{Photo by Faran Fagen}
By Faran Fagen
In the end, there were more smiles than home runs.
They swung for the fences, ran the bases, and gloved ground balls.
Two-hundred-plus baseball players on 12 Challenger Baseball teams took the field on Feb. 26 at Pine Trails Park to open the 2023 season. Challenger teams took pictures, ate ice cream, and played a one-inning baseball game where every athlete batted.
Challenger is a modified baseball program that allows all special needs kids to play. Coaches and Buddies provide the necessary help for all the kids to hit, field, and get around the bases.
Husband and wife Randy and Debbie Hibshman of Coral Springs helped start the Broward Challenger program in 1990 and still oversee it. The league began with about 20 kids forming two teams in Tamarac. Now, they have teams in Parkland, Margate, Coral Springs, Tamarac, Sunrise, Weston, and Pembroke Pines.
Christina and Todd, Schulz of Tamarac, watched their two children, Kallie and Kaleb, cross home plate in their opening game for the Coral Springs Blue Jays.
{Photo by Faran Fagen}
“We are so excited to start another season,” Christina said. “Both our kids have gained not just physical activity but friends and social skills from being part of Challenger baseball.”
Future games are every Sunday at 3:45 p.m. in the seven cities. For more information, visit www.challengerbaseballofbroward.com.
Got News? Send it to Tamarac Talk. Don’t miss reading Margate Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, and Parkland Talk.