When did you s tar t playing beep
ball?
FEAT URED
I started playing when I was 13 years old, for a team
out of Chicago called the Chicago Comets. I started
playing for them because at that time it was unheard
of for someone that young to play beep baseball.
They were the only team that gave me a chance, so I
played for them for 2 years. Then it became too much
of a strain for my family to travel to Chicago every
weekend for practice. So that is when I started play-
ing for the Indy Thunder. I have played for them now
for three years, and we have won two World Series
Championships, so it was a good move.
What would you tell someone in
Middle School t hat has a handicap?
I would tell them that you have to be honest with
yourself. You aren’t going to be able to do everything,
depending on what your disability might be. Especial-
ly if you are blind, you aren’t going to be able to play
regular baseball or football obviously because they are
highly visual sports. However, there are outlets out
there that you can do the exact same thing, be a part
of a team, feel like you are winning a championship
and know all the good feelings you get from that sort
of stuff.
What has beep baseball done for
you?
When I was younger, I played Little League, and base-
ball was my favorite thing in the world. When that
was taken away from me, it was hard to deal with at
a young age. I lost my sight at 8 years old, so it was a
hard thing to deal with. For the longest time, for like
5 or 6 years, I wanted to play baseball and tried, but
I didn’t see well enough. Beep baseball gave me that
chance to play baseball again. It will be hard to stop
playing once I get older.
What advice would you give to Middle Schoolers in gen-
eral?
I would tell them to never let someone tell them that they can’t do something
because you will never know if you could do it unless you try. It is better to try and
fail, than not to try and not succeed.
Erik, 18
November/December 2017
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