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A diamond for everyone

Dream League created for adaptive softball

Modeling after a few other leagues around the country, a new softball league is set to open play in Durango.

The inaugural Dream League coed softball season begins at 6 p.m. Monday night at the Fort Lewis College softball complex. The Dream League is open to players with disabilities age 12-and-over.

“There has been a lot of excitement in the community from volunteers and players. I’m really jazzed,” said Mary Krause, who created the Dream League along with Durango Parks and Recreation supervisor Chris Clements. “We have got enough players signed up for one team, and we are going to play sandlot style until it catches on and we get more players.”

Clements and Krause got together to brainstorm ways to create a league for players with disabilities, ranging from mental to physical disabilities. A little while later, the Dream League was born.

“Over the last three years, there’s been some families coming to the rec center that have children with disabilities, and Krause approached me about the possibility of doing adaptive softball,” said Clements, who is a certified member of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation. “It was a good fit for parks and rec, and there definitely was a need out there. There are other programs out there in the country, so we modeled our program without having to reinvent the wheel entirely.”

Krause hopes the Dream League can catch on in the coming years and become something a bit like the Miracle League in Arizona. Krause, who previously lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, had her son Erich involved in the Miracle League, and Erich is excited to begin playing again in Durango.

“I love baseball. Just the bat, and the ball and the glove. It is real good,” said Erich Krause, a student at Durango High School who has down syndrome. “I’m very excited for the game (Monday).”

Mary Krause said the league will give disabled players an outlet they haven’t had in Durango.

“It gives them the chance to be social and the chance to play instead of watch from the stands,” Mary Krause said. “To get outside and make new friends, the adults with disabilities don’t get that very often. It brings tears to your eyes when you see a paraplegic up to bat and someone helps them hit the ball and get down to first base. To see that pure excitement, there are no words to describe it.”

Clements was excited to have the league play on the FLC fields, where the Dream League players will compete right next to the women’s recreational softball league and the kickball league.

“We are showing it is a part of our community,” Clements said. “We didn’t want the league to be off at an isolated location, and it is going to be really fun Monday night to watch kickball, women’s softball and the Dream League all next to each other. It will be representative of the community of Durango with everyone together playing ball.”

Mary Krause said registration forms will be available at the first game Monday night. Warmups begin at 6 p.m., and the first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The league will run every Monday night through June 30, and Clements and Mary Krause both hope the league can gain more momentum for future seasons.

“Next year, it would be nice if it is eight weeks instead of four, or if we had two games a week instead of one,” Mary Krause said. “It would be nice to branch out and have the numbers to branch out into separate leagues for different abilities or age divisions.

“We are really hoping to get it going and draw more people. It is like Field of Dreams; if you build it, they will come.”

Clements hopes players will come from all over the Four Corners as word gets out.

“This game is for everyone. If they have desire and initiative, there is no barrier for them. Adaptive sports and recreating in general is about providing access and giving people the chance to be self-actualized in their leisure pursuits,” Clements said. “If players need accommodations to make that happen, this is an opportunity where we will have volunteers who can work individually with each athlete to cater to their specific needs.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com



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