We are Family
CRANBERRY TWP — Miracles never go out of style.
And beginning this spring, there will be more of them to go around.
After the inaugural season of 2009 proved to be a hit, the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania decided to expand.
Two new divisions — youth competitive and adult — will be added for 2010, which will consist of a spring and fall season.
The Miracle League's goal is to provide mentally and physically disabled children and adults the opportunity to play baseball.
Games are played at Graham Park in the township.
More than 200 children ages 5 to 18 took part in one division last year. They came from Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Mercer and Allegheny counties as well as West Virginia.
“I knew in my mind when we started that we'd end up expanding to more divisions,” said Mike Sherry, Miracle League of Southwestern PA president. “We wanted to offer inclusiveness for different levels of play.
“The youth competitive division is for kids who grasp the game of baseball a bit better.”The league hopes for about 40 players for each new division, while the original division is still going strong, with 120 players signed up.Everybody involved felt the positive effects of the league's 2009 season, in which teams played 16 two-inning games.Brian Allen of Cranberry coached one of the teams, which included his then 8-year-old son, Brendan.“He was born with Fibromatosis Type 1, which affected three bones in his left leg,” Allen said of his son. “His leg doesn't support his weight.”Brendan often watched his older brother, Nolan, play baseball.“Brendan would always be there cheering for his brother, but he never really expressed an interest in playing himself.“Then one day, he came up to me and said, ‘I want to play baseball.'”Shortly after that, Allen saw a story in the Cranberry Eagle about the Miracle League beginning a chapter in the area.“It was perfect timing,” Allen said. “I volunteered to be a coach. It was something I wanted to do for Brendan and the other kids.”Allen's team last year had 15 players.“For most games, we'd get about 12 players to show up,” he said. “Every child would bat and get a chance to play in the field.“The kids' names would be announced over the loudspeaker, and the crowd went nuts. The impact the league has had on these kids has been incredible.“A lot of them had never met other kids that are in the same situation as they are. It builds up their confidence and their emotions.”
Brendan's mother, Dana, could see the positive effect the games had on her son.“He just loved being there,” she said. “It was the first time he had something all his own, something he could be cheered for.”An integral part of the Miracle League is its buddy system.Buddies protect players from batted or thrown balls and offer help in batting, fielding, throwing and rounding the bases.Along with his coaching duties, Allen also is the league's buddy coordinator.“We make sure that each buddy is introduced to the player they'll be working with and the player's family before the season starts,” Allen said. “That way, they can get to know each other.”After just one season, the buddy role has become popular.“We're comfortable with the number of buddies we have for the upcoming season,” Sherry said. “But we won't turn anybody away who wants to help, and we do need umpires.”Katie Willard's experience as a buddy last year prompted her to sign up again for the 2010 season.“I usually get involved with community service,” said Willard, who lives in Cranberry and just turned 16 on Saturday. “I heard about the Miracle League and thought it would be fun.“It's all about encouraging the player you're with,” she added. “It is so rewarding to see the look on their faces when they get on base or make a play in the field. It's a great experience; not many communities have an opportunity like this.”The lone age requirement for buddies is they be at least 12 years old.But Nancy Kay is proof the buddy experience is uplifting for adults as well.
“My first job was being in charge of recreation at a handicapped facility in Detroit, but that was a thousand years ago,” said Kay, 67. “At the beginning of last season, a lot of the players were afraid to hit and field the ball. But by season's end, they were doing everything.“But I honestly believe that the buddies get more out of it than the players,” she said. “I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I'll soon be moving to North Carolina.”Though the players and volunteers are at the heart of the league's success, it doesn't hurt that the games are played on a state-of-the-art field that includes an all-weather rubberized surface and is handicapped accessible. There are no raised surfaces to interfere with crutches, walkers or wheelchairs.“Our field at Graham Park is the model other leagues are using,” Sherry said. “And we couldn't have asked for a better location for it.”For more information, visit www.mlswpa.org<BR></BR><BR></BR><BR></BR>
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