Neighbors

Express team on the right track

Challenger’s Division has their day in the sun

Posted

The Express of the Challenger’s Division in the Lynbrook Little League may not play against an opponent on the field when the team meets on Saturdays at Greis Park, but the children on the team battle mental and physical disability every day of their lives.

The program started last spring when Tom Burke, a member of the Lynbrook Little League, and his wife Carol, a special education teacher, realized that more could be done for children in the community with special needs.

“I’ve been teaching typically able kids my whole life, and it’s been fun, but these kids always get left out and there’s nothing for them,” Tom Burke said.

The division is freefor parents and the team with children from ages five to 16 meets on Saturdays for an hour. In the first half of practice, the children go through four stations of drills, including hitting, catching, throwing and running. In the second half of practice, each player gets the chance to hit the ball and run the bases.

Michael Guggino, whose son, Michael, is autistic, said that his son has made tremendous strides during his time playing baseball.

“It’s excellent to be able to see the progress,” he said. “When you have a child with special needs, all you want to see is your child is getting better and moving on. They’ve been able to get him making progress.”

Guggino said that his son has learned some discipline since joining the Express. He said that Michael originally didn’t want to play baseball, but now comes, actively participates and follows directions.

Victor Cutrone, whose son Marc is undergoing tests for autism, but is learning disabled, said that the division has been a godsend for his son.

“It gets them out, gets them to socialize,” he said. “They can’t play with kids their age. He tried when he was 5 or 6 and he couldn’t keep up and didn’t want to play anymore. He was intimated.”

Burke said that the biggest benefit of the Challenger’s Division is that the children are able to spend time in the sun, as a team, with children around their age.

“They get in hours of fun, doing what other kids do,” he said. “Do they learn a lot of baseball? Probably not. They learn basic baseball skills, but they get to be members of a team and at the end when we put our hands in and say ‘Express’ it’s big for them. They don’t get to be part of a group [at times] and they’re part of a group.”

Marc Cutrone, 13, said that he likes baseball and had an easy answer when asked about his favorite moment of the season. “All of them,” he said.

The Express wrapped up its season on June 21 and all members of the team were given trophies for participating.