A new baseball program in Yorkton and Area will make sure kids and adults living with disabilities won’t be left out of the summer fun this year.
Challenger Baseball is starting next month. It’s a non-competitive baseball program where the scores aren’t tracked and participants are encouraged to simply enjoy the game.
The program is open to people living with physical or mental disabilities. Kids as young as five-years-old can participate.
John Emery is the coordinator of Challenger Baseball in Yorkton. He’s worked with kids with disabilities for years. He looked for athletic programs that catered to people with disadvantages, but he couldn’t find many in his area.
“[There are] not a lot of programs here for youths and adults with special needs,” he said.
Emery was inspired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Their Jays Care Foundation, which provides baseball programs for marginalized and disabled kids, gave Emery the idea to kickstart the Challenger Baseball program in Yorkton.
Yvette Renneverg, who will be a coach for the program, discussed Challenger Baseball with Emery.
“It jumped out at us,” she said.
“It’s an awesome fit,” Emery said. “It’s going to be something new.”
Emery said the main goal of the program is to create relationships for people with special needs.
“It’s a fun, social thing,” he said. “It’s going to be a blast.”
Emery is looking for volunteers to act as “buddies” for the program. They’ll pair up with athletes, assisting them with hitting the ball, running bases, and other activities.
“[We’re] still looking for as many buddies as we can get,” he said.
Emery hopes to extend the program past the baseball season, keeping the team together for movie nights and other events all year long.
“If there’s interest to keep going, we’ll keep going,” he said.
It’s taken a lot of time and planning to bring this program to life, but Emery thinks the happiness it will bring to the athletes will be well worth the effort.
“I’m excited to see the happy faces,” he said.
The first game of Challenger Baseball will be held Sunday, May 6 at Jaycee Beach at 2 p.m. Subsequent games will be held every Sunday at the same place and time for two months.
Anyone who wishes to join the program as an athlete or a volunteer can email [email protected]. Registration is free. The program is accepting applicants until May 6.
