Latest Miracle League Minnesota News

A Miracle Comes to Cooperstown
Field for Special Needs Children a Permanent Addition
to Sandlot Kids’ Clubhouse

by Ben Couch
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum just got a little bit safer.

As part of Special Abilities Day on March 24, the Museum dedicated the Miracle League Field at the Sandlot Kids’ Clubhouse. The Field is a miniaturized version of ones constructed by the Miracle League, which provides an organizational framework and rubberized, smooth-surface baseball diamonds for children with special needs.

“This becomes the museum’s first-ever feet-friendly exhibit,” said Jeff Arnett, director of education and public programs. “Children can run the bases on this soft playing surface while their families enjoy learning about the Miracle League in this colorful and popular area.”

The collaboration between the two organizations was born at a brunch suggested by long-time Museum member Steve Solmonson, who had put the Museum in touch with Kevin Thoresen, an official with the Minnesota Miracle League. Discussions continued, and the groups eventually hit upon the idea of placing a Miracle League field, as well as information about the Miracle League’s activities, in the area of the Museum most frequented by children.

The surface of the scaled-down field, which comes complete with basepaths and proper dimensions, is a dual-vulcanized sheet used normally for high-end running tracks like those in Olympic stadiums. The top layer is a virgin rubber and the bottom layer is a recycled product; the two layers are then vulcanized together.

“It has an extremely good wear,” said Scott Koesterich, principal for North American Specialty Flooring, which produces a majority of the fields, including the one at the Museum. “Since it’s a virgin rubber and made as almost a paste, it has very good qualities for abrasion. It’s very hard to wear off the surface. This has a tough surface, so it won’t wear quickly and force the Miracle League to raise more money for the fields. The longevity helps them financially.”

The first Miracle League was established in Conyers, Ga. in 1998, as a community response to the desires of disabled children to play baseball. By the start of the next season, more than 50 participants signed up. That year, the organization learned that more than 50,000 disabled children in the Metro Atlanta area were unable to compete in traditional youth leagues, and first dreamed of creating a sports complex tailored to children with special needs.

Backed by the Rotary Clubs of Rockdale County and Conyers, a completely-accessible complex opened in April 2000. The Miracle League’s efforts began to attract media attention, culminating with a feature by HBO’s “Real Sports.” National Executive Director Diane Alford said that this year, the Miracle League will serve more than 25,000 children in 170-plus organizations – of which more than 60 have fields; the rest are either under construction or being fundraised for.

The Miracle League, which currently aims to create 500 leagues serving 1.3 million disabled children, doesn’t solely focus on those with special needs. An important aspect of the program is the utilization of “Buddies.” These are mainstream children, mostly baseball players, who make a commitment to a Miracle League player for the entire season. They are responsible for the safety of their player, to push their player past any perceived boundaries, and to befriend the player.

“Because the baseball has brought these kids together on Saturday at the field, they’re now being invited to sit with their friends – their new friends – at lunch,” Alford said. “It’s bridged this gap of not knowing how to respond to these individuals. There’s no magic wand, there’s no magic bat, but it’s recognizing that individuals with disabilities have the same desires and needs that you or I have. Children are children – they like the same kind of pizza, the same kind of rock n’ rollers, the same ball teams – but they have more obstacles to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”