The Challenger Baseball Program is the department’s first adaptive baseball league.
The Moorestown Department of Parks & Recreation’s Challenger Baseball Program is not about scores. The adaptive program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges was created to provide a space for young adults with special needs and their families to enjoy the game without the pressure of competition.
While the department already offers a variety of special needs programming, including the TOPSoccer Program, this marks its first adaptive baseball league. The free program is open to individuals ages 5 to 23 and kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 22.
Theresa Miller, director of the Department of Parks & Recreation, said the department’s goal is to continue to expand its special needs offerings, and the Challenger program is one way it’s doing so.
Starting Sept. 22, Challenger participants will meet at Pryor Park in Moorestown. Gloves and bats will be provided, and players will receive a raglan shirt and hat during their first week of play. Every participant has a chance to go up to bat each inning, and the program is open to families outside of Moorestown as well.
Catherine Devone, a coach for TOPSoccer Program, said these kinds of programs provide individuals an opportunity to play organized sports in an environment where they can feel comfortable, and as a result, players can build their confidence as they learn the sport at their pace.
“We take away that aspect of competition,” Devone said. “We make it more fun.”
The department is seeking volunteers to serve as coaches and buddies. A buddy will be stationed at each base and in the outfield to help man the bases with players and to assist them with anything they may need during the game.
Bryanna Mostak, a buddy with TOPSoccer and special education teacher, said through these types of programs, individuals with special needs learn more than just a sport. She said they learn sharing and how to follow direction, and the programs help them develop socially.
Devone said these programs are not just rewarding for the participants but for the buddies as well. She said through TOPSoccer, she’s watched players faces light up when they see their buddy, and buddies and players often forge lasting friendships. For the family members who come out to watch their children play, there is a real sense of community that develops, Mostak said. She said families get to interact with other parents who are facing similar challenges, and out of that common bond comes a support system.
Miller said the environment is overwhelmingly positive for parents and participants alike.
“The parents are very grateful,” Miller said. “They really appreciate that their child is able to participate in sports that normally they wouldn’t be able to.”
Mostak emphasized there are not a lot of special needs programs like this in the area. She said it’s one hour for kids to just be kids and have fun without their disability being in the forefront.
“The disability is not something that comes first,” Mostak said. “Them as a participant comes first — not the disability.”
The Challenger Program kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Pryor Park and will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 27. All participants must register for the program and can do so at www.moorestownrec.com. Volunteer coaches and buddies are needed and welcomed, and they can also register at www.moorestownrec.com.
