The wide smiles, the roaring laughter, the animated high-fives. They greet every gaze of the eyes and turn of the neck at Aurora Sports Park.
On a postcard-perfect Wednesday morning, 75 participants and 85 softball players attended a Field of Dreams event staged by the Beautiful Lives Project and Triple Crown Sports.
They played catch, took batting practice, and shared stories.
“I am enjoying this so much,” Marie Taylor of Denver said as she fired the ball across the outfield. “It makes me so happy.”
Participant Kenny Plooster, left, gets high fives from softball players Sydney Evans, center, and Ava Twilley, right, after he crossed home plate during their game on the field at the Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colorado on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Beautiful Lives Project provides the uniquely abled an opportunity to participate in sports where they are often left out. Bryce Weiler, a co-founder of the nonprofit, is blind. Sports changed his life. Growing up in Claremont, Ill., he fell in love with basketball while listening to University of Illinois games on the radio. When he entered college at the University of Evansville, he found a coach in Marty Simmons who would let him sit on the team’s bench.
It wasn’t long after that Weiler began serving as a color analyst on the student broadcasts. He has since called games in college hoops and minor league baseball. It remains his passion to create sports experiences for others around the country.
“It is important to have events like this (softball clinic and game). The athletes play and make friendships with players and coaches,” Weiler said. “They are able to see what it is like when they are surrounded by people who believe in them.”
Catching up with family
Sterling Gaddie, 9, wants to be a catcher like his brother Brock and his mother Chris, a former softball standout. So as others around him tossed the ball, he took it a step further. He kneeled into his stance as Katelyn Bacigalupi of the Valley Kids 16U travel team from Fresno, Calif., delivered a strike. Chris watched a few feet away beaming with pride.
“This little guy Sterling loves, loves baseball. Loves sports. And he’s kind of gotten to the point where he really can’t play rec ball anymore because of some of his limitations,” Chris said. “This is so great for him. He loves being out here with the girls and the rest of the community and getting to know everybody.”
Sterling stopped before heading off to take a few cuts off the tee. He wanted to make a few things clear.
“I am going to try and hit a home run,” Sterling said with confidence. “And I want you to know that Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies is my favorite player.”
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Sterling Gaddie, 9, keeps his eye on the ball while learning hitting skills from his softball player partner Katelyn Bacigalupi, right, on the field at the Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colorado on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
The “Veteran” brings wisdom
Across the outfield, Taylor made fast friends with coaches and volunteers. She answers to the nickname “Veteran.” She is a regular at these events. Her athleticism is an outgrowth of a life lived fully. Taylor is a high school graduate from Denver East, has worked a full-time job for 12 years and never stops rooting for the Broncos, Nuggets, Avs and Rockies.
“I just love sports,” Taylor said. “Being out here, we get to work with the players and see all the different techniques and ways of doing things. It is really cool.”
Watch closely over the two-hour event, and you see something special happening. It goes well beyond softball. You see the connections.
“We were talking to Marie and told her how much fun we were having out here,” said 16U Valley Kids player Betsy Woodward. “She was glad that we felt that way because she said sometimes she meets with people and it’s a waste of time because they don’t take her seriously. That was eye-opening to hear.”
After the clinic on the fundamentals of throwing and hitting, the groups broke into teams for a spirited game. With softball players paired with participants, there were long throws across the infield, great stops up the middle, one-handed catches at first base and several unforgettable swings.
Dewayne Goolsby from Aurora provided one that will forever be etched in his memory. He lowered into his stance, gripped the bat and, well, let Dwayne pick it up from here.
“I was focusing on the ball like the old baseball players used to do. Then I was wiggling the bat, keeping that memory of how I wanted to swing. Then boom!” Goolsby said, eyes widening as he recalled the hit. “It flew over everybody. It was like, ‘Oh God! I just did that.’ ”
Goolsby bathed in the cheers. Players gave him fist bumps. The inflection in his voice was contagious as he repeated the story to teammates.
“I hit a home run a long time ago. Then, I got rusty,” Goolsby said. “But I got it back real quick.”
Participant Richard Minkiewicz, center, celebrates with softball players Denae Lardge, left, and Sophia Stephen, right, as he crosses home plate during their game on the field at the Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colorado on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Softball is vehicle for inclusion
The hit formed part of the day’s fabric. The competitive nature of sports, particularly at the highest level, masks the fundamental reason so many of us picked up a bat and ball in the first place.
“It puts things in perspective when you get so stressed out that it really is about having fun,” said Kiley Brodeur, a 16U player for Unity, a club team from Spotsylvania, Va. “Sports are very uplifting. It is a community.”
Teammate Denae Lardge politely interrupted Brodeur. She needed to make a salient point that captured the inclusionary nature of the event.
“We are all just out here playing softball. It makes us all feel the same,” Lardge said. “And it shows that everybody is special and should be appreciated.”
The game ended under an unforgiving sun. No one seemed bothered by the heat. Hours later, the smiles remained in every group picture and selfie with the softball players and the uniquely abled athletes.
“People with disabilities have challenges like all people do but it doesn’t affect how they work or how they play,” Taylor said. “Just give them a chance. They will surprise you in different ways.”
Softball coach Mike Kohn, left, takes a selfie with participant Briana Peterkin during a break in play in a game at the Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colorado on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
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