While several groups had the opportunity to turn over dirt at what will be the Miracle League fields at North Augusta’s Riverview Park Feb. 15, members of the RECing Crew were the most enthusiastic as they grabbed the baseball-decorated shovels and forced them into the earth.
Dotted with baseballs, the fresh dirt was overturned multiple times by the adults who’ve been eagerly awaiting the construction of a safe place for them to play baseball.
“This has been a dream of ours to have a field that we can utilize and be safe for our individuals,” said Pam Stickler, president and founder of The RECing Crew, which offers sports and leisure programs for people with disabilities. “A Miracle League field is just that. It’s universal for all ability levels and safe for them to play on.”
A Miracle League field is a “custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries,” according to the Miracle League website.
The first Miracle League field was built in Conyers, Ga. in April 2000.
The North Augusta City Council approved the space at Riverview Park for the Miracle League Field in June 2021.
The RECing Crew offers several adaptive sports programs including baseball, soccer and bowling. Construction on the field should only take about eight to 10 weeks, depending on the weather.
Stickler said one of the things that excites her about the new field is its location in proximity to other sports’ teams.
“We’re right in the heart of the baseball complex here at Riverview Park. We’re going to be playing next door to other baseball programs that the city puts on,” she said. “A lot of individuals have siblings that are in those regular programs. So, when they’re out here playing so are the rest of their family members. They’re going to be doing the same thing everybody else in that dynamic of that family is doing. That makes everything else so much more normal.”
Stickler said Thursday’s groundbreaking is for the first phase of the project which will include two baseball diamonds, accessible dugouts and some bleachers.
Additional funds will be raised for phase 2, which includes a pavilion for social events and movie nights and additional grandstands.
Once phase one is completed, it will be open to the entire community not just members of the RECing Crew, she said. She anticipates other organizations that support those with disabilities as well as the school system to utilize the space.
The realization of the dream took many entities including the local and state governments as well as individuals and non-profit organizations.
Rick Meyer, the city’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism summed up the miracle by creating a phrase using each letter of the word.
“The definition of miracle is making inclusive recreation accessible, changing lives every day,” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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