Orange County gets 1st wheelchair softball team for adults
Orange County now has its first wheelchair softball team for adults! It's a great physical activity and a great bonding experience for the players. With help from the Angels Baseball Foundation, the Miracle League of Orange County got an ADA-accessible baseball field at Pioneer Park in Anaheim.
The Miracle League organizes baseball teams for developmentally and physically challenged children, and now they've got their first adult team. The softball team plays with a ball that is bigger, and there are no gloves. For many of the players, this is more than just being able to play a sport they all love.
"To be playing softball again is a great thing for me. I played in high school all 4 years. I played a little bit in college.
I feel like I'm used to being who I was, so to be able to play again is everything," Amber Machowski, who plays on the team, said. "Playing the sport is one thing, and having this community and wonderful friends is totally another thing. They are family," Rajesh Garg, another player, said.
"If you've never hit a softball, a large softball from a seated position, it's really, really difficult. So, all the people have the skills to play and play well to the best of their ability," the team's coach, Michael Rosenkrantz, said. "I don't like using the word 'normal,' but we're normalizing people being able to play no matter what their ability level is.