Miracle League caps off spring season
Amherstburg players call it a season with news of another diamond in works
The players dotting the Miracle League of Amherstburg baseball diamond play by a different set of rules.
Each player bats and scores a run every inning.
All players reach base safely, while volunteer “buddies” offer support and encouragement on the field.
And when the game ends, every player leaves a winner.
Miracle Leagues, found across Canada and the United States, are safe and welcoming for players with disabilities and their families.
The Amherstburg league has about 150 players on nine teams. Their spring season wrapped up Saturday.
Tim Dufour is father to Emma, a player in the Miracle League.
“It’s the best time of my week, that’s for sure,” he said. “She’s the light of our life. And to see her be able to participate in something like this is incredible, it really is. It’s incredible. I love it.” And Emma does, too. “She looks forward to it,” Dufour said. “We count down the sleeps — literally, count down the sleeps. She loves coming here. She calls it ‘baseball with her friends.’
“And it’s really the highlight of her week as well. She just loves to participate. She gets three home runs a week, regardless — it’s just a lot of fun to be able to watch her experience that type of joy that other typical kids experience.”
Dan St. Louis’s son, Emmett, plays on the league’s Bomber team.
“The people here, everyone’s loving, they support everybody,” St. Louis said. “Anything goes. If you’re having a bad day, we just go with it. Everybody wins here.”
The league welcomes child and adult players, said Michele Vigneux, a parent of a Miracle League player and the league spokesperson.
But it’s also an opportunity for families.
“Sometimes, for some families, this is the only opportunity they get to sit down, and have a coffee or chat with another family or another friend, while their son or daughter plays baseball,” Vigneux said.
The Amherstburg Miracle League rubber baseball diamond is a safe, barrier-free surface that accommodates walkers and wheelchairs.
Plus, “buddies” participate alongside players.
“Some players need physical support, some of them need emotional support, and if (a player) just wants someone to cheer them on, we have the luxury of having some amazing volunteers offer that,” Vigneux said.
Faith Vennell has volunteered in Amherstburg for four years and coached in Sarnia for seven.
“It’s a happy environment,” she said. “It’s exciting to be able to do something like (this) versus regular baseball, where you can’t take your wheelchair out.”
She said the experience of being a buddy is unmatched.
“You could come here upset and it makes you happy,” Vennell said. “It’s very rewarding to be able to put a smile on a kid’s face. I love it.”
Windsor city council recently approved plans to create a miracle baseball diamond at the site of the former Riverside arena — news greeted with excitement by Amherstburg Miracle League families.
“It’s really hard for families, when you have a son or daughter with a disability, to find activities they can participate in,” Vigneux said. “We’re thrilled that there’s another Miracle League. It just provides another opportunity for people to participate.”
Dufour called news of another league “beautiful.”
“There are no outs at all,” he said, “so they can run as little or as much as they want to. Some of them stop at first or second.
“But Emma, she never stops. She doesn’t like to stop. She just gets a home run every time.”
Players or volunteers can register at the Amherstburg Miracle League website. The next season begins the Saturday after Labour Day.