The Season of the Challengers

By: Dylan Bowman

May 22, 2026

A Challenger player and his Buddy. Photograph by Dylan Bowman.

Grins in the Lens

The year has already been exploding with new opportunities and partnerships, but one thing so far has remained absolutely the same, and that is the smile that I get while photographing the Camp Hill Challenger Baseball League.

For 4 consecutive years, the league has had the Fellowship return to be the official photographer for the families of the youth and teens on the fields, slamming baseballs and running bases, all while shooting grins into our lens.

One thing I can say: we will be returning to photograph this organization and their joyful collective of families and players for as long as they will have us back!

Camp Hill Challengers players with family members and the Camp Hill Challenger Buddies. Photographs by Dylan Bowman.

Love of the Game

Baseball has always been more than a game to me...it's a legacy. A time for family and friends to sit down and enjoy a real American pastime while enjoying a good hotdog and soda. But there is something that Challenger players have retained that all the other teams and leagues I have seen have either watered down or altogether lost in the name of "getting the win."

And that's the love of the game.

Not even just the love of playing baseball, but the enjoyment of it. I think that sometimes, in our crazy, upside-down world, we think that sports are way more than what they are. All of a sudden, it's not a game or even a challenge at all. It's life or death. A competition for fame and fortune. And while those do have their place, I always found it repulsive when two or more grown adults go to fisticuffs (and not in the friendly banter way) over negative words spoken about their chosen sports team. And yes, I have seen this unfold.

These kids in the Camp Hill Challengers League have it right...they enjoy the game.

And perhaps there is a lesson that we can ALL take from their attitude on this: that while debate and competition for the win are something to strive for, enjoyment and honoring of a lasting legacy are all the more important.

In our lives, perhaps we can realize those moments and enjoy them for what they stand for, and maybe, just maybe, it will make us smile.

Camp Hill Challenger players enjoy the sport and time with their friends and family. Photographs by Dylan Bowman.