Dec. 14, 2008
NORFOLK,VA--Jake Hardison, the Virginia District 8 Administrator and event coordinator for over 20 years who started the Challenger Little League Baseball Fun Weekend which enables handicap and disabled children to play the game of baseball will be honored as the 32nd recipient of the Bud Metheny Award at the GTI Systems, Inc. "Meet the Stars" banquet., Friday, Jan. 23rd at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside. The banquet serves as part of the annual ODU Baseball Clinic weekend, which features 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rich " Goose" Gossage of the New York Yankees as the keynote speaker and clinician. This award is given for outstanding service to baseball, in particular youth baseball.
The Worldwide Challenger Jamboree has succeeded the Virginia District 8 "Challenger Little League FunWeekend," labeled the worlds largest Little League Baseball Challenger event of its kind," held eachYear for 13 consecutive years in May from 1992-2005 in Norfolk, Va.
Hardison has worked with little league baseball for over 48 years. In 1998, Little League International headquarters revised the Little League playing rules to allow handicap and disabled children to play the game of baseball. Under Hardison's direction District 8 Little League decided to invite the teams in the State of Virginia to play baseball and have a fun weekend. The first year there were a total of 16 teams. The Challenger fun weekend steadily grew each year and expanded to nine states in team participation where it mushroomed to 100 teams in 2006. There is no competition involved between the teams, no score is kept and everyone plays every inning. "They all come as winners and they all leave as winners," say's Hardison.
Hardison is credited with the formation of most of the leagues in District 8. He was awarded the Pete McGovern Award, the highest award given by Little League International as the events top volunteer. Hardison has helped raise between $80-$90,000 which has helped fun various state operations. The Genetti Hotel in Williamsport, PA named a room after him, joining Bob Hope and President Gerald Ford who also have rooms in their names.
In 2005, Little League International approved to have a world wide tournament in Norfolk and changethe name from tournament to Jamboree. On July 15, 2001 the first Challenger teams played on the south lawn of the White House.
Plans are in process to build a Little League Challenger Jamboree Museum to immortalize the memoriesof children that play in the Jamboree each year through team photos, challenger game artifacts, andvideo clips highlighting games of each year.
Tickets for the banquet are $60 and on sale at the Old Dominion Athletic Ticket Office in the Ted Constant Convocation Center (683-4444). The annual ODU Baseball Clinic will be held Saturday,Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Constant Convocation Center . Tickets for the clinic are $5.
PREVIOUS BUD METHENY WINNERS1978 Dave Rosenfield General Manager, Norfolk Tides, Clinic co-founder1979 George Kotarides President, Milton's Pizza1980 Ed NagourneyRices Nachman Dept. Store1981 Bud MethenyFormer Old Dominion Baseball coach1982 George McClellandFormer Executive Sports Editor-The Virginian Pilot1983 Charlie SuggReal Estate Assessor, City of Norfolk1984 Don FettPresident, Waymar, Inc.1985 Clyde McCulloughFormer Major League scout1986 Abe GoldblattSportswriter, The Virginian Pilot/Ledger Star 1987 Richard J. DavisPresident, Tidewater Professional Sports, INC.1988 Harry PostoveMajor League Scout1989 Hank FoilesFoiles Insurance, former Major leaguer1990 Lewis D.HirschlerHofheimer's Inc.1991 Richard AlexanderUmpire1992 Bob RathbunFormer sports anchor, WTKR TV, WTAR Radio1993 Sandra PickinFounder of the Peninsula Muscular Dystrophy Benefit Baseball Trn.1994 John T. CallahanFormer President of Tidewater Baseball League1995 Gary WrightTidewater Summer League and AAU Baseball1996 Paul FraimMayor of Norfolk1997 Roy L. Burton, Jr.Founder of Willard-Lakewood Athletic Assoc. & Granby Booster Club1998 Paul VestalPresident Greenbrier Athletic Association1999 Ken YoungPresident, Norfolk Tides Baseball Team2000 Lester BangsLocal Baseball Scout2001 Warren SpiveyPresident Spivey Rentals2002 Bill SwanFormer Head Baseball Coach at Virginia Wesleyan & asst. coach at ODU2003 Tim MillerChairman ACS Systems & Engineering2004 Luke NewmanPresident of Greenwich Kitchens Center2005 Pat BakerLocal Dentist2006 Tony ZontiniCoach/Teacher2007 Towny TownsendCoach/Teacher2008 Henry MorganPeninsula Businessman/Peninsula Pilots Owner