Buddies create dream season

Buddie Ball closing ceremony marks a first great season

By: Bill Greenwood
   MONROE — With the first season of Buddy Ball coming to a close this weekend, division officials said they were happy with the way things went and are looking forward to next year.
   "It’s going to be a consistent program for the kids in Monroe," Buddy Ball Administrator Su Reiser said. "It’s a really good program, and it’s a program that needed to happen."
   The program, a new youth baseball division created by the Monroe Township Baseball Association and the Monroe Township Special Education Parents Association, will hold its closing ceremonies Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. both days. There will be a parade and awards ceremony Saturday, and the final game of the year will take place Sunday, Ms. Reiser said.
   The division was set up for players with mental and physical disabilities between the ages of 4 and 21. They each were paired with "buddies," who helped them perform all of the skills associated with baseball, from rounding the bases to catching a pop up.
   Ms. Reiser said the division ended up with 21 players, 35 buddies and 32 buddies-in-training, who served as backups. She said the children and their buddies got along well and learned a number of lessons from each other, adding that some keep in touch outside of the program.
   "Some have been e-mailing each other back and forth," she said. "Some of them found out that they were closer neighbors than they knew, and they meet up at the library and hang out at the library together."
   The division’s first game was held April 14, Ms. Reiser said. Participants then played games every Sunday at James Monroe Park and at the Monroe Township Recreation Center when it rained.
   "We don’t quit, and we don’t cancel," said Buddy Ball Division Director Jack Bobish, who also coaches one of the division’s two teams. "To cancel or postpone a game because of weather is something a disabled child may not understand."
   Each two-hour session began with hitting and fielding exercises, after which a two-inning game was played. In those games, there were no outs, no balls and strikes, and no score, according to Mr. Bobish. He said the division is meant to be positive, and that competition could cause some players to have "bad reactions and behaviors."
   Mr. Bobish was impressed by the players’ development. He said he had several children move from hitting the ball off a tee to hitting off a pitcher, and three of his players have begun learning how to pitch. He credited the improvement to the efforts of the division’s buddies, who each worked with one player for the duration of the season.
   "There’s a real value in this for the buddies," he said. "They’ve really understood what these players go through in a short amount of time. They have a sense of pride when they see a player do something they couldn’t do (before)."
   Ms. Reiser and Mr. Bobish both said they were looking forward to making the program even better next year. Ms. Reiser said she wants to improve division organization and get the word out to as many township residents as possible.
   Mr. Bobish said he plans to work on a more in-depth description of a buddy’s role and duties so those new to the program will know exactly what is expected of them. He also said he would like to see the program branch out to other sports, like basketball and soccer.
   Registration forms for next year’s Buddy Ball season should be available in the Recreation Center in September, Mr. Bobish said. He expected the cost of joining, which was $25 this year, to remain the same.