DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -Marcus Gillespie had reservations about playing his first Miracle League game.
Born with a learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Gillespie just didn’t know what to expect from playing organized baseball in a park built for children with special needs. But that all changed when 11-year-old Marcus laid eyes on the diamond he had heard so much about.
His fears vanished, replaced by the simple joys of baseball that can now be enjoyed by children of all abilities.
“I got a little scared. Now I’m fine,” he said. “It’s like ‘Oh, it’s just a baseball field.”’
For Marcus and others special-needs children, it’s a lot more than that.
bifida – to play ball.
The field is made of rubberized turf – dubbed “plastic-ish” by Marcus – that prevents injuries and can be navigated with wheelchairs. The park also has a soon-to-be finished concession stand, bleachers and an outfield fence plastered with ads from local sponsors, just like its Little League counterparts.
The park is the first of its kind in Iowa and is part of the growing Miracle League, a national governing body for special-needs baseball fields. Since the first such park sprung up outside of Atlanta in 2000, the Miracle League now has fields in about 220 cities, with upward of 90,000 players.
“With so many children being born everyday with disabilities, this program becomes more and more important,” said Diane Alford, a national executive director for the Miracle League.
“It’s about a better way of life.”
All special-needs children from 5 to 18 years old are eligible. The rule book differs greatly from Little League, written to ensure a positive experience for children who rarely get a chance to play ball. Rules include:
-Every player bats once each inning.
-Base runners are always safe.
-Every player scores a run each inning, and the last player to bat gets a home run.
The field is manned by “buddies,” volunteers who help the children swing their bat, catch the ball and run the bases, either by themselves or in a wheelchair.
anis Miracle League at Principal Park plans to hold its first full season next spring. Jan Burch, the vice president of the Miracle League in Des Moines, said recreational sports are an important tool in helping special-needs children become “mainstreamed.”
“They have to learn to do things like people who don’t have any type of impediment to any type of life skills,” said Burch. “This is built for those children so they don’t have to change what they do. They can come, whether they are in a wheelchair or a walker … and just know that they can have fun.”
That was evident on opening day, which had been delayed for three months because of construction holdups, rising costs and flooding that hit Iowa in June. Many of the 60 or so players were attempting baseball for the first time, and most needed help catching the ball and hitting it off a tee.
But surrounded by a half-dozen clowns, free food and hundreds of supporters, nearly all of players wore broad smiles. That included Marcus, who got a chance to play for his team, the Twins, in the second game of a tripleheader.
Marcus smacked the ball both times he got up, then took off through the infield. He said baserunning was “very hard and very tiring,” but nearly as fun as hitting.
Asked about his first Miracle League hit, Gillespie’s face lit up.
“Awesome!” he said.
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