Rogers Aldermen To Discuss Establishing A Miracle League

ROGERS -- The city has leagues for baseball, basketball, softball and soccer, and if some aldermen are successful, there will be a Miracle League.

Gary Townzen, alderman, is the driving force behind the effort to establish the league in Rogers. He's to meet Tuesday with alderwomen Marge Wolf and Betsy Reithemeyer, Barney Hayes, parks director, and Mayor Greg Hines to get the ball rolling.

Fast Facts (w/logo)

The Miracle League

• In 1998, the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association in Georgia formed the Miracle League to further its mission of providing opportunities for all children to play baseball regardless of the ability.

• There are 250 Miracle League organizations in the U.S.

• Miracle League of Arkansas started its first season in 2006 with 42 players.

• The Arkansas League now has more than 500 players.

• At the end of each Miracle League Game in Arkansas, the players line up and sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

Source: Staff Report

"I just want to get the conversation started," Townzen said. "The mayor is in favor of starting a league here, and the city has park land at Mount Hebron where the field could be built."

The city owns land on Mount Hebron Road in southwest Rogers slated to be a park.

"I think the Miracle League is a great idea, that will allow us to accommodate children that otherwise would not have the opportunity to play baseball," Hines said.

The league provides opportunities for disabled children and adults to play baseball.

Townzen has attended several Miracle League games in Springdale and said he always enjoys watching the kids play.

"It's wonderful for the kids; they love playing the game. They even have an announcer who names each child as he or she comes to bat and spices up the game kind of like Dizzy Dean did when he announced major league games," Townzen said.

"I know it will probably be a year or two before we can start a league, but I'll do whatever I can to make this become a reality for kids in our area," he said.

"The Miracle League is more than just baseball, it's really a field of dreams," said Peggy McCall, executive director of the Miracle League of Arkansas.

"The kids get to play baseball just like other kids. They have a great time, and their parents get to sit in the stands and watch the game," McCall said. "It gives the kids a break from their parents, and the parents get a break as well."

Each player has a volunteer buddy who helps and protects the player, McCall said.

There are only two Miracle League fields in Arkansas, one is in Little Rock and one in Springdale. The Little Rock program has adult and youth leagues. The Springdale program is a youth-only league, McCall said.

A Miracle League field is the size of a Little League field, with one major difference, said Amber Spencer, a board member of the Springdale league.

The field is concrete covered with a soft, smooth rubber surface of tiles made from recycled tires, Spencer said.

"The surface has to be smooth and level because some of the players are on crutches, use walkers or are in wheelchairs. It's soft so if a player takes a fall they won't get hurt," she said.

The fields are built with private money, but cities often donate land and provide field maintenance, Spencer said.

Rick McWhorter, Springdale park director, said that city's Miracle League field was built at Tyson Park in 2008.

"We provide regular field maintenance just like all the other fields, we just don't have to cut the grass," McWhorter said.

"We don't have any trouble getting volunteers to be a buddy. We have a lot of University of Arkansas athletes and cheerleaders, high school students and area residents that donate their time to the program," Spencer said.

Springdale has 12 teams, each with 10 t0 12 players. The league plays a seven-week schedule beginning in April and again in September. The fee is $25 per child, which includes a uniform shirt and cap emblazoned with the name of the player's favorite professional team and trophies, Spencer said.

"We offer scholarships for any family that can't afford the $25 fee. We don't ever turn anybody away," Spencer said.

The Springdale league draws players from across Northwest Arkansas and Oklahoma, she said.

McCall said another field in Northwest Arkansas would be a great addition to the Miracle League.

NW News on 04/18/2014

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