Challenger League providing baseball for kids with special needs

LEESBURG — We all hear about the baseball players who have been playing the sport since they were about six-years-old when they hit the ball off a tee. Then they go through Little League or Dizzy Dean, then Pony League or Dixie League and Travel ball.

However, there is a segment of children that are saddled with physical and/or mental challenges which prevent them from participating in activities and sports such as baseball.

Jennifer Sapp, a stay-at-home mom in Leesburg, decided to do something about it.

It’s called the Challenger League, a baseball league for kids ages 6-14 who have physical and/or mental disabilities.

“We started it probably seven weeks ago, from the time that we really started talking about it to this past Saturday when our first game took place,” Sapp said. “We are part of the Dizzy Dean League. We treat our players just like every other team. They get equipment. They’re treated like everybody else. We have games just like everybody else.”

Sapp’s nine-year-old son Landon was diagnosed as having a “developmentally delayed” disability. She wanted him to have the same opportunity to play baseball as the “normal” kids have. She also wanted to help provide the same opportunity for other special needs children.

“I didn’t want to put him on a regular league because if you’re familiar with Little League Baseball at all, the competition is huge,” she said.

Starting a League

Forming a league for disabled children was on Sapp’s mind for a long time.

“I’ve dreamed about it for years and years, and this year we finally attacked it and went after it and got it approved,” she said.

According to league regulations, they had one week to get kids signed up and form teams.

“We have 25 kids signed up from five different counties,” Sapp said. “I’m just blown away by the support from the community.”

So far, only enough kids to form two teams signed up within the one-week deadline, but, according to Sapp, they had to turn others away due to the fact that the sign-up deadline had passed.

The two teams in the league are the Marlins and the Giants. They played their first game at the Lee County Parks & Recreation Center last Saturday. At least 27 volunteers called “buddies” agreed to help and mentor the kids as they played.

“We have 27 buddies committed to show up to mentor our kids,” she said. “These buddies will step in at games and practices so the parents can have an hour or two a week to pretend all is right with the world and sit back and enjoy their children playing ball. This is why we created the Challenger League.”

Kids Love the Game

One of the kids participating, 14-year-old Todd Smith, has autism but loves baseball. When asked his favorite position, he moved his arms as if he was swinging a bat.

“You like to hit,” his mother, Carrie Smith, said.

When asked if she liked baseball, six-year-old Layla Townsend let out a loud “yes.” Then she promptly said she like hitting the best.

“I’m so happy I signed Layla up for the team,” Layla’s mother Dana Townsend said. “As a mother, it warms my heart to see the joy on her face and to see her have so much fun.”

One aspect of the league is that it’s non-competitive and score isn’t kept.

“Every kid hits the ball and every kid runs to first, second, third and comes home,” Sapp said. “The crowd is instructed to act like every body hit a home run when they cross home plate.”

Jennifer’s husband, Brent Sapp, has supported her to make the league a reality.

“There have been many sleepless nights organizing everything, gathering equipment, making rosters, talking to parents, talking to coaches, ” he said. “All of it paid off. For the first time ever, I got to watch my son put on a uniform, got to drive him to a ball game and watch him play ball. I got to be a baseball dad”

For more information about the Challenger League, parents can go to the league’s facebook page at Lee County Challengers Baseball For Special Needs Kids. A non-profit has been created to add other sports in the coming months.

According to Sapp, the non-profit status being applied is called the Challengers League and has an account set up at Colony Bank in Lee County for those wishing to make contributions. The teams have practices on a parcel of grass behind The Pointe United Methodist Church.