Bat in hand, 7-year-old Abby Harris approached home plate as fans cheered from the stands.
In
one swift swing, Abby sent the baseball flying toward midfield. She
dropped the bat, clutched the tires of her wheelchair and pushed herself
to first base, as her father followed closely behind.
Abby has
spina bifida, a type of neural tube defect that affects the spine,
confining her to a wheelchair. Abby also plays for the Rangers, a team
in the Arlington-based Miracle League of DFW, which gives children and
adults with special needs the opportunity to play baseball.
"Every
kid deserves to play ball," said Abby's father, Patrick Harris, of
Arlington. "We never thought we would get to watch our daughter play
baseball, and now she loves it."
Opening Day on Saturday drew
hundreds of players and their families to the newly renovated Doug Inman
Miracle League Field at Randol Mill Park, where players took turns
batting, catching and fielding. Some ran the bases, while others rode in
wheelchairs across the custom rubberized surface of the Miracle Field.
Players
range from age 2 to 40, and the league draws its nearly 400
participants from Arlington, as well as Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and
nearby suburbs. This is the league's 11th year in existence in Arlington.
To
be eligible, players must have some sort of mental or physical
impairment, which can include Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down syndrome,
cerebral palsy or spina bifida, among others.
Amanda Cobb, whose
7-year-old identical twins John Raven and William play for the Royals,
said joining the league gave her family a way to spend time together
outdoors. Her twins have a rare form of muscular dystrophy and use
wheelchairs to get around.
"I love the feeling of community out
here. The support for families is amazing," said Cobb, of Arlington,
standing in the dugout. "We have the chance as a family to do something
we would never normally be able to do."
For many families, playing
for the Miracle League is an outlet, said Executive Director Bri
Sundberg Rishel. Participation is free for families, with uniforms,
equipment and other costs paid for by donations.
As players cross home plate, they receive flurry of high fives from coaches, parents and league volunteers.
"A
lot of our families' everyday life is focused on special needs and
challenges," Rishel said. "But on game day, it's not about those
challenges. It's about the kids playing baseball with their friends."
That
is why Arlington resident Kiara Jackson signed her 4-year-old son,
Kaiden, up to play. Kaiden, who has spina bifida, sometimes felt
isolated from other children, but playing baseball has helped change
that, and on Saturday he made one of his best hits yet.
"He is
able to see that he's not the only one with a physical disability," she
said. "There are kids just like him out here, and that has been so good
for us."
Opening Day festivities on Saturday also included a
ribbon cutting and dedication of the field, which recently got a
$400,000 facelift. Voters in 2014 approved about $1 million in updates
to Randol Mill Park, including new surfaces on the Miracle League
fields, renovations of the basketball and tennis courts and parking lots
and dredging of the pond.
The park improvements align with the Arlington City Council priority to Champion Great Neighborhoods in the American Dream City.
For
Abby Harris and her family, the Miracle League has provided more than
just a sporting activity. Abby said she loves to bat and looks forward
to games all week.
On the Rangers, she is now No. 14, her father's number when he played Little League.
"This
is so wonderful," Abby's mother, Heather Harris said. "So many kids out
here would never get a chance to play baseball. We're grateful."
2014 Bond Project Tracker, Champion Great Neighborhoods, Randol Mill Park
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