NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Sports provides great platforms to do great things. Thursday saw the Norview baseball team take advantage of that, helping adaptive athletes prove that handicapped does not mean incapable.
Mariah Stewart specializes in smiles, as in putting smiles on the faces of her adaptive physical education students at Norview. Thursday afternoon found baseball providing the joy.
"Why not do just a quick inning?," she said. "I reached out to a couple parents and the parents were like 'yes, I'm in. Let's do this,' and it's kind of snowballed since."
Challenger League provides kids with physical and intellectual disabilities with a chance to swing away and play baseball. Prior to the Pilots' varsity game against Granby, the program held a Challenger League inning, giving the adaptive athletes a chance to take center stage.
"I was ecstatic," said Chris Taylor, whose son, Carson, plays Challenger League baseball. "Give the kids an opportunity to have a high school sports, being able to play and the same opportunities as everybody else."
The Norview baseball field was alive with the sights and sounds of the game. The crack of the bat, the feel of the dirt and the cheering of the crowd gave the players an authentic experience of America's pastime.
"Having them feel like they're part of the varsity team, having them feel like they're part of the program is something that I really wanted them to take away because they are," Stewart pointed out. "They're no different than the regular kids that walk the halls, they just wheel down the hall."
"Playing baseball, having fun, stuff like that," added Pilot junior shortstop Ryan Lemon about what he hoped to give the Challenger League players. "Trying to get the family together, trying to get Norview out there showing that we're here to play."
The adaptive athletes were not alone on the field. Each had a Pilot varsity player by his or her side to show them the ropes and be true teammates. The Norview student-athletes even took some lessons away from the experience themselves.
"It teaches me leadership and control over the baseball field and my actions," said Lemon. "Keeping it cool, calm, family-friendly, stuff like that. I'm here to have a fun time."
"Patience, understanding, caring and adaptability," Stewart added about what she hoped the baseball players take from the game. "Everyone is different. I don't right my R's the same way you do."
It was a special day on the diamond and as for those smiles, there were plenty to go around, both on the field and beyond.
"I've seen him play on a little league field, grew up playing baseball myself, and now to see him play on a high school field, it means a lot," said Taylor.
"It means so much to give them this opportunity," added Stewart. "It means so much to allow them to see their kids do something that we take for granted."
For more information on Challenger League baseball, click here.
