Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 23, 1990 TAG: 9006230074
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The season began with the national anthem, an invocation and a first-pitch ceremony.
But when the umpire yelled, "Play ball!" and the first batter, 12-year-old Bradd Edmondson of Roanoke, came to the plate, it was obvious this wasn't just another baseball game.
Edmondson, who plays for the Cave Spring American League Dodgers, wasn't alone. With him was Jeff Walrond, 14.
Walrond was pushing Edmondson's wheelchair.
On the mound for the Salem Spartans was Brandy Dickerson, a 9-year-old second-grader at East Salem Elementary School. Born with spina bifida, a spinal defect that often results in some form of paralysis, Dickerson also is confined to a wheelchair. Helping her maneuver was 16-year-old Jennifer Baker.
Every player on the field this Saturday morning was handicapped in some way. But there they were, fulfilling a dream of playing baseball.
That's what the Challenger Program, a part of Little League Baseball Inc., is all about.
"Look out there," said Willis H. Walrond, administrator for Little League District 12, which includes eight leagues along the Interstate 81 corridor from Waynesboro to Wytheville. "There's not a handicapped kid out there. What I see is a bunch of children playing baseball."
The Challenger division was started to give children with physical and mental disabilities the opportunity to play organized baseball.
The league is open to players ages 9 to 18 who are enrolled and identified as trainable mentally handicapped for school programs, or players ages 6 to 18 who are physically or visually handicapped.
"We stretch the rules a little bit for them, but it's baseball," said Walrond. "And I tell you what: You'd have to go a long way to see another [game] like this one."
The Challenger Program began in 1989 with 25 teams playing in Bristol, Conn.; Warwick, Conn.; Louisville, Ky., and Spring, Texas.
"There were several Little League programs that were interested in trying something for disabled players," said Steve Keener, director of public relations for the national Little League Baseball organization in Williamsport, Pa. "These local groups were going to do something, so we realized we needed to get involved to help give them some guidance. There were all kinds of things, like insurance coverage or allowances for children in wheelchairs, that had to be addressed before we could get this going."
Keener said that in the fall of 1988, Little League Inc. formed a national task force chaired by Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kan. Among those involved were Dr. Creighton J. Hale, president of Little League Baseball Inc.; Kirk Bauer, executive director of the National Handicapped Sports and Recreation Association; Gen. Robert M. Montague, former executive director of Special Olympics International, and insurance company representatives.
"The task force essentially formulated the Challenger Program," Keener said.
The four pilot programs were launched in 1989, and the division was formally introduced in June 1989 at the organization's convention in Williamsport.
"When we told the district administrators about it, that's when it really took off," Keener said. There are 313 Challenger Programs in the United States, one in West Germany and one in England.
Walrond began laying the foundation for District 12's Challenger Program division in January.
"I'd say I spent close to 400 hours trying to pull this off," he said. "With these kids, you can't just go out and get a readily available list. I've gone to schools, churches and different organizations to find these kids and [see] who would be interested."
Tracy Dickerson, Brandy's mother, said, "We heard about it through her therapist. I read the letter and Brandy said, `Mommy you have to check into this.' I did, and it was wonderful. She loves it. It makes her feel she can be like other children. She has two brothers who I forgot to register for Little League. She lets them know that she's the only one playing baseball."
The Dodgers are sponsored by the Cave Spring American League, and the Spartans are part of the Salem Little League.
Taking charge of the team "wasn't a hard decision at all," said the Dodgers' Bill Trent, who also manages a team of 9- to 12-year-olds in the Cave Spring American League. "I think it's very important that these kids feel like they're a part of the Little League system. These kids deserve a chance to play, just like anyone else. It's worth all the time and effort you put in when you see a kid smile and you know they had a good time."
In District 12, the Challenger Program games are played under Tee Ball rules. In Tee Ball, the baseball, or in this case a softball, is placed on an adjustable stand and the batter hits the ball off the tee.
The only major difference between Tee Ball as it is played in other leagues and the version played in the Challenger Program is the incorporation of the buddy system. Someone - a friend, a relative or a volunteer - helps each player at bat, in the field or on the bases.
For example, in the Dickerson/Baker team, Brandy hits the ball off the tee. Then, Baker pushes her wheelchair around the bases. In the field, Baker might field a grounder, but she then hands it to Brandy, who makes the throw.
"It's fantastic," said Caroline Robbins, whose 7-year-old son, David, is confined to a wheelchair by cerebral palsy. "These kids need activity, and it's great that people are volunteering their time to help with this."
David's buddy is Gale Lavinder, a physical therapist at Lewis-Gale Hospital.
"It's very important because it makes these kids feel they're part of something like other children," said Caroline Robbins. "That's why we're here. Faith in the kids and this program."
There are two levels beyond Tee Ball for Challenger Program teams - coach-pitch, in which the team's coach or an adult does the pitching, and player-pitch. The buddy system is required for coach-pitch but is optional in player-pitch.
"The buddy system is probably the best one because it's as therapeutic for the buddy as much as it is for the child involved," Keener said.
The league is open to handicapped children who live in Roanoke, Botetourt, Montgomery, Alleghany, Craig and Bath counties, as well as the cities of Roanoke, Salem, Covington and Clifton Forge. Walrond said school officials told him there were about 310 children who would qualify to participate in the Challenger Program.
"Right now, we have 16 kids registered to play," he said. "I'd like to have at least 10 more. A lot of parents are reluctant. They want to be very protective of their children. But we're hoping this thing is going to grow. We'll take them as they come."
"The real attractiveness is that kids who never participated in a physical activity now have a program designed to provide all the benefits that Little League offers any other child," Keener said. "The competition, the cheers - it's all available to a segment of our society that it wasn't offered to before."
You won't hear many complaints from players.
"I had a lot of fun," said Edmondson, a student at Hidden Valley Junior High. "You got to play baseball, and I met a lot of new people. You bet I'm going to play again, every time."
The Challengers play this morning from 9 to 11 a.m. at Oak Grove, June 30 at Salem and July 7 at Oak Grove. For information about the Challenger Program or to make donations to help pay for uniforms and equipment, call Willis Walrond at 389-8797.
by CNB