There’s nothing that signals spring more than the crack of a bat echoing over the ball field; the roar of the crowd as runners race around the bases and the ump punctuating his call with a forceful splay of the arms and a loud “y-o-u’-r-e safe.”
This warm sunny day in May is no different as teams from Ridgefield and Wilton gather at Jensen Field in a competitive baseball fight to the finish. What is different, however is that this is the Little League Challenger Division, an adaptive baseball program for individuals who have physical and developmental challenges. Worldwide the league provides 30,000 children ages four to 18, (up to 22 if still enrolled in school) with an opportunity to play baseball when they might not be able to participate in conventional leagues.
At first glance, fans might think this a practice because the Ridgefield field is loaded with more than the requisite nine people. But no. Everyone on the field is a participant from the kids manning the bases or coming to bat to the buddies who assist by pushing a wheelchair around the diamond or by teaching how to catch balls or swing the bat.
When people say it’s a team effort—they aren’t kidding. Buddies most often come from the high school JV and Varsity boys’ baseball teams – dedicated youth who will tell you they get back more than they give. Recently, through the sponsorship of The Max Michael Rosenfield Foundation, the RHS girls’ softball team will now buddy up as well. Jill Kerpchar-Rosenfield got involved because she wanted the foundation, named for her son Max who passed away at the age of 7, to reflect the kind of inclusive and passionate person he was. Max was also a lover of baseball.
Ridgefield’s team was initially started by Garry Berger who couldn’t find a suitable team for his autistic son. He named it the team Holland for the popular poem Welcome to Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley about raising a special needs child. He was several years into running the league before he found out there was a National Little League Challenger Division already in place. For Berger being able to play against other towns was an eye opener and it was by watching what he calls a very impressive program in Westport that he decided to ask the high school baseball players to be buddies, something they have participated in ever since.
After 15 years, Berger passed the reins to Lisa Ipp-Voellmicke, a full-time pediatrician who works with children of all levels and is in her fourth year as team manager. She calls the program amazing and very near and dear to her heart, a passion her son Jacob shares. Jacob took the lead on the RHS buddy program until he went off to college this past year.
On this particular day, he is back on the field along with other former buddies because the call for volunteers went out due to an RHS baseball team makeup game. Family, friends, Little League members and more flooded the field to ensure that the team had enough buddies to fulfill their two per player goal.
The level of ability range is dramatic, and the goal is to ultimately allow each child two times at bat. Wilton is up first, and the cheering comes from both teams as the kids make hits, get on base and ultimately score. Wilton has fewer buddies today and so one of the parents who is helping the opponent’s first baseman, leaps to the other side to help the runner.
“We all know and support each other and all the kids,” says Jennifer Angerame, who along with Nancy Ward, co-founded the Wilton Team. Her son, Patch Angerame, is thrilled over the high fly home run he has just hit well into center field.
“He plays to win,” grins Angerame as she runs onto the already crowded field because one of the players needs a buddy.
“It’s always fun,” says Ridgefield’s Little League President Bryan Ward who helped Ipp-Voellmicke resurrect the program once the pandemic was over. Ridgefield’s team also supports towns without enough players for a league of their own.
“It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” says Kerpchar-Rosenfield, whose daughter Margo is working the concession stand. Since son Adam became a buddy, he has established a close friendship with one of the players. “At every game people are laughing and cheering for every player who gets up to the plate.”
Whether the sluggers are using a tee, hitting a whiffle ball or a softball, participants’ say it is pure joy to watch as every player in the Challenger Division experiences success and every volunteer goes home happy.
