With the arrival of Autumn, football has grabbed the attention of local sports fans, while baseball enthusiasts await the arrival of the October playoffs, culminating in the crowning of a World Series champion.
Accompanying the chilly days, a warmth of excitement will emanate from Montoursville next Saturday as the Montoursville Little League will be hosting a Challenger Sandlot Fun Day at Lyter Field.
The September 28th event was born in the mind of Jamie Foster, a Little League World Series Uncle for the past several years.
“When I watched the Challenger Division game played at the World Series each year you can just see the love, not only from the athletes themselves, but the teams that are participating and from everyone that comes out to watch the game. It is something that wasn’t really on my radar until that moment. But as the years progressed, it became more meaningful to me.
“I talked to a number of people about the game and what fun it is, and it was something our league had not done in a while. It filled my heart, and I asked my daughter, Faith, to be my assistant coach. Now, here we are, a few years later, trying to expand the program and get other people involved. I absolutely love working with the kids and their families and have made new friends along the way.”
The Little League Challenger Division began in 1989. It serves as an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. The program accommodates players ages 4-18; or up to 22, if still enrolled in school. Hundreds of Challenger Division teams are in operation in the United States and other countries.
Challenger Division teams have operated locally since the early 1990s, but Foster hopes to expand the program.
“During the COVID years, a lot of things fell by the wayside, and it was a little hard to get things back up and running until 2022. This summer, we have five area teams that played against each other this year: Montoursville, East Lycoming, Jersey Shore/GSV, Mifflinburg, and the Original League. We play about ten games a year from late April until early June.
“Since the end of June, we have had inquiries from parents wanting to know when we could play ball again. That is when the idea to conduct the Challenger Sandlot Fun Day developed. I am hoping doing extra stuff like this will create awareness and lead to doing a fall season. Many Little Leagues have fall ball, so why not do the same for the Challenger Division.”
Challenger games are typically two innings long, and everyone plays the field and bats through the order each inning. Buddies assist the players during games, and most buddies are typically Major Division or older players from a league who help and encourage the players on the field, at bat, and on the bases. Outs are not recorded, and no score is kept.
The Challenger Sandlot Fun Day is intended to combine a typical Challenger game with a recently Little League promoted Sandlot Fun Day. The program is a player-led, unstructured event for local Little League programs to provide a fun, relaxed activity for baseball & softball players, where kids make the rules, make the lineups, and make the calls. (Much like the ‘old days’ when kids just went to the playground and picked sides.)
“We welcome local players or any potential area players that either want to come up and play for a day or just watch and cheer others on,” stressed Foster. “We will mix the players that show up, and the Buddies and players will be in charge of 90% of the game with limited help from adults.
“We’ve also invited other area organizations that work with kids with developmental challenges to participate by setting up tables to provide more information regarding available services for players/students and their families beyond Challenger baseball.”
The Montoursville Little League-hosted event will be held on September 28, 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m., free of charge. It is open to all 2024 Challenger players and potential players/families interested in learning more about the program. Refreshments will be provided at no cost to everyone attending, and tokens of appreciation will be given to the players and their buddies.
“It is our goal to get these awesome athletes/people together in the off-season and create awareness for Challenger Little League in our area,” Foster stressed. “Watching those Challenger games at the World Series each year is something special for me. Everyone is welcome to come out and learn what it is all about.”
Additional information can be obtained by contacting Jamie Foster at 570-220-6083.
