League goes to bat forthose with special needs
Published: September 29, 2006
Ilan Romero was hit by a car at age 7, which disabled him both physically and mentally.
Romero, 22, of Clermont used a wheelchair until five years ago. He got his legs working again because his mother, physical therapist Brenda Koronka, made sure he got lots of physical exercise, including playing America’s pastime.
Now, Koronka and eight other parents have banded together to give their special-needs children the chance to play baseball. Otherwise they could only watch — and being a spectator isn’t good enough, Koronka said.
The South Lake Miracle League is for the physically and mentally disabled. So far, 19 young people have signed up to play. Registration is under way for the upcoming season. The league is open to anyone in the county.
Games will take place every week on South Lake High School’s hard-clay softball field. The first game will be Oct. 14.
“We have the whole spectrum of special-needs kids out there,” said Erin Myers, South Lake Miracle League board member. “Any child can come out and play.”
Koronka said exercise is important for special-needs children.
“That’s one of the reasons for it,” she said. “These children have more control after a few years of playing baseball.”
Koronka said baseball makes Romero move faster.
“In baseball, he’s got to go all the way around the bases,” she said.
Kids who use wheelchairs and those who are autistic especially benefit from the social interaction of the games, because their conditions can leave them isolated.
“It’s a unique opportunity for socialization,” Koronka said. “They get to meet other kids. And kids with autism need to learn how to socialize with other kids.”
Parents watch proudly as their kids get into the game.
“You’ll tear up watching it,” Myers said. “These kids have wanted to do this for so long.”
Myers and her husband, Anthony, are aunt and uncle to Shel Wilbanks, 5. Shel, of Groveland, has autism, which affects her ability to focus her energies, Myers said.
“She’s got tons of energy and absolutely no way to release it,” Myers said.
One important thing about the games: They are noncompetitive. No scores are kept or outs counted.
“When I mention baseball to my niece Shel, she lights up the room with her excitement,” Anthony Myers said. “However, this is not about baseball — it’s about giving them the same opportunities as other kids.”
Romero has been playing baseball at The Miracle League in Orlando four years.
Koronka has also provided Romero with karate and horseback-riding lessons to get him walking again.
Miracle League is a national movement that began in Conyers, Ga., in 1998, when parents decided to organize a baseball team for their special-needs kids.
Since then, the movement has spread.
“This is truly something that’s taken off across the country,” Myers said.
“We have a need here in Lake County,” Koronka said. “All these kids come in and see me, but it’s too far for them to go to Orlando.”
After the Miracle League was formed, members realized a field just for special-needs children was needed. Many Miracle League fields are of synthetic turf, which makes it easier for wheelchairs to maneuver.
Koronka, a South Lake Miracle League board member, said though it wasn’t built for special-needs children, the clay field at South Lake High is much better than a grassy field.
“It’s hard for wheelchairs and walkers to get around on grass and dirt,” Koronka said.
As a physical therapist, Koronka treats children in Lake with disabilities daily. She said it’s high time Lake County had its own Miracle League. South Lake Miracle League is a chapter of the Central Florida Miracle League.
“I have been targeting Clermont for some time,” said Kelly Puckett, founder of the movement in Central Florida. “My idea when I started this was to have multiple leagues and multiple fields.”
Puckett led the creation of a special-needs field in Orlando in 2001.
“Now we have to start raising money for a field in Clermont,” Puckett said.
Registration forms can be picked up at Community Care Rehabilitation Center at 235 W. State Road 50, Clermont.
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