Teams from KCK RBI participated in an opening day tournament recently. Special guests were Mayor Mark Holland and Assistant UG Administrator Bob Roddy. (Photo from KCK RBI)
The Kansas City, Kan., Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities kicked off its fifth season of play with a Parade of Champions May 16 at Eisenhower Middle School, followed by the 2014 Joe Hooker Memorial preseason tournament during the weekend.
In five seasons, KCK RBI has grown from 155 youth to 904 league participants with more than 40 teams filled with kids and participants who reside in Kansas City, Kan.
All league schedules for teams 12 and under have been posted at www.kckrbi.org (see document section). The season for youth ages 13-18 began the first week in June.
Special guests attending the KCK RBI opening day was Mayor Mark Holland, Assistant County Administrator Bob Roddy and KC Royals mascot, Sluggerrr.
“In five years we have grown from 150 kids to over 900 kids and raised our league grade point average from 1.9 to 2.6, we are excited about the future of the program both athletically and academically and we are thankful that Mayor Holland took the time out of his busy schedule to attend our opening day,” said Cle Ross, KCK RBI executive director. “Now we have kids that not only want to be Major League Citizens they also want to be future executives within the community we all reside in which will help create a positive environment for all parties involved.”
Joe Hooker Memorial Tournament results:
Coach Pitch Joe Hooker Memorial Tournament: Champs- Yankees. Runner ups- Rays, 3rd place Orioles. All games were played at Eisenhower.
9-10 Joe Hooker Memorial Tournament: Royals- Champs, Orioles 2nd place, 3rd place Dodger. All games were played at City Park.
11-12 Joe Hooker Memorial Tournament: Rangers- Champs, Royals- 2nd place, Tigers 3rd place. All games were played at City Park.
Sponsors of the event included Freightquote, Calley Tires, and The Meal Ticket . Tournament organizers thanked the Kansas City, Kan., Parks and Rec Department for their assistance in making the event possible.
