ESTEVAN — An Estevan woman has been named the new co-ordinator of Challenger Baseball in Saskatchewan.
Christine Jones, who works at the Mercury in its administration department, has taken over the role, which is a volunteer position. Challenger Baseball is an inclusive program designed to empower children with cognitive and/or physical disabilities through the sport.
“As provincial co-ordinator, I’m responsible for liaising with guiding and supporting, and learning from and updating existing Challenger Baseball leagues within the country, as well as advising the Jays Care Foundation and Challenger Baseball Canada on the ways to enhance and amend our supports,” said Jones.
Challenger Baseball is a result of a three-way partnership between Little League Canada, Baseball Canada and the Jays Care Foundation operated by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The program came to Estevan in 2019. Jones became interested in it because her son Carson is autistic and loves baseball. The program was shelved in 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions. Then it returned in 2021, but didn’t run last year due to a health issue for Jones.
“Our first year was amazing. We had 23 kids registered,’ said Jones, who has been in charge of Challenger Baseball in Estevan since it came to the city.
They have nine so far for this year.
“Our vision is to create a level playing field where children, youth and adults, living with disabilities, can have access to transformative sports and recreation opportunities where they feel empowered to develop life skills, recognize the potential and recognize their own dreams,” said Jones.
This year marks a return to full, in-person baseball without restrictions. The last few years have been difficult due to the pandemic, Jones said, and now more than ever, children with cognitive and/or physical disabilities need programs like Challenger Baseball.
She believes the sport teaches life skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, friendship, independence and courage, which athletes can transfer to everyday lives outside of sports for years to come.
As part of Challenger Baseball, the players work with coaches and buddies, who provide one-on-one assistance for the athletes, pointing them in the right direction and helping with the different activities.
Challenger Baseball doesn’t have anyone signed up to be a buddy as of yet. Jones hopes that will change, and she has reached out to the Estevan Comprehensive School for students who want to help.
They are also still looking for coaches and players for this season.
Sessions are held Sunday afternoons at Lynn Prime Park. Jones said they hope to run for eight weeks, like the Estevan Minor Baseball house league. Due to the moisture conditions, they won’t start until at least May 7. They also take weather into consideration when scheduling their activities.
“Estevan Minor Baseball has been absolutely wonderful in helping us. They are paying for our insurance. So, there is no cost to our kids, other than showing up with proper footwear, a glove, and, in most cases, a helmet. We do have some helmets. Jays Care and Challenger Baseball provide us each year with adaptable equipment, and this year we got helmets.”
Challenger Baseball emphasizes skills and life lessons, rather than having actual games. Jones is looking to have what she called a “summer jubilee” in which Estevan and the other programs in the province – Regina, Yorkton and Wymark – can meet up and play.
As the head of Challenger Baseball in Saskatchewan, Jones travelled to Toronto from April 13-17 for the provincial co-ordinator’s conference. Representatives from most of the other provinces, as well as affiliate programs, were in attendance. The Toronto Blue Jays brought the co-ordinators together, and they watched the Jays’ game against the Tamp Bay Rays in which the Jays ended Tampa’s 13-game winning streak to start the season. They also toured the Rogers Centre.
It proved to be a memorable experience for Jones, who is a life-long Jays fans.
“We sat down … to discuss how we can make Challenger Baseball better, how we can get it into more communities, how we can get more people to sign up, stuff like that.”
Jones noted there are over 9,000 kids in Saskatchewan with some form of a disability, and according to Jones, 18 signed up for a Challenger Baseball program in Saskatchewan last year. She wants to see that number change.
In 2022, there were 115 Challenger Baseball chapters with 9,013 athletes in 10 provinces and one territory. Jones said 61 per cent of caregivers with a child in Challenger Baseball have indicated it is the only sporting program their child is participating in.
