The Challenger League recently completed its first season as a component of the Harlan Little League. The program, for children ages 4-18, allows therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, strengthening self-esteem and the opportunity to mainstream into other divisions of play and to develop disciplines of teamwork, noted Lisa Perry, league chairperson. It begun on the national level in 1989, and it is a Little League adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. According to Perry, games during the 2019 season were two innings and each participant plays a defensive position and comes to bat each inning. Sponsorship for the league includes: Harlan Center, Coldiron Trucking, Sunshine Baptist Church, Harlan Yoga, VIP Tees, John McMurry MD, COPE, Otis Doan, Burns Auto Sales, Rick and Annie Fox, Dr. A, MD. Throughout the season, members of the Harlan High School baseball team and coach Cory Estep, provided support and instruction to the children during practices and games. Pictured from the final game of the season were: James Stewart helping his stepson Bentley Goodie take a hefty swing, and Madison Pollitt and David Van Winkle of HHS fired the ball toward first base; while first baseman Kannon Broughton, right, sized up the opposition and Nicholas Foutch.

Chris Jones|

Harlan Enterprise