MUKILTEO – When the Marysville Mustangs arrived for their inaugural game, a buzz surrounded the team.
Moms tugged here and tucked there to ensure perfect fits of the dazzling new uniforms. Dozens of cameras whirred and clicked. Hugs were exchanged and the sweet music of laughter filled the air.
“This is probably what heaven will feel like,” said Barbara O’Kelly, one of the Mustangs’ chief organizers.
Even the host team, the Mukilteo Air Force, seemed curious about the newcomers – the second Challenger Division Little League baseball team in Snohomish County – who arrived to play ball on the surprisingly sun-drenched final Saturday of April.
“This is sort of the old greeting the new,” said Kerry Mallery, an official in the Mukilteo program and the administrator for the Challenger program in Little League District 1, which encompasses Snohomish County.
“Marysville wanted to look sharp and they do look sharp,” Mallery said. “And the kids are all quite excited about coming down to take on Mukilteo.”
The Challenger Division, inaugurated by Little League in 1988, is said to be the organization’s fastest-growing segment. The program provides boys and girls ages 5 to 21 the opportunity to play organized baseball regardless of mental or physical disabilities.
The Mukilteo Challenger team started 14 years ago and has traditionally drawn players from throughout Snohomish County. Officials in District 1 said the time had come to expand and make the program accessible to more families.
“The biggest thing is getting kids and parents aware of what’s available,” Mallery said. “I think a lot of kids with restrictions such as wheelchairs, hearing, speech or vision impairment believe that they cannot play baseball. We might be able to dispel those doubts and get them to come and enjoy the game.”
In the summer of 2003, Mallery contacted an organization within the Marysville School District – the Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council, or SEAAC – about the possibility of starting another Challenger Division team in north Snohomish County.
He was happy to learn that he not only had tapped into a high need, but also into a group of volunteers willing and able to help.
“It’s like a PTA for special-needs kids,” Mallery said of SEAAC. “I’m totally impressed with their support and efficiency.”
O’Kelly, secretary of SEAAC, spearheaded the effort to inform the Marysville community about the Challenger Division. She relied on a tried-and-true method to drum up support for the fledgling team. “Sign up first, ask questions later,” O’Kelly said with a laugh.
Also critical to the effort to get the team off the ground were the organizational talents of Mustangs manager Loren Jenkins. “There was so much to do and she right away came in and took charge,” O’Kelly said.
In addition to the SEAAC, Mallery needed to gain the full support of the Marysville Little League.
“(League President) Rick Swartz has just taken us under his wing up there,” Mallery said. “We came into his league and set up a new team and he has given us playing fields, equipment and his commitment to making this program work.”
More help came from longtime Marysville YMCA volunteer Tim Novy and the Home Street Bank in Marysville, which has supported the team by paying for the uniforms.
“Tim just has a heart for serving,” O’Kelly said. “And Home Street did so much, right down to paying for the socks.”
Such sponsorships to defray registration and other costs are vital in the Challenger Division, where families often are strapped with hefty medical bills associated with their child’s disability.
The outpouring of community support in Marysville is similar to the longtime assistance the Challenger program has enjoyed from Pam Degamo, South Mukilteo Little League president, and Tony Monfiletto Sr., the director of District 1.
“Pam gives us the great field at the complex to play on along with the equipment and uniforms for the team,” Mallery said. “Tony’s total open support allows us to continue to try (to) expand.”
The recent success in Marysville has fueled Mallery’s desire to see the Challenger Division continue to grow in Snohomish County. He said the demand for programs for disabled children is greater than the current supply.
Mallery said he’s confident other Snohomish County communities will respond in a similar fashion to Marysville.
“Next year, we’ll look for a total expansion to other parts of the county,” Mallery said. “Including south and east.”
All of the behind-the-scenes planning probably meant little to Kyle Bennett, 14, when he stepped to the plate as the Mustangs’ leadoff batter in the game against the Air Force.
A pair of swinging strikes weren’t enough to keep fans from standing and cheering.
Kyle wasn’t about to disappoint them – as if that was even possible – and he hit a ball into the outfield that turned into a home run despite the best relay efforts of the Air Force’s Chris Brown, 10, and Shawn Moan, 12.
Each team had plenty of reasons to cheer during a game in which everyone batted and everyone was considered a winner.
In a youth sports world where too often coaches or parents are given to berating 8-year olds for their shortcomings, the Challenger Division offers about as much controversy as a Norman Rockwell painting.
“The kids don’t argue, they just play,” O’Kelly said. “It’s so neat to come to a game knowing you’re going to be laughing and smiling, instead of worrying about competition and the pressure of kids performing.”
And what do other players and parents think about the Mustang program?
“He is absolutely ecstatic,” DeeDee Gulle said of her son Cody, 11.
“Everybody’s a winner, that’s the most important thing,” said Kaori Tutewohl, who has two children on the team. “Where I come from (Japan) they hide kids with disabilities in institutions.”
Tutewohl’s is a military family and frequent moves necessitate starting over with school, friends and community contacts. Those drawbacks of military life can be exacerbated with disabled children, but programs such as Challenger baseball help ease the transition.
Then again, Tutewohl has a different view on the concept of disability.
“There is a term,” Tutewohl said. “Not disabled, but differently able.”
From her vantage point along the right-field line, O’Kelly offered another perspective.
“This program takes the fear out of having a child with a disability,” she said. “We want them to enjoy life and to see our kids appreciated and accepted, because, ultimately these kids are a permanent part of the community.”
O’Kelly’s daughter Erika, 8, cracked an apparent single then surprised everyone by racing on to second base as fans from both sides cheered.
Erika stood on the bag, beaming proudly, while her mom smiled and enjoyed another little slice of heaven.
“This is how we’re thanked by our kids,” O’Kelly said. “By seeing them have joy.”
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