by Wynter Pingel

I never considered myself to be an athletic person. As a child, I was a good student and I excelled in music, but sports never held much interest for me. In PE class in a public school, teachers didn’t know quite what to do with me, so I mostly sat on the sidelines and didn’t do much of anything, but that never bothered me. I spent my freshman year of high school at the Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped, where I was expected to participate in PE class. The only thing I really enjoyed was going on the Stairmaster. And while I was part of the track team that year, I certainly wasn’t winning any awards!

One of the joys of life is how things can change in unexpected ways. Last year, at 42, I decided to start working out and, to my surprise, I really got into it. Over the winter, I did my workouts by myself in my apartment, using an app designed specifically for visually impaired and blind individuals, but as the weather warmed up, I wanted to find a new way to be active, something that would get me outside and would also have a social aspect to it. That’s when I found out about Adaptive Sports New England’s beep baseball team, the Boston Strong. I attended my first practice and was hooked immediately! I loved the sounds of the game! The beeping ball, the buzzing bases, the cadence of the pitcher as he or she throws the ball, the satisfying crack of the bat as it makes contact, the calls of the spotters in the field, and the victorious shouts of “Caught!” as a ball is captured for a putout. And there’s nothing like the feeling of running as fast as you can toward that base, or diving on the ground trying to make a play. I knew right away that I wanted to really learn this sport, but that even if I never became a very good player, I was in it now and there was no turning back!

From the very beginning, the people I’ve met through beep ball really seem like a big family, supporting each other, encouraging each other, lifting each other up, both on and off the field. I’ve seen young people confronted with sudden vision loss learning from those who have been blind their entire lives, and all of us teach each other, just by living our lives, that anything is possible.

I was thrilled a few months ago when the Sirens, the first all-female beep baseball team, asked if I would like to join them at a tournament in Las Vegas. Not all of their players could attend, and I was glad to be able to fill in. The weather was beautiful, the fields were great, and I made new friends and had so much fun. I learned things from new coaches that will hopefully make me a better player, and I have memories that will last a lifetime, including ziplining over downtown Las Vegas! I’m so grateful to Adaptive Sports New England and the Boston Strong for a wonderful community and an opportunity to discover and explore this new and exciting part of my life.