The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton had a fun night-out at a Miracle League of Dane County triple-header weeks ago. Twenty three club members and friends attended. This is a program that affords children and young adults an opportunity to play a modified version of baseball.  Players are young people, 4-19 years of age, with some disability, who are aided by "buddies. " The buddies are community volunteers who assist the players bat, run/wheel the bases and play the field.
 
 
The night we were there , the buddies for one of the teams were athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who are part of a program called Badgers Give Back. Currently, the league has 300 ballplayers, a significant increase from the 96 that began in 2021, its first season. Games are held at Phoebe Bakken Park at 4064 Vilas Road in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin,  during the months of June and July. The joy of the game is easily seen on the faces of the participants. It was Bill Schultz of Madison, a dream-weaver, who brought the program to Dane County. The beautiful rubberized field  features an electronic scoreboard, showing a picture of the batter with his or her name. And yes, they even have walk-up music!  Oh, and Major League Baseball allows them to use their logos and replicas of other major league gear.
 
As a child, Bill Schultz loved baseball, and looked with great anticipation to a time when he would be eligible for Little League tryouts. Up to that point, it was pickup games with his friends. When Schultz turned 8, he was old enough for Little League. After participating in tryouts, Schultz felt good about his chances of making a team.. His self-assessment convinced him he had done better than some of the other kids. However, the dream of playing baseball was squelched, when a Little League official came up to Schultz, put a hand on young Bills shoulder, and told him he wouldnt be allowed to play. Why? The Little League boss told Schultz he might get hurt or hurt someone else. It was a tearful experience. There was no question, Schultz faced physical challenges. Shortly after birth, he had a leg amputated and had been fitted with an artificial leg. In addition,  he was born with a malformed arm and hand. Unlike other parents, at the time, Schultzs mom wasnt one of those overly protective, helicopter parents,  a quality she had which Schultz appreciates to this day. Schultz notes the root of the word disabilities is ability!
 

Many years removed from his failed attempt to join a Little League team, Bill found an opportunity to help children with disabilities, whether physical or cognitive, when he learned about the Miracle League, a program which started in Conyers, Georgia and has spread across the country. A simple act of kindness by youth coach Eddie Bagwell planted the seed, when he invited a 7 year old wheelchair bound kid to join his team. That was how the movement began, now at 350 leagues strong. Of course, to initiate a Miracle League program in Dane County, Schultz had to find land and start-up capital. The Village of Cottage Grove stepped up, letting him build a specialized field at Bakken Park, with rental at $1.00 per year. Fundraising got an early boost from the Rennebohm Foundation. Another six figure donation came from an unknown couple, whose anonymous gift was handled by their lawyer, serving as an intermediary.

Schultz, like his mom, believes you need to let kids try things.Schultz said: all have innate capabilities.”  As with other children in team sports, the little kids look up to the older, more experienced players, and the senior kids look out for the younger ones. A healthy dynamic! Parents of Miracle League youngsters appreciate seeing their children having fun and competing in their own way. 

 

Asked if  he had other dreams for  the Miracle League, Schultz said he would like to have a similar operation on the west side of the Madison area, pointing out that 60 of the 300 ballplayers currently reside in Middleton or Verona. A second idea on his radar is a league for adults.

Take yourself out to the ballgame at a Miracle League game on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night (except July 4). First games are at 5:30 P.M., followed by two more. During the last couple years, The Rotary Club of Madison West Middleton has made donations to the Miracle League. To learn more about the Miracle League and how YOU CAN HELP,  go to www.danecountymiracleleague.org