Since she was 4 years old, Charlotte Nicholson has lived for the field. Now, the 9-year-old is taking a swing at competition.”Are you going to win tonight?” Brette Nicholson, Charlotte’s mother, asked.”If I have anything to do with it!” Charlotte responded.The AllPlay Miracle Buddy Baseball League does not keep score. Every player hits, runs and comes home, and at the end of the season, everyone gets an award.”The mission of AllPlay is to allow children that have special needs the opportunity to play the wonderful game of baseball,” Bruce Froendt, executive director, said. But for the first time, AllPlay has winners and losers.”They kind of watch baseball, and they get how it works, and they don’t want to just tie at the end of every game,” Froendt said. “They actually want to win and lose and be thrown out and get out on base.” The competition league is much smaller, with only about 60 players compared to the miracle league’s 530. On Wednesday evenings, athletes come together for the sport, the fans and the chance to walk away with a win. While learning the competition side has been a process, Froendt said these athletes have been stepping up to the plate.”We have kids that come up to the plate and point their bat out to left field; we have eye black, we have gloves,” Froendt said. “We have all the things that any baseball player has.”As a coach, Andrea Zyla has seen the competitive spirit come out in these players, including her own son.”He works so hard just to keep up with everybody that’s on the league right now, and just to be able to show them like, ‘Hey, I got that out,’ and just to see that pride in himself,” Zyla said.The players say they want to win, and the competition pushes them.”It’s really crazy, and I just want to drill fast pitches,” Theo Marchio, an AllPlay athlete, said.No matter how heated the competition gets, it all comes back to the AllPlay community.”Over the years, we’ve just had an incredible explosion of people identifying this place as a place to be in the game and have fun, just like their peers,” Froendt said.”It’s nice that you can come here and feel like you belong,” Brette and Charlotte said.” feel like they have to apologize for their kids doing certain things, and here we just all love it,” Zyla said. “Like a coach will go lay out there with them and look at the stars.””Every day. I wish I could do it every day,” said Marchio.Information about joining, volunteering or watching the AllPlay league can be found on its website.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
OMAHA, Neb. —
Since she was 4 years old, Charlotte Nicholson has lived for the field. Now, the 9-year-old is taking a swing at competition.
“Are you going to win tonight?” Brette Nicholson, Charlotte’s mother, asked.
“If I have anything to do with it!” Charlotte responded.
The AllPlay Miracle Buddy Baseball League does not keep score. Every player hits, runs and comes home, and at the end of the season, everyone gets an award.
“The mission of AllPlay is to allow children that have special needs the opportunity to play the wonderful game of baseball,” Bruce Froendt, executive director, said.
But for the first time, AllPlay has winners and losers.
“They kind of watch baseball, and they get how it works, and they don’t want to just tie at the end of every game,” Froendt said. “They actually want to win and lose and be thrown out and get out on base.”
The competition league is much smaller, with only about 60 players compared to the miracle league’s 530. On Wednesday evenings, athletes come together for the sport, the fans and the chance to walk away with a win. While learning the competition side has been a process, Froendt said these athletes have been stepping up to the plate.
“We have kids that come up to the plate and point their bat out to left field; we have eye black, we have gloves,” Froendt said. “We have all the things that any baseball player has.”
As a coach, Andrea Zyla has seen the competitive spirit come out in these players, including her own son.
“He works so hard just to keep up with everybody that’s on the league right now, and just to be able to show them like, ‘Hey, I got that out,’ and just to see that pride in himself,” Zyla said.
The players say they want to win, and the competition pushes them.
“It’s really crazy, and I just want to drill fast pitches,” Theo Marchio, an AllPlay athlete, said.
No matter how heated the competition gets, it all comes back to the AllPlay community.
“Over the years, we’ve just had an incredible explosion of people identifying this place as a place to be in the game and have fun, just like their peers,” Froendt said.
“It’s nice that you can come here and feel like you belong,” Brette and Charlotte said.
“[Parents] feel like they have to apologize for their kids doing certain things, and here we just all love it,” Zyla said. “Like a coach will go lay out there with them and look at the stars.”
“Every day. I wish I could do it every day,” said Marchio.
Information about joining, volunteering or watching the AllPlay league can be found on its website.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |