More than once in this blog, and plenty of more times for anyone willing to listen, I have stated the best single sporting league in Bridgeport is the Challenger Division of Little League Baseball. I have also said their opening day ceremony is actually “the best” event in Bridgeport sports or anything Bridgeport.

 

That is a hill I will die on.

 

For those that do not know – and if you do not, make it point to know – Challenger Baseball is the branch of baseball set up for children and even young adults with physical and mental needs. It is entering season 21 here in Bridgeport and it is the result of the kindness and compassion of Mike and Kim Martin.

 

The duo set up a league that is nothing but pure joy. It is sports how it is supposed to be with children out there dealing with every type of situation possible – from Down Syndrome to autism to blindness – that are setting the example others should follow.

 

To be honest, I was not quite sure if I would ever see the community be able to pull something off so pure and wonderful again. Not because the collective community – and that includes those beyond Bridgeport’s borders – did not want to, but because it just did not see that was possible.

 

On Monday, March 18, I was proven wrong. And I could not be happier about it.

 

The City of Bridgeport, through the non-profit Friends of Bridgeport Recreation, broke ground on the Medbrook Children’s Charity Inclusive Playground just outside the Citynet Center at The Bridge Sports and Recreation Complex. It is just a stone’s throw away from the baseball field where the kids play.

 

Here is the beauty of the entire thing. The greatest thing since Challenger League would possibly never have happened without Mike and Kim Martin bringing Challenger to Bridgeport and opening it up to individuals from near and far for a chance just to play ball.

 

That was 21 years ago, and it was the seed for the inclusive playground. About 15 years ago, the water to go on that seed was found by Andy and Lisa Lang.

 

Before Andy Lang was mayor and known as a successful city businessman, his wife Lisa got both of them involved in Challenger League. He said it was the best advice his wife ever gave him, but it also led to something else.

 

“We were in Washington, D.C. 15 years ago visiting friends who were taking their little kids down to a playground. When we got there it was an inclusive playground and we had never seen one,” said Andy. “That was when Lisa and I got this idea that we need this in our community.

 

“It’s always been a goal of ours and it’s something we’ve talked about for a number of years,” he continued. “When I was fortunate to become mayor of Bridgeport the discussion became even more serious.”

 

The serious nature of the reality discussions had produced results hit an emotional chord with the Martins. In particular, Kim Martin was moved watching ground being turned up for a playground that will provide so much for so many.

 

“I’ve cried all day long because it’s so very emotional to know that these kids are going to have some place special just for them,” said Kim after Monday’s ceremony.

 

That special place saw Lang pour the water on the seed after being elected to office. Martin remembers a few things that took place in the years leading up to Monday’s ceremony.

 

“I was able to go to a preliminary meeting a few years ago and was in awe of the plans laid out,” said Mike. “This is not just a physical playground, but there is music and sensory things as well. It’s possible because of people like (Dr.) Kelly Nelson and Andy and Lisa Lang and so many others. They’re the real article because they create memories for these special kids.

 

“My key memory of how this started is when Andy decided to run for mayor, and he asked us to go to dinner. He wanted to tell us one thing,” Mike Martin continued. “He said ‘I promise you if I get elected, I’ll do whatever I can to get that playground done.’ He certainly fulfilled that promised and he’ll be the first to tell you he’s had a lot of incredible help along the way.”

 

While the Martins are quick to thank others, those who have been intimately involved with this process such as Nelson, Parks and Recreation Director Joe Shuttleworth, Lang, and plenty of others too long to list, are quick to give credit to the Mike and Kim Martin. And they point to their family’s commitment to the Challenger League and how it birthed the playground.

 

“Mike and Kim Martin are amazing,” said Lang. “They started the Challenger League, they run the Challenger League and just do so many good things, particularly for these kids with special needs … We have enough computer, telephone, and TV time in the world,” Lang said. “It’s nice to soon have this venue to allow the children to get outside and enjoy themselves.

 

“To be honest, this is going to help people like some grandparents who may have mobility issues and unable to get around who will want to spend time with their grandkids outside. This playground will allow that to happen,” said Lang. “It’s going to happen because of what Mike and Kim had already started with Challenger League.”

 

The idea is now blooming. The full bloom will take place this summer. It is, as Nelson echoed, a result of what took place more than two decades ago with the Challenger League.

 

 

“This is 100 percent an offspring of what Mike and Kim Martin have done with Challenger League … They found the avenue in their league to let their kids socialize with other kids on the baseball field and now they’re going to be socializing with everyone on a playground,” said Nelson, who heads up the Children’s Charity. “It’s a beautiful thing to know what’s coming.”

 

The good doctor is correct. It is beautiful. A prescription for happiness.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Mike and Kim Martin in front of an architectural rendering of the entrance to the playground at Monday's groundbreaking. The next two photos are file shots from past Challenger League opening day, while the bottom photo shows Mike and Kim Martin and a host of others getting dirt blown back on them as the winds were gusting heavily during the groundbreaking.