Curtis Parks leans on his crutch and grips the bat with his free hand.

He swings and knocks the ball into the outfield. Despite the crutch and a hereditary muscular disease, Curtis runs to first base, then second, then third and all the way home. The 11-year-old can’t play football, basketball or soccer. So Curtis plays baseball.

When he takes to the field, he doesn’t think about limitations or the crutch he must use to keep his balance.

“I don’t worry about all that,” Curtis said. “I worry about the game and trying to hit the ball.”

After four years of experience in the Slocomb city league, Curtis now has a baseball league of his own, specifically tailored to his abilities. He’s one of 80 players who belong to Dothan’s new Miracle League. Six teams, two adult teams and four youth teams, make up the league for players with physical or mental challenges. There are players in wheelchairs, those who use walkers, and those with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and brain injuries.
Saturday was opening day for the league’s first season.

For many in attendance Saturday, the Miracle League and the Rotary Miracle Field at Westgate Park were dreams come true. Grants, fund-raising and donations helped build the field, the concession and restroom building, the bricked and gated entrance and the covered shelters.

Dothan’s two Rotary Clubs raised funds for the field and local companies donated services. Even on opening day, the league received two checks — one for $15,000 from CB&T and one for $10,000 from WDHN, ABC and Oprah’s Big Give to help build a Miracle Playground.

Kim Meeker, assistant leisure services director over operations, said the end result was much more than the city could have done on its own.

“We could have never put together the kind of quality that the community demanded,” Meeker said. “Money is not an issue when your hearts are in it.”

Teams had cheering sections on Saturday that rivaled any youth sporting event. Parents filmed with camcorders and snapped pictures as their kids took to the field — a rubberized surface glued to asphalt to accommodate wheelchairs and wheeled walkers and minimize the risk of injury to players.

Players are paired with “buddies” who help them during games.

Carie Tenzel left work Saturday to come watch her sons play. Her oldest, 15-year-old Chaz Tenzel-Walser, is autistic and unable to play in other leagues. Her youngest, 13-year-old Colt Tenzel-Walser, plays with the Dixie Youth league at Westgate Park. Colt volunteered to be a buddy for the Miracle League and helped his brother on opening day.

“Chaz has wanted for years to be able to participate in sports,” Carie Tenzel said. “ ... This allows him to do it at his own pace with his own strengths.”

Six-year-old Jessie Hall has gone to every sporting event for her older siblings. Now it’s her turn. Jessie, who was born with Down syndrome, got new shoes, new shorts, a jersey and a cap. She’s talked of nothing else for the past few days.

“She’s excited about playing ball with her friends,” her mother, Josette Hall, said.
And the miracle Saturday was in being like everyone else.

“ ... She wants to play and for us to sit down and watch her,” Hall said.

The Miracle League

What is it?

The Miracle League is a national organization that supports communities in creating leagues and fields so children with mental or physical disabilities can play baseball. Players are paired with buddies — who must be at least 12 years old — to help them during games and practices. The focus is more on every child getting a chance to play rather than winning or losing. The league does have competitive teams in some cities.

How did all this start?

In 2000, a youth baseball coach in Conyers, Ga., invited the 7-year-old brother of one his players to join a game, said Diane Alford, the national executive director of The Miracle League. The boy was in a wheelchair and had been coming to every game to watch his 5-year-old brother play ball. Players fought over who would get to push his wheelchair around the bases. Over time, more people expressed an interest in opportunities for their children with disabilities to play baseball. Diane Alford’s brother, Dean Alford, went to the local Rotary Club for help in raising $1 million in the community for the first field. In July 2001, the league went national.

How many fields and teams are in the league?

There are now more than 100 Miracle League fields across the United States and Canada. There are 200 league organizations that serve 85,000 children. By the time the league gets 500 fields, it could be serving 1.3 million children.

How is the Miracle League of Dothan set up?

There are now about 80 players, the youngest being 4 and the oldest 64. Because there is interest among adults with disabilities, the local league created two adult teams that will only play each other. Teams will each play six games on Thursdays and Saturdays. The local league is open to anyone who wants to play whether they live in Dothan or not. The Dothan teams are named after major league teams — the Red Sox, the Braves, the Cardinals, the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Athletics, the Pirates and the Orioles.

Where can I get more information?

For information on the Dothan league, visit www.dothan.org and click on the Miracle League icon on the city’s home page, or call (334) 615-3700. The national league also has a Web site at www.miracleleague.com.