Todays Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

Challenger Baseball

By Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D.

In Little League baseball, there is a division known as the Challenger

Division, for developmentally disabled youngsters. As a clinical

psychologist,

I had completed a postdoctoral psychology fellowship in developmental

disabilities at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. I was not aware of

the

Challenger division, however, until I gave a talk on positive coaching at

our

local Little League. A dad there asked if I would be willing to help out

occasionally with the Challenger kids. I agreed.

I don't know what I expected, but when I got to the first game, it was

an

eye-opener. I saw a group of kids ranging in age from six to sixteen. Some

had

Down's syndrome, some had cerebral palsy, some had spina bifida, some had

suffered oxygen deprivation at birth and some were autistic. But they all

had

one thing in common - they were having fun!

There is a " buddy " system in the Challenger Division, whereby each kid

on

the team has a helper who shadows him or her throughout the game - pushing a

wheelchair, pointing out where to throw the ball or doing whatever else

might be

needed. Almost all of the buddies at this particular game were siblings or

parents.

What I didn't see at the game were many spectators other than parents.

Although the Challengers were considered part of the league, their games had

been relegated to Sunday - all the other kids played on Saturday. When I

saw

the fun these kids were having - all the high-fives, the cheering for both

sides, the atmosphere of fun and games - I couldn't help but compare it to a

Little League game I had seen the day before with nine-year-olds. In that

game,

within a period of ten seconds, I saw a left fielder crying because he

dropped a

fly ball; a mother, neck veins bulging, yelling at the umpire; a coach

screaming

at his pitcher to " follow through " or he was going to replace him.

Suddenly it became clear to me how important it was to get Challenger

games

scheduled among the other Little League games - both for the exposure of the

Challenger kids to the other kids, and for the lessons in sportsmanship and

fun

they could give the other kids and parents.

The following season I volunteered to serve as manager for the

Challenger

team, with the goal of integrating the Challenger Division into the rest of

the

organization.

First off, the kids got full uniforms, just like the rest of the league

players. Next, we scheduled the Challenger games on Saturday, between the

Little League games played by the eleven- and twelve-year-olds. Then we

arranged the buddy system so that members of the eleven- and twelve-year-old

teams could serve as buddies for our Challenger kids. The results were

spectacular.

The full uniforms were a big hit. One of our players slept in his

uniform

the first night. Another kid, ten years old, proudly displayed his uniform

and

said, " Gee, Coach, now I feel like a real person! "

For the kids who were buddies, it was, in many cases, their first

exposure

to kids with developmental disabilities. After some initial hesitation,

they

took to it like ducks to water. One kid told me that when he came on to the

field to be a buddy, he was " bummed out " because his team had just lost 9?4,

and

he had gone hitless. After being a " buddy, " though, he said it put

everything

in the proper perspective. He wasn't alone. Kids who, in the past, may

have

made cruel remarks about kids who are " different " were now championing their

cause, chattering about how hard these kids try and how much they enjoy

playing.

The Challenger kids, meanwhile, took great pride in pointing out their

" buddy "

to their parents and friends.

Scheduling the Challenger games amidst the other games also resulted in

a

significant increase in spectators. And of course, some of the Challenger

kids

loved playing to the crowd, bowing after sliding home, or flexing a muscle

after

getting a hit. Clearly, the effect of the Challenger kids on the crowd was

fantastic. Everyone got into applauding, cheering, laughing and having fun.

There wasn't an angry glance or a bulging neck vein to be seen. The only

tears

were ones of joy and laughter.

The season ended with a round-robin tournament of the six Challenger

teams

from neighboring leagues. Local TV and newspapers covered the event and

nearly

one hundred eleven- and twelve-year-old kids from our league volunteered to

help

as buddies for the different teams.

To see and feel the warmth of camaraderie and compassion on the

baseball

diamonds that day renewed everyone's faith in the goodness of the human

spirit.

Challenger sports created memories that whole season which will last a

lifetime

for those Challenger kids, those buddies, those parents, coaches and

spectators.