This story is about a very special Little League baseball team made up of some very special children, all of them having special needs.
There is a team in our community that has garnered a lot of praise and support, not because they are a winning sports team, but because they are winners THEMSELVES.
We have a very successful Little League baseball program for our kids in our city, and included in this program is a team that was just formed last year called "The Challengers".
The "Challengers" is a team made up of both boys and girls ranging in age from 6 on up to 12 years of age, and they have all sorts of disabilities ranging from epilepsy or learning problems to more noticeable ones like cerebral palsy, arthritis, or muscular dystrophy. We have kids who get around on crutches or walkers or use wheelchairs, and we have kids who have nothing more than a slight limp; yet, they all play their hearts out, and they really enjoy themselves. We also have kids who are blind or hearing impaired, and we even have a young man, Brogan, who was born WITHOUT eyes.
The kids may have their problems, but when they play a game, they always have the best time. They love being with each other, and they love the excitement and joy that organized sports brings; and it is a terrific way for them to learn socialization skills and make new friends in the long run. One particular little lad has especially benefited from this outlet. Johnny Sandusky has muscular dystrophy and is usually in a wheelchair, and he used to be incredibly shy and withdrawn, but then he joined our team, and he has been nothing but incredible. He has made many new friends, and he is more outgoing and fun to be with now. He loves the thrill of competing, and he will give it his all when he goes to the plate to bat and then go around the bases (on his crutches on a good day, or in his wheelchair on other days), and he never stops laughing. When his parents or his family (or even his teammates) cheer him on, he gets the biggest smile on his face, and it is always moving to see, especially since he is dying. He forgets about his problems for a while, and he has an absolute ball being outside, getting exercise, and, perhaps best of all, being with his friends. He can act like a normal little boy, and his problems are, for the moment, forgotten.
Since we instituted our team last year, we have grown from just 22 kids on up to 70 kids, and we take kids with all disablitiies, physical, emotional, behavioral, mental, ,or even a combination of all the above. As I said earlier, we have kids who have "hidden" handicaps like learning problems or epeilepsy, and we also have kids with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, or even kids who are amputees or who were born without eyes. Girls, as well as boys, are welcomed, and we stress fun and exercise besides winning, and we teach our kids about good sportsmanship and the philosophy that "Winning ISN'T everything; it's how you play the game that counts". The kids all have a great time at our games, and even if they lose, they are still happy, and we still celebrate the game because they tried their best, and this is something we always try to impress on them. We always take them out for some ice cream or a pizza after the game, and they really enjoy themselves immensely.
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There is a team in our community that has garnered a lot of praise and support, not because they are a winning sports team, but because they are winners THEMSELVES.
