“Coach, I got a feeling in my stomach…”
“Coach, I got a feeling in my stomach… right here coach… I just feel so good right now!” Those are the words from eleven-year-old, Ty, as he seemed to float off the Miracle League field this past Saturday.
“I was shocked that any 11 year old would think like that,” coach Jake Kurth went on, “but after talking with my guys, they all felt that way. It is amazing being part of an organization that understands there’s more to life than baseball.”
Back in October, The JP4 Foundation reached out to the Miracle League of Blaine inviting them out to some Saturday practices over the upcoming months. With the Miracle League season running during the summer months, they were more than happy to get some playing time in during the off-season
The Miracle League believes in providing opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball regardless of ability. This past Saturday marked the third and final practice between the Minnesota Blizzard and the Miracle League.
Miracle League President, Brandy Eckman, is more than thankful for the opportunity and the partnership. “The [Blizzard Baseball organization] was so welcoming, and their coaches and parents are doing such an amazing job with these boys,” said Eckamn. “As a mom of a child with special needs, to see him out there playing baseball with boys his age when he’s so often overlooked, it was something really special.”
This past weekend, the youngest Blizzard teams served as Miracle League buddies. Currently, every Blizzard player from the 10 teams that played past fall have had a chance to serve as Miracle League buddies sometime over the course of the winter.
“The JP4 Foundation continues to provide Blizzard Baseball opportunities to be a strong presence in the community.” Adam Barta, owner of the Blizzard Baseball organization, continued, “My hope is that all of our players leave being better baseball players, but more importantly – better men.”
The winter season will be wrapping up for the Blizzard organization shortly. Seven teams will be making their way out to St. George, Utah with two other teams heading out to Las Vegas over President’s Day Weekend. A weekend that brought home three championships last year for the program.
