Baseball for All at Dierker's Champs
For many Houstonians, the Houston Astros are top of mind as they continue to make headlines for their undefeated postseason. Baseball, like many other organized sports, has a magical ability to bring people together in pursuit of a common goal.
In 2011, these founding principles began to materialize when Cy-Hope funded teams for two elementary schools because their families couldn’t afford the Cy-Fair Sports Association (CFSA) fee. When CFSA eliminated the “Friendship” level of competition three years later, Cy-Hope allied with Spring Spirit, a baseball program whose goals aligned with Cy-Hope’s aspirations for the program. With participation growing and a need to expand with more playing fields, Dierker’s Champs started their own league, renting three Cy-Fair ISD fields to serve Title I elementary and middle schools in Cy-Fair ISD.
“We have really grown fast and have been able to make new connections with teachers, coaches, and umpires. We have a great connection with Cy-Fair High School. They have conducted our clinics and really relate to our kids,” said Larry Dierker.
Players must maintain passing grades, good conduct, and consistent school attendance to participate in the program, incentives that Dierker’s Champs’ participating schools use with great success. Their parents play a key role in the support of their player while building school loyalty and creating camaraderie with other players’ parents.
“We have a parent meeting at all of our schools so we can tell them what we expect, which is cheering and encouraging. We welcome any time they spend helping their kids practice between games. But we also tell them that we have a one voice rule once the game starts. They should not yell at the umpire or coach their kids during the game. Each team has a head coach and he or she is responsible for everything during the games,” said Larry Dierker.
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Teams practice once per week and play eight games on Saturdays, but the 2023 season will look a bit different from years past. Cy-Fair ISD’s new administration building is being constructed where Dierker’s Champs played their games up until last spring, driving a need to rent fields for the 2023 season. So that they can continue to provide this program to the growing number of students in need of this impactful outlet, plans are underway to build their own fields for 2024.
“We have secured the land to build a baseball complex and have begun a capital campaign to raise funds needed for this project. We anticipate serving over 1,000 students after building our fields,” said Sherri Lee.
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With their own fields, Dierker’s Champs will be able to support a fall league, balance field usage across divisions and days of the week, rent fields to other baseball teams for scrimmages and practices to offset Dierker’s Champs’ costs, and host special events such as an opening day ceremony. Having a dedicated home of their own will provide a strong platform that will be capable of supporting their continued growth.
“I have always known that my career in baseball was paid for by Astros fans. And Dierker’s Champs is my way of saying ‘thank you.’ It has been a blessing to live the baseball life. I don’t know if we will ever see a [Dierker’s Champs] player in the major leagues, but I wouldn’t count them out. We will have five kids playing baseball in Cy-Fair high schools and one pitching for Blinn College next spring,” said Larry Dierker.
Larry Dierker’s Celebrity Golf Shootout will follow the Gala on November 3 at Blackhorse Golf Club in Cypress. Cy-Hope introduced this star-studded tournament in 2013 and since inception, this annual event has added $662,000 in net profit to help fund Cy-Hope’s programs. Not only does this tournament raise money to help children in our community but every year, Cy-Hope gains new sponsors that participate and help spread the word about Cy-Hope, adding new members to their donor and volunteer families because of this tournament.
“We have many sponsors that have participated in this tournament since 2013. Their continued support is a testament to how much they enjoy being a part of all Cy-Hope does. It takes a village to raise kids and Cy-Hope is merely the catalyst to helping build this ‘village.’ We could not do what we do without the support of our many sponsors, donors & volunteers,” said Sherri Lee.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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