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Cal Ripken Jr. to be featured
speaker for Chamber Annual Banquet and Membership
Meeting
Since retiring from baseball, Ripken
has begun a successful business career. He is
expected to discuss what he considers to be the keys
for success in business. Tickets for the event are $40 per
person for Chamber members and $80 per person for
non-members. Reservations can be made by Chamber
members now through October 31 by stopping by the
Chamber office, 120 W. Ash, calling the Chamber
office, (785) 827-9301, or email.
Round tables of eight will be reserved on a
first-come, first-serve basis. If available, tickets
will go on sale November 1 to the general public. The evening will consist of a plated
dinner, remarks by outgoing Chairman Scott Bergkamp
and incoming Chairman Karen Hoeffner, a review of
the Chamber’s accomplishments in 2007, and the
address by Mr. Ripken. For more information: Email ********************************** Cal Ripken, Jr
Cal Ripken is baseball's all-time "Iron
Man." He retired from baseball in October 2001
after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His
name appears in the record books repeatedly, most
notably as one of only eight players in history to
achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995,
Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive
games played (2,130), and he voluntarily ended his
streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive
games. Although he finished his career at third
base, this Hall of Famer is still best known for
redefining the position of shortstop.
Ripken's name has become synonymous
with strength, character, endurance, and integrity.
His philosophy of working hard, playing with
passion, and enjoying the game has made a tremendous
impact on the sport, and on fans everywhere. In
1999, Babe Ruth League, Inc. changed the name of its
largest division (5-12 year-olds) from Bambino to
Cal Ripken Baseball. Presently, over 700,000 youths
play Cal Ripken Baseball worldwide. Now, Ripken is using the platform that
baseball has provided him to help grow the game he
loves at the grassroots level. This next phase of
his life includes the construction of a
one-of-a-kind baseball complex in his hometown of
Aberdeen, MD. The Aberdeen Project currently
consists of Ripken Stadium, a state-of-the-art
6,000-seat minor league ballpark that is home to the
hugely successful Class A Aberdeen IronBirds.
Adjacent to the minor league ballpark is the Ripken
Youth Baseball Academy that consists of several
youth-sized fields that are modeled after famous big
league ballpark Camden Yards, which is called Cal
Sr.'s Yard, and is owned and operated by the Cal
Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Memorial Stadium, Wrigley
Field, and Fenway Park. Other amenities include batting cages
and a synthetic training infield. Hundreds of teams
and ballplayers from all over the country visit
Aberdeen each year to participate in tournaments and
camps. The academy is also the permanent home
of the Cal Ripken World Series played each August.
It includes 15 teams of 11 and 12 year-olds from all
over the world, and crowns the champion of the Cal
Ripken Division of Babe Ruth League, Inc. In April 2004, Cal and Bill Ripken
collaborated on a book, Play Baseball the Ripken
Way. The book, which was a national bestseller,
serves as a comprehensive baseball instructional
book for parents, coaches, and kids, and covers all
aspects of the game, including how to run an
effective practice, and the Ripken philosophy of fun
and good sportsmanship. Ripken’s newest book is on
the subject of sports parenting, Parenting Young
Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best
Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport (2006). Ripken has always placed a strong focus
on giving back to the community. In 2001, he and his
family established the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation,
in memory of the family's patriarch. The Foundation
helps teach life lessons through baseball to
disadvantaged youth from all over the country, and
gives them a life-changing experience. The
foundation has refurbished fields throughout
Maryland, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars
to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, and
helped thousands of kids enjoy baseball experiences
that they would otherwise never encounter.
Additionally, the foundation has teamed up with
NikeGo, the non-profit arm of Nike, to donate
baseball and softball equipment worth over $1
million to school systems across the country. Among his many on-field accolades are:
AL Rookie of the Year ('82), two-time AL Most
Valuable Player ('83, '91), two-time Gold Glove
recipient ('91, '92), two-time All-Star MVP ('91,
'01), a world record 2,632 consecutive games, and 19
All-Star Game selections. In 2001, Ripken was
honored when fans named his 2,131st consecutive game
Major League Baseball's "Most Memorable
Moment" in history through a program run by MLB. Ripken resides in Maryland with his
wife, Kelly, and their children, Rachel and Ryan.
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