| A donation from the Tucson
Conquistadores and support from three Major League Baseball
organizations helped the once nomadic Challenger Little League
find a permanent home. The League and the Randolph Little League
now play at the Tucson Conquistadores Field of Dreams, at South
Kino Parkway and East 36th Street.
The complex was named after the
Tucson Conquistadores, who donated $100,000 to help build the
$1.2 million complex, said Bill Fields, assistant district
administrator for Challenger Little League.
"As the Field of Dreams started
taking form, we knew we wanted to be involved," said Joel Estes,
Conquistadores treasurer.
The Tucson Conquistadores is a
nonprofit business organization that hosts the Tucson Open, its
only source of fund-raising. "Our mission is to promote youth
athletics," said Judy McDermott of the Conquistadores and
director of the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open tournament.
The Field of Dreams consists of
three baseball fields and one softball field at the Little
League Complex located at 1575 E. 36th St.. The three baseball
fields were named after Challenger supporters Bill Janssen and
Glenn Warnes and the Tucson Conquistadores.
The fields were built in the form
of the Arizona Diamondbacks' Bank One Ballpark, the Chicago
White Sox's Comiskey Park and the Colorado Rockies' Coors Field.
All three Major League Baseball teams donated money to help
build the fields, Fields said. Other contributors to the project
include Jim Click and Phelps Dodge Corp.
Anyone with a child with a
disability who has a desire to play baseball, or who wants to
donate time or baseball equipment to Challenger Little League
can call the Challenger Little League hot line at 712-9448.
Christian
Richardson-AZSTARNET
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