MAKING A DIFFERENCE: MEET MARILYN WITTSTOCK

Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division: Celebrating 30 amazing years!

BY MARILYN WITTSTOCK

Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division: An Overview The Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division of Little League Baseball is a program for adults and children with physical and mental disabilities to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. Sportsmanship and fair play are hallmarks of the Little League program. The importance of physical activity for individuals with disabilities may include a sense of freedom, independence, inclusiveness, self-reliance, and a better ability to socialize. All of these experiences better integrate these participants into community life, thus adding value to the community.

In 2008, we built the first adaptive Little League Baseball field in Macomb County. It is located in Neil Reid Park and is called Norn Hott Field. Each year we register over 175 players, ages 5 and up. Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Baseball is open to all children and adults with special needs in the metro-Detroit area. Our regular season play is from June to August followed by Fall Ball in September and October. We have two divisions of play: The Junior League and Senior League. Games are two innings that last approximately one hour total. Every player bats and plays the field. There are no strikes or outs, and no score is kept. Players can hit off a tee or be pitched to by a coach. Buddies help the players with batting and fielding when needed. Every player receives a baseball jersey and hat for play. Games are played Monday through Friday in the evening and on Saturday mornings. Every player also receives a trophy at the end of the season. The playing fee is $40.00. The experience is all about having fun and learning baseball game fundamentals. We are very excited because plans and fundraising are in the works to build a second larger adaptive field for our Senior League players which will also be located in Neil Reid Park.

We are very proud that our CVLL Challenger Baseball program has thrived over the past 30 years. Our program also offers our players opportunities to attend Challenger Jamborees, Toledo Mud Hens Special Needs Baseball camp, and the Detroit Tigers special needs game outings.

My personal story…..How CVLL Challenger Baseball began, the building of the first adaptive field in Macomb County and now the new Senior League adaptive field! I became involved in Little League Baseball when my son started playing in 1985.

In the 1990s, I served on the board of directors of Clinton Valley Little League. That is when I discovered that Little League Baseball Inc. offered the Challenger Division for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. I had many friends who were special education teachers and thought how wonderful it would be for our league to offer this program. I then began contacting the schools and community interest developed. In 1994, our first playing season, we registered 14 players. In 2023 we expect to register over 190 players!

For 15 seasons, we played on public school fields which were not conducive to our players’ various needs. In 2006, I began a fundraising campaign to build our own ADA field. In 2008, our Challenger program of 100 plus now had its own field of dreams. A beautiful green playing field with extra-large dugouts and a rubberized base path, so wheelchairs can easily maneuver. The field was designed to accommodate a younger age group of participants. In 2014, Little League Baseball lifted the age requirement thereby eliminating the previous age limit for older players. We currently register over 100 players from the adult special needs community. Therefore, we now need to build a larger adaptive field for their safety. The new field will also allow a natural transition for the younger players to the senior league field. Norm Hott Field, our current field, is in Neil Reid Park located in Clinton Township. I am happy to announce that Clinton Township will be building, at their expense, a new ADA changing room attached to the existing restrooms at the park.

Clinton Township has given me the approval to build the new adaptive field in the same location. We have hired AEW (Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick Inc.) engineering firm to do the surveys and drawings and oversee the project. Premier Group Associates will be building the new adaptive field. The cost of the new field is approximately $270,000.00. We have raised $195,000.00. We are shovel-ready!

We are very proud to celebrate 30 years of offering Challenger Baseball in our community. We are fortunate to have many communities and individual supporters who have generously donated funds throughout the years. Their contributions have allowed us to maintain our current field in pristine condition and keep the registration fee at a nominal amount.

CVLL Challenger Baseball is not just about baseball…. it’s a community beyond the backstop fence! It is a community of parents, players, family, friends, and volunteers supporting our children and adults with special needs.

CVLL Challenger Baseball brings families together with events such as Opening Day, Toledo Mud Hens Special Needs Camp, Detroit Tigers’ games, Fall Ball, Trick or Treat Day, and Challenger Baseball Tournaments in Michigan and Ohio.

CVLL Challenger Baseball helps players and families engage which is important to their physical and social well-being. CVLL Challenger Baseball is cheers, hugs, and smiles! I will continue to work hard so that every child and adult with a disability can come and play and get rewarded for how awesome they truly are, on and off the field!

Accomplishments:

• In 2014 we were invited by Little League Baseball Inc. to participate in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, and be part of the first International Challenger Exhibition game. We played a team from Vancouver, BC.

• We were selected from more than 40 US applicants.

• In 2006 we began a campaign to build the first adaptive Little League field in Macomb County. We raised over $150,000 to build the new field. In 2008 we began to play and have maintained a pristine field over the past 15 years.

• In 2014 Little League Baseball expanded the Challenger Senior League Division to players 16 years old and up (no age limit). Since that time, the division grew from 55 players to now over 100 Senior division players, therefore, we need to build an additional and larger field for their safety.

• We are very proud that we offer our players and their families the opportunity to participate in Challenger Jamborees located in Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia Beach. We have participated for many years in the Toledo Mud Hens Special Needs Camp. Our players were selected to participate in the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camps and Play Detroit Day at Comerica Park.

• We are very proud and humbled that I have received the following awards: Little League Baseball 2009 National Volunteer of the Year. Detroit News 2008 Michiganian of the Year. Detroit Tigers Champion of the Year. Play Place for Autism 2017 World Changer Award. Macomb Intermediate School District 2017 Service to Schools Award. Families Exploring Down Syndrome 2019 Appreciation Award.

TIMELINE FOR THE NEW SENIOR LEAGUE ADAPTIVE FIELD:

2018/2019 Fundraising campaign began.

2020 hired Giffel-Webster Engineers to do concept drawing on new field.

2022 contacted Premier Associates Inc. to build the new field and get estimate.

2022 contacted and hired Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick Inc. engineers to do final engineering drawings of the new field.

As of March 17, 2023, we have raised $205,000.00 but $270,000.00 is needed to complete the new field.

If you would like to donate or would like more information on the Challenger Baseball program, email Marilyn at mwitt26@msn.com