Baseball Miracle League player Jaely Plaisance becomes Special Olympics girls athlete of the year
She was named by the daily newspaper The Advocate in Lousiana, USA. There are over 350 Miracle Leagues in the US, including Puerto Rico and Canada. They aim to remove barriers that keep children with disabilities off the baseball field.
Baseball player Jaely Plaisance has been named Special Olympics girls athlete of the year by The Advocate, the largest daily newspaper in Lousiana, USA.
A Live Oak High School junior, Plaisance competed in different running events, most recently the 25-meter dash.
"What she most enjoys is the competition against others to see if she can make it to the ribbon first," said Carly Percle, Jaely's mother, in an interview with The Advocate.
After competing in the Special Olympics, Plaisance started playing baseball and joined the Miracle League.
The Miracle Leagues were born to remove the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field. Miracle League teams play on custom-designed, rubberised turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries.
The first Miracle League opened in Conyers, Georgia, in April 2000. There are over 350 Miracle Leagues in the United States, including Puerto Rico and Canada, with 450,000 participating children and adults.
Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009) and is based in Washington, DC, USA. It provides training and activities to five million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in 172 countries. The International Olympic Committee recognizes the organisation.
The Special Olympics World Games alternate between summer and winter games in two-year cycles, recurring every fourth year since 1968. Berlin, Germany, will host the 16th edition of the summer games from 17 to 25 June in 15 different venues.
Softball was on the programme of the Special Olympics USA Games 2022.
