The highlights of a 6-day baseball clinic that was conducted in Ibadan (Nigeria) are the Awards given to 6 sports personalities who contributed to organization, promotions, sponsorship and overall success of the baseball clinic that was facilitated by coach Gerard Hall and coach Charles Barbee from the United States.
By Saturday, 7 July 2012, when the clinic came to an end with a ceremony lavished with food, music, speeches and accolades, both participants and visiting coaches had wished the clinic could be extended.
One local coach from Lagos described the award given to Mrs Ronke Champion-Adeyemi as one that is well deserved.
Ronke was given honorary award for her immense contribution to baseball in Nigeria. The Secretary General of the Nigerian Baseball and Softball Association (NBSA) Kehinde Laniyan was present at the occasion to officially present the award to Ronke. The Chairman of the Association in Oyo State, Pastor Tola Adelayi, had proposed that the 6 awardees (including Mrs Ronke Champion-Adeyemi) be given life membership of the NBSA. According to Pastor Adelayi, there is plan on the ground to get this proposal confirmed at the next Annual General Meeting of the federation in November.
A few months ago, Ronke had pledged to make Nigeria a power house of baseball in Africa and her announcement could have been seen as boisterous by those not familiar with her. Ronke Champion-Adeyemi, President/CEO of Peace Hospice, Chicago (USA) proved that her promise was not an empty one, made to please the crowd. To Coach Charles Barbee, who has worked with Ronke for many years, Ronke is a “blessing to baseball“. This time, she has decided to extend her hands of blessing to her place of birth, Nigeria.
Ronke got the Peace Hospice of Chicago donate baseball equipment worth thousands of dollars to Nigerian baseball teams. Capping it all, she worked tirelessly in less than 2 months with the NBSA to promote a coaching clinic in Nigeria that was attended by 47 baseball coaches from different parts of the country. Her organization also had to sponsor the trip of the two American baseball coaches, who were in charge of teaching baseball to local coaches and school children, thus creating an impression that will last a life time.
In one of her presentations during the clinic, Ronke called on Government, agencies, companies and organizations to support baseball, in order to give back to the community: “I pledged to help baseball in Nigeria, but I know I cannot do it alone. That is why I am calling on you all to join me” she explained during her appeal to an excited crowd of baseball enthusiasts.
The coaches who attended the clinic in Nigeria, actually thronged the practical and theoretical sessions of the clinic.
Other people who were honored by the association in Nigeria are Mr Dapo Lam Adesina (Oyo State, Nigeria, Commissioner for Sports), Alhaji Gbolagade Busari (Adviser to the Governor on Information, Oyo State, Nigeria), Mr Okeowo Champion and the American coaches Charles Barbee and Gerard Hall.
