Miracle League Gives Participants A Veritable Field Of Dreams
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A field in the east Twin Cities metro is proving that baseball is a game for everyone. For the past 10 years, the Miracle Field in Woodbury has hosted the Miracle League, a place for players of all abilities to play.
A special surface makes it easy for wheelchairs and walkers to navigate the bases. It's a league full of support and smiles.
"It's all good. It's just so fun, this field is just all good vibes," mother Melissa Turnquist said. "You come out here, and it's smiles and laughter."
The Miracle Field is a place that brings teammates together, and encourages fun. It's a space where everyone can be themselves.
"You've got all levels here. You've got kids that need mom and dad to help them swing, or you've got someone like Max who doesn't need to, who will call out the ball and say he's going to hit a home run," coach and parent Michelle LeMay said.
Her son Max loves his time at bat. So does Leo St. Martin.
"I like hitting the balls," he said.
His father Denis St. Martin is his coach.
"A place like Miracle League gives me the opportunity to be a baseball dad, so it's a big deal," he said.
Mother Anne St. Martin loves cheering them on.
"We spend a lot of our time understanding everything is a little harder for us, and it's great to come here and everything is easy in a sense. And that means the world to us," she said.
They say being part of a team is everything. The purpose of the league is to support each other, to lift each other up.
"Every player gets to bat. Every player gets a base, and makes it on base. Every player runs, gets to run home, and hit home plate and gets the excitement of that," Turnquist said.
Families come from all over to be part of the Miracle League, looking forward to the weeknight where the energy is contagious.
"You watch their faces and they just are in love with this, and are running the bases and getting to do that. It's something they've wanted to do and this is giving them the chance to do it," LeMay said.
There are about a hundred players in the league. They play Monday and Wednesday nights through August at the HealthEast Sports Center. There are ways to volunteer, and to support, the Miracle League. Click here to learn more.
