At McGirts
Creek Park on the Westside, one of the four ballfields
doesn't have clay or grass or dirt - instead, it was
built with an extra truckload of heart.
On most
Saturdays this fall, four teams of disabled children and
adults from Jacksonville play baseball on that field,
named Lewis B. "Lew" Brantley Miracle League Field.
Smiles, laughs and home runs abound during their games,
because no one is ever out and everyone wins.
Built as part
of the Rotary Club of West Jacksonville's centennial
project, Lew Brantley Field meets the unique needs of
people with disabilities. Paved with asphalt and
overlaid with rubber, the field provides safety and
maneuverability for the physically disabled.
The Rotary Club
dedicated the field to Lew Brantley, the former Florida
Senate president and longtime Rotarian on March 24 but
the Jacksonville affiliate of the Miracle League, an
organization dedicated to providing recreational
opportunities for children with disabilities, didn't
start using the field until last month.
Westside
Rotarians collected cash and in-kind donations of almost
$200,000 for the project, including a major donation
made in memory if its namesake.
"There's been a
very good response," said Craig Hartwig, who led the
Rotary Club of West Jacksonville's centennial committee.
For its
inaugural season, the Jacksonville Miracle League has
about 22 players. Cary Hanson, the league's president,
said most players are children, but the league also has
adult participants.
"It's so fun to
watch the players," Hanson said. "They've never played
in an organized baseball league before, never worn
uniforms and they never had a team they could call their
own."
Children and
adults with any disability can play in the Jacksonville
Miracle League. Games last at least three innings, and
during each one, every player gets to circle the bases
and score a run. No one is ever called "out."
Each player
also has an on-field buddy - a volunteer who provides a
player with any assistance they may need. Some of the
players' buddies are strangers, and others are family or
friends. Corbin Gressman, shortfielder on the Reds team,
gets to play each game with her dad, Marcus, who is also
assistant coach for her team. Corbin's mother, Tami
Gressman, said it's obvious the players feel better
about themselves now that they're playing baseball.
"They do have a
lot more confidence because they get to go out and play
ball," she said.
Hanson said he
hopes the league will have more participation during
their next season, which will start sometime in March,
but that the league needs more volunteers and sponsors
so it can grow.
He also hopes
more people will volunteer to be on-field buddies, so
each player can have the same buddy all season. He said
the most important part of the league is to help players
make friends and have fun.
"You can't help
but laugh and have fun with the kids and players,"
Hanson said. "They're so happy to be there they can
hardly stand it."
For more
information about the Jacksonville Miracle League, call
509-3800.
HEATHER
CAMP/Staff
Cary Hanson, president of the Jacksonville Miracle
League,
congratulates Levi Ayers after he scores a run during a
Miracle
League game on Lew Brantley Field at McGirts Creek Park
on Nov. 10.
TAMI
Gressman/Special
Corbin Gressman gets a hit with the help of her dad,
Marcus, at
a Jacksonville Miracle League Game on Lew Brantley Field
in McGirts Creek Park.
HEATHER
CAMP/Staff
Levi Ayers, Corbin Gressman and Ronnie Tanner wait to
field the next batter's hit during a Jacksonville Miracle
League game on Lew Brantley field at McGirts Creek Park
on Nov. 10.
SPECIAL
Lew Brantley Field, a special baseball field for people
with
disabilities, is at McGirts Creek Park on the Westside.
