Welcome to the LaGrange Little League Challenger Division, a league for children with special needs ranging in age from 5 thru 21. We are the oldest challenger team east of the Hudson River being established in 1991. For this we thank Linda and John Lang for their determination and commitment and to their son David who asked to play baseball like his sister. The Lang’s with the support of Gus Angels, then President of the LaGrange Little League, the town of LaGrange Recreation Department and Mike Perry, who stepped up as manager, established our team.
Flash ahead and we are still here and having fun. We continue to play in the spring and fall at LaGrange Park on East Noxon Road (Rte 21). In the spring, we also play a few “road” games where we travel to a nearby town to play “against” their Challenger teams. Typically our games are Saturday afternoon with the exception of opening day and championship day when we start in the morning. We also practice either Tuesday or Thursday nights for about 1 hour.
During practice we teach baseball fundamentals as well as play a short game. On game day, we loosen up in the field with a short toss, a few grounders and pop-ups. We play two or three innings depending on the weather and how everyone is feeling. We follow the official rules for Challenger Little League Baseball set by the Little League Headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Each team, when batting, will go through their entire line-up. We do not record outs (though we make good plays and try to make the out), and everyone scores a run. No score is recorded and we cheer for everyone. We strongly encourage our parents and siblings to take an active role and play along with us.
We have a lot of fun and are our program is a huge success but the game of baseball is just the launching pad. We teach sportsmanship and teamwork, instill confidence in our players and build self-esteem. Strong bonds of friendship are developed and extend off the field for both players and parents. We celebrate our seasons with a barbeque, pizza party and a trip to see the Hudson Valley Renegades. Come join us!
