by Chris Nagle, Boston Strong
I was introduced to beep baseball in the summer of 2022. Before that time, I had never looked into sports adapted for the blind or other disabilities. I grew up watching major league sports and playing basketball in high-school. I also enjoyed taking long bike rides with my dad.
I was born with a condition called Aniridia. My vision growing up was rich and vivid, just less detailed. When I would look at a rug or a wood floor, I would see one solid color and not the multitude of textures and details most people see. If I got closer to things, then I would be able to see more detail. This lack of detail vision did not prevent me from fully participating in basketball or bike riding. In college, as my visual acuity declined, I had to give most of these athletic pursuits up.
My wife has always been passionate about sports. She loves to run 5K’s, 10K’s, and even Spartan runs. In the summer of 2022, she set her sights on beep-baseball and brought the whole family along for the ride.
That summer of ’22 was the first time I’ve held a baseball bat and tried to hit a ball since elementary school. Each Sunday, the whole Nagle clan would come to the Boston Strong practice and learn new skills/reinforce existing ones. While that first season focused on familiarizing many new players with the mechanics of the game, it set a strong foundation for the 2023 season.
In 2023, the season began in early April, holding batting practices indoors. I started pretty rusty. I needed to get my batting mechanics more consistent and repeatable. It took a lot of practice, patience and help. As the season has progressed and practices have moved outdoors, the team and I have been able to work the kinks out and turn into a well oiled machine.
The Boston Strong have a wide-variety of players and volunteers. Young & old, in-school & retired, and everything in between. This diversity gives the Boston Strong a youth and vibrancy, which is wonderful to experience.
It is magical to go up to the plate, square up, take a breath, and center myself in the moment. I signal that I’m ready by saying “Coach!”, listening to the catcher acknowledge with “Set!”, then to hear the pitcher say “Ready … Pitch!” As this happens, I get the bat into position and start to swing, feeling the bat make contact and send the ball soaring into the outfield. Even more magical is to know this opportunity is within reach for visually impaired individuals and with practice, patience and determination, each one of us can experience this extraordinary opportunity. Most of all, this unique journey has been made possible by all of the Boston Strong players, volunteers, & coaches, and I could only have done it with their teamwork, support and encouragement.
The Boston Strong is Adaptive Sports New England’s beep baseball program, founded in 2022. As new members of the National Beep Baseball Association, we highly encourage anyone with a visual impairment to check us out at https://adaptivesportsne.org/beep-baseball/ and give the sport a try. Thank you to the Yawkey Foundation for their support.
