Economy has all-star teams holding fundraisers

All-star teams from local recreation departments have earned their way to Dixie, Little League and Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken League championship baseball tournaments in recent years.

This summer, some of those teams will have to pay their own way.

Budget cuts at local recreation departments have forced area youth teams to hold more fundraisers than ever. The money for hotel rooms, food, gas and tournament entry fees that was available last year simply isn't there.

"In the past we've been able to help the teams out," said Rick Meyer, North Augusta's superintendent of parks and recreation. "This year it's just not in the budget."

Local teams have hit the fundraising methods hard. Barbecue dinners, car washes, doughnut sales -- even door-to-door frozen pizza sales -- have all been used.

"We understand their situation," said Mark Owens, an assistant coach with the North Augusta all-star team for 10-year-olds, at a recent fundraiser at North Augusta's Chick-fil-A. "We're in tough economic times so now, due to budget constraints, we have to come up with our own funding."

That North Augusta team won the Cal Ripken League state title in June in Inman, S.C., and earned a spot in the Cal Ripken League Southeast Regionals beginning July 23. The tournament will be played in Arlington, Va., and Owens said that trip will cost the team somewhere around $8,000.

That's why the team has made the rounds at local restaurants and grocery stores in North Augusta asking for donations and holding fundraisers.

Similar events have taken place in Columbia County, where coach Lester Ellis and his Dixie Ponytails softball team have been raising money for their state tournament trip to Perry, Ga.

"Lots of times it's just a matter of getting a snow cone machine, and you go to Wal-Mart," Ellis said. "Fortunately, people here are really supportive. They hear what you're doing, and sometimes they'll just give you the money as a donation."

The Columbia County Recreation Department, whose teams annually earn bids to the Dixie World Series, was originally forced to cut funding for their all-star teams. Facilities supervisor Mike Brodhecker said a late addition of $30,000 was written into this year's budget just before the new year began July 1.

"We're able to basically still foot the bill for 60 to 70 percent," Brodhecker said. "Really, we're just happy it got put back in, and we're going to try to make it work with that. The biggest concern is the quality of our program. People realize that Columbia County baseball is top notch, and we want to keep it that way."

Columbia County sent five teams to Dixie state tournaments this summer. Three of them are competing this weekend at Riverside Park in Evans, where the county is playing host to the Dixie Youth "O" Zone state tournament. Three state tournaments will be played at North Augusta's Riverview Park, two this weekend and one next weekend. Two other North Augusta all-star teams have already won state titles and will compete at the regional level starting July 22.

Fundraising is nothing new for local Little League organizations, who aren't tied to county or city governments. Masters City Little League in Augusta dodged the travel costs this year for its team for 11- and 12-year-olds by playing host to their area tournament this weekend.

The tournament winner will advance to the District 6 Tournament for a chance to move on to the state tournament.

Masters City Little League vice president Mell Brantley said the costs can quickly add up if a team keeps winning.

"For the most part, it's the parents that have to foot the bill," he said. "But right now the economy's so bad, you can only beg and plead so much from the parents. That's when you have to try for some donations."

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.