Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – In a year they are celebrating their 25th anniversary, representatives from Freehold Area Challenger Sports will play in an exhibition game at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Freehold Area Challenger Sports is a year-round program that serves children with special needs in the Freehold area. The programs are baseball in the spring, soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter across 28 Sunday mornings each year.
The 25th Anniversary Celebration will be held on May 7 at 12 p.m. at the Freehold Township Little League Complex at the Michael J. Tighe Park on 65 Georgia Road, Freehold Township.
After their regularly scheduled game, all participants will come to the celebration with food, drinks, games and music.
“Our philosophy revolves around the concept that our athletes are just that, athletes,” Challenger Sports Manager Alan Goldstein said. “We have no preconceived ideas regarding limitations, disabilities or labels. Players are there to enjoy the experience, but also to improve their skill level. We deal with any ‘quirks’ in a safe, supportive environment, but expectations are always kept very high.”
Each team has two or three coaches who are usually adults or high school students, and each athlete is assigned a one-to-one mentor who will work individually with them in forming close bonds that can last over several years.
“We are so popular, that we have a very long waiting list to become a ‘buddy,’ ” Goldstein said. “Similar leagues have issues recruiting help; we have plenty. Many of our athletes are also honors students, leaders in other organizations and often participate on sports team themselves. We cover all ages from 3 to whatever. We cover all types of diagnoses.”
Currently, there are approximately 200 participants playing at least one of the three sports available by Challenger Sports. The most heavily enrolled area is Freehold Township, followed closely by Manalapan, Marlboro and Howell. Fewer participants come from Farmingdale, Jackson, Millstone Area, Brielle, Old Bridge, Bordentown and Yardville.
During the celebration, the 15-player roster for Freehold’s team will be revealed along with a new banner and uniforms. The team is made up of players from Freehold Township, Manalapan, Marlboro, Howell, Bordentown, Millstone, Manasquan and Jackson. Goldstein serves as the team’s manager, and Edward Liberston and Tom Saporita are the assistant coaches.
“Going to the Little League World Series is exciting at all different levels,” Saporita said. “It’s every Little Leaguer’s dream to play in the Little League World Series. It’s the closest the average kid will get to being a pro. It’s the ultimate success. Alan and I combine for over 60 years of coaching experience. By far to us this is the apex of our careers. We are just as excited as our players. Our philosophy has been from day one that our players are not disabled, they are no different than any others. Everyone has different levels of ability, especially when it comes to sports. As a coach, it’s our job to maximize this ability, and being selected confirms our efforts.”
In August 2016, Goldstein and Mike LaCava, president of the Freehold Township Little League, Challenger Sports applied to Little League International, Inc. to be one of the two teams to represent the approximately 1,000 Challenger Divisions worldwide. Goldstein said the application pointed out accomplishments, including longevity, consistency, community involvement, level of play, philosophy, training other leagues, road trips, mentors and connections to the Freehold Township Little League as well as the recreation department.
“I was very confident in writing the application knowing full well what great things our athletes have accomplished as well as what the communities involved in our regional approach positively felt about what we are accomplishing,” Goldstein said.
Challenger Sports heard in February that it was selected as one of the teams to participate in the exhibition and that it had received a grant to defray most of the costs to do so.
The exhibition is scheduled for the morning of Aug. 26 and will have live television coverage on ESPN 3 live streaming and local PBS affiliates.
“The actual game will be only a small part of the experience for our athletes,” Goldstein said. “They will be dealing with travel, a hotel, a bus, crowds, excitement, meeting others, strange and loud environments, shared meals and competing against other athletes they do not know. Most importantly, while we will perform to our best ability, our players will be representing and playing for all of those worldwide Challenger athletes who will hopefully be watching. We expect to play well and to set a proper example of skill paired with sportsmanship for others to model.”
“For the parents of our athletes, this is an impossible dream come true,” Saporita said. “In their wildest dreams, they never expected their child would achieve the greatest honor in the Little League baseball. Our coaches and buddies also share in this honor. If it weren’t for their never-ending efforts in helping our players, we would not exist.
“Finally, Freehold Township Little League and Freehold Township Recreation share in this excitement, as they can show other local towns what they are doing for special needs children throughout the county. I would be remiss in not thanking them publicly, for without them we would have no place to play sports while our parents share concerns and enjoy their kids.”
“As the Director of the Challenger Division and manager of the team, I am overwhelmed with excitement and honor to represent not only our own players but all of the Challenger participants who reside elsewhere,” Goldstein said. “It is the culmination of 25 years of hard work for myself as well as for all of the other volunteers, including coaches, assistant directors, buddies, community sports directors and the town at large.
“We have received various awards, including proclamations, plaques, drawings, kind words and thanks. These are all very important to us. But going to Williamsport is the capper, especially during our 25th year.”
Goldstein said the players are aware they are on an important All-Star team.
“They have seen previous videos of the Challenger Exhibition,” Goldstein said. “They know it is a long ride, and they will be at a hotel, in a large stadium and be playing with lots of people in the stands. They know that their families are also excited, and that relatives will be coming with them. The older players — [our team has a wide age range] — think they have turned pro. Everyone knows that they will be on TV.
“We will have a couple of practices to teach them some of the new things they will experience. I have complete confidence in our athletes to do their best and to really have a great time with many brand new experiences.”