Each team will participate in up to 2 weekend tournaments. Tournament play will be local and will be limited to weekends when Little League is NOT playing. Base cost for the program is $99.
“I’m excited about the opportunities for the kids in SLP,” said Farley. “Charlie knows how to build successful programs for kids. He’s got a high energy level, great ideas and is well qualified to lead this program.” McChesney currently serves as Youth Services Coordinator for SLP Public Schools.
*Cal Ripken Baseball is a division of Babe Ruth Baseball for players 12 and under.
For more information, contact:
Charlie McChesney at cmcchesney@gmail.com
Matt Farley at matt@mattfarleyrealtor.com
Register for Little League @: https://slplittleleague.ngin.com/register/form/049602057
Register for Cal Ripken @: https://slpbb.ngin.com/register/form/406783764
*Cal Ripken Baseball is a division of Babe Ruth Baseball for players 12 and under.
