Challenger Little League celebrated the start of its 25th season at Challenger Park Saturday morning.
Terrie Ebert, a parent of one of the Reds players, said the Challenger league is a blessing for children with disabilities.
“Everybody gets a homerun on this league and it’s truly just amazing,” Ebert said. “When they hit home plate, they come running in, they have smiles from ear-to-ear. They feel like they’ve accomplished something.”
In its 25th year, the league continues celebrating what can be accomplished when we focus on kids abilities instead of their disabilities. It’s grown from just a few kids the first year to nearly 200. In 2007, they even got their own field to help with kids who need assistance running the bases. This year, players were awarded with special 25th anniversary medals.
“They just want to play baseball and have fun, just like all the other kids in our community want to,” Challenger League board member Patty Vannoy said. “It’s a childhood experience that everybody should be a part of.”
Coaches who’ve been involved with the league for several years said the best part about the league is seeing how the kids progress each season.
“There’s lot of great athletes and great families doing this,” Reds coach Jackie Ball said. “Watching them progress and grow, and we learn as much from them as they learn from us.”
All kids with a disability, ages five to 18, are accepted to play in the league. Teams are chosen based on ability, rather than age, and everyone gets a chance to bat.
“We are just thankful to the Challenger League and we lift them up and hope it continues for another 25 years,” Ebert said.
