Play ball. New all-abilities league give kids who couldn’t play on other teams a chance to swing a bat – The Advocate

Reneisha Jacobs would do anything to put a smile on her 9-year-old sons face.

Living with muscular dystrophy, Jacobs son, Mason, has never been able to go out and play sports with his classmates at Lowery Elementary School in Donaldsonville.

But this past year, that changed with the introduction of the Team of Dreams League, an all-abilities league in Gonzales that is a partnership between Gonzales Recreation Department and the Ascension Parish Chamber of Commerces Leadership Ascension, a group designed to develop responsible community initiatives.

With an ear-to-ear smile, Mason finally found a place to play with his peers without being excluded due to his disease.

I know that hes happy and that really makes me happy, said Jacobs, who helps her son run the bases.

Team of Dreams teams play with several different adaptive balls to accommodate each player. The league played weekly on Monday nights at a newly renovated turf field across from East Ascension High School on South Irma Boulevard.

The league welcomes children as young as 5 and adults as old as 25 with a variety of developmental and physical disabilities that would have prevented them from playing with other children.

It gives them a chance to compete just like kids who have all their athletic abilities, Lance Kohan, Gonzales recreation director, said.

The turf field site was secured by the Leadership Ascension Class of 2019. The games are played on the field named for Ward Webb, a longtime member of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office and supporter of Special Olympics programs, who died in 2018.

The league itself was the brainchild of several people with experience in Baton Rouges all-ability league, the Miracle League.

When I found out that Leadership Ascension was making the field, I was so excited because I felt there was such a need to have this type of sport for students and adults with special needs, said Emily Mooney, one of the directors of the league and a special education coordinator for Ascension Parish schools. Its an absolute dream come true to have this happen.

They also had support from the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation. Ripken was a prolific baseball player, coach and manager best known for his time with the Baltimore Orioles. His namesake foundation describes their utilization of his legacy as a chance to prepare at-risk youth for lifes challenges by teaching them critical life skills such as teamwork, communication, work ethic and respect.

The revitalization of the field and the leagues establishment culminated in its inaugural season, starting with four teams two for children under 12 and two for teenagers and young adults.

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On May 2, the league played its last regular game of its season, where the coaches and sponsors of the teams reflected on how proud they are of their athletes. After the national anthem was sung by Matthew Nemmo, one of the athletes on the older team, a game of inclusivity and fun got underway.

While keeping the traditional structure of softball with a series of innings and a field full of players on defense and offense, the objective for the players isnt to beat the other team. Like the name implies, this is one team, where winning isnt as important as having fun.

Its an outlet for them, Hillary Loeber said. Its not competitive and its just so refreshing.

Loeber said her 8-year-old son, Jack, who is one of about 200 people worldwide diagnosed with a developmental disorder known as PACS-1, doesnt just love playing at the Field of Dreams, but is learning from it as well.

He is accepted just like everyone else and this is the one place that every single one of these kids get to be in the spotlight. When it's there turn, they are called by name, cheered on and just not held back by anything, Loeber said as she lifted her son up.

Rather than referring to them as having disabilities, the league refers to the athletes physical and developmental disorders with a more optimistic, inclusive nomenclature: exceptionalities.

They didnt ask to be born this way, with these exceptionalities, Randy Mast said. But here they are, making the most of their lives. Theyre exceptional in their own right.

Mast, a retired special education teacher from East Baton Rouge Parish, sponsors one of the leagues teams through his company, Buffalo South Sauce. Continuing the mission of his company, with a focus on giving back to the community, he felt it was a no-brainer to be a part of this program.

The smiles on the faces of these children, Mast described, is pure joy.

Each of them has their own limitations and theyre just out here having fun like any other child playing softball, Mast said. Theyre having fun.

Following a promising start, Kohan and everyone else involved in the league have big plans for its expansion, including a complete overhaul of the fields campus, which includes adding dedicated bathrooms and concessions, as well as seeking more sponsors for more teams.

Kohan splits his Monday nights between the Team of Dreams League and a similar all-abilities basketball league. Badges for Basketball, whose season is still running, brings athletes with exceptionalities into mentee positions with Gonzales law enforcement officers to learn life skills and play together as a team where they couldnt before.

Giving them the chance to get out there and be just like the other kids, that means a lot to us, Kohan said. We want them to be just like the other leagues.

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Play ball. New all-abilities league give kids who couldn't play on other teams a chance to swing a bat - The Advocate