Members of the Saxonburg 12U softball team show off their trophies after winning the Alle-Kiski ASA league regular season championship. The team finished 12-2 on the year. Players include, from left, front, Rylie Leslie, Grace Hensch, Lindsey Wise, Taylor Miller, Sierra Wise and Abigail Hawk; back, Samantha Robb, Ava Breese, Marlee Fraser, Brooke Bastin, Sylvia Luffy, Karlee Buterbaugh, Carissa Tekely and Jadyn Pethtel.

ZELIENOPLE — Zelienople resident Zachary Baker, 16, is no stranger to creativity and determination.

Five years ago, Baker started the Ultimate Zelie Challenge in order to raise money for Zelienople Community Park, and this year’s event looks to be the biggest one yet.

“When I first started the event, I thought it was just going to be a one time thing,” Baker said. “After that, it just kept growing in popularity and after two years we decided to put on a camp to prep for the event itself.”

The event is an obstacle course that tests the agility and strength of those who participate.

Baker was inspired with the idea from his favorite TV show, American Ninja Warrior, and this year the camp will have former show contestant Jamie Rahn on-hand to show the kids the ropes on how to become a Ninja Warrior.

After the first two years, Baker decided to have a camp before the event, so the kids could have an opportunity to learn the obstacles and train properly for the event.

“I’ve actually followed (Rahn) on Instagram for a while and I recently saw he became a free agent,” Baker said. “And I decided to reach out to him and after a couple of weeks, I got to talking with him and he was very open to coming out to the event very quickly.”

This year the camp will run Aug. 5-9, with Rahn on-hand on Aug. 7-8, with the event itself taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Aug. 25. Both the camp and event will take place at Zelienople Community Park.

When Baker started the event five years ago, he obviously wanted to help out his local community park, but he also wanted to give younger kids an opportunity to compete in an obstacle course like the one they see on TV.

“I wanted to set up an event not just for local kids to do similar to American Ninja Warrior, but something for them to train with,” Baker said. “It just makes it easier for kids to start training at a much younger age.”

Baker had some initial challenges getting the event started the first year, including the course itself, but Baker did have some help from a very close source.

“Event planning is a very integrate business and thankfully my mother (Joella Baker) does this stuff for a living,” Baker said. “I grew up in an atmostphere of putting on events.”

“The first couple of years my husband and I stepped in and helped him get the event off the ground,” Joella Baker said. “But now we’ve tried to be hands off as much as possible and really let him take charge of it.”

During the first four years of the event, Zac has helped raise over $7,000, and with the buzz around this year’s event, he believes he can double that total this time around.

Money raised this year from the camp and event will support new equipment on the Bartman Bars with new starting blocks for the new Zelienople Community Pool.

More information on the event can be found at www.getfitfamilies.com.