AURORA — Mother nature knew better.
This event happens once a year, so how dare weather spoil it?
“If it had rained, the field wouldn’t have held up. They would have canceled it,” said Chris Gaddie. “That would have been awful for so many who look forward to this.”
Moments later, her 10-year-old son Sterling smoked a flyball over the outfielders. His smile was brighter than the 93-degree sun.
Beautiful Lives Project was back at the Aurora Sports Park hosting its third annual Field of Dreams day for uniquely abled athletes. And yes, it was a big deal.
There were 100 participants and 75 volunteers, the latter composed of teams participating in the Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July softball tournament.
There was something delightful at every glance. Christian hit a ball so hard off the net that it ricocheted off a clapping player. Ethan realized he could swing harder with a small stride, and fist-bumped after a liner. Jeff decided not to choke up when he stepped up for his third turn. And don’t forget about Will’s one-handed magic off the tee.
“It’s great to be out here and help out the community. They have such a good time. You can see that. It’s special to part of,” said Kyla Overton of the 16U Oklahoma Pure National Team after manning one of the hitting stations. “It’s kind of like, you are in a lot of stress when you are playing in the games. Getting to do this, it reminds you to have fun.”
It provides perspective. The Triple Crown schedule offers six games for 1,100 teams in the world’s largest fast pitch tournament. But the scrimmage held after playing catch and taking cuts felt just as significant.
It wasn’t about competition. Or even joy. It was about inclusion.
There were home runs, one-handed catches and dramatic outs. Frustration melted away with a second chance, small pointer or slight adjustment. When the game ended, the group gathered in shallow center field for a picture.
Instead of saying cheese, they yelled, “Beautiful Lives” on cue. It was a perfect ending to a gorgeous morning at the ballpark.
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