Those involved with an adaptive baseball league in Waterloo Region say the season has been rewarding in more ways than one.
“I’ve been watching Tyler grow,” said Kim Nutter, whose son Tyler is one of the players in the Buddy League. “He’s an incredibly catcher suddenly.”
Participant Mick Woodfield adds that the community aspect is something he looks forward to.
“You’re finally in a place where you know you’re not alone,” he said. “I get to play in a baseball league where there are people just like me.”
As the second season came to a close on Saturday at Cambridge’s Riverside Park, organizer Cam Linwood reflected on how the league’s grown.
“We started our program last year with the expectation we’d get 20 or 30 kids out,” he said. “We got 40. This year it’s 60.”
The league is making a pitch to the city of Cambridge for a new home turf in the future.
“An accessible field in this community would be incredible,” said Linwood. “Something that everyone can play on. An artificial infield with a printed diamond so that players in wheelchairs or walkers or regular able-bodied players can get in her e and just have fun.”
Other benefits of the accessible field include being able to extend the season and providing an alternative location to play on rainy days.
An adaptive hockey league is expected to start up in Cambridge later this year.
