Becoming A Baseball Buddy

This past Saturday, I had the chance to become a baseball buddy and take the field alongside the Croton Challengers!

Can you tell I have no idea what I'll actually do if a ball comes my way?

The Challenger Division is offered to Little Leaguer's with physical and mental challenges. The teams are divided by ability, not age. The players range in age from 4 to 18. While that sounds like it might make for a crazy game, it works SO well for the Croton team. The Challenger Division uses "buddies", who assist the Challenger players on the field. I was so excited to spend the afternoon as a buddy alongside my pageant sisters from the Peekskill Pageants Organization: Tatiana (Miss Cinco de Mayo), Bianca (Little Miss Cinco de Mayo), and Jennifer (Little Miss Italia). 

The Cortland Challengers were the visiting team of the afternoon, with the game taking place at Dobbs Park in Croton-On-Hudson. We played three incredible innings! Along the way, I learned three things about the Challengers:

1. The Challengers can HIT! You should have seen some of the bombs that flew wayyyyy over my head as I attempted to help as much as I could.

2. The Challengers can DEFEND! I was put to shame by the arms of some of these eleven-year-olds. Suffice to say, while I was there to help, they certainly weren't depending on me to get the job done!

3. The Challengers have HEART! For me, this was the most touching part of the afternoon. The teammates were so encouraging to one another (even players on the opposite team!). They also had some fabulous buddies there to support them--family, friends, and coaches. 

Thank you so much, Challengers, for welcoming me as a teammate for the afternoon! I wouldn't be surprised to see some of you show up in the Major Leagues someday!