The Shepherd Sluggers may not have won the Wheelchair Softball World Series in August, but the team had its best-ever finish and believes it could be champions in the future.
Shepherd Center, Atlanta’s premiere brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation center, offers the Alias Family Sports Teams program, which enables individuals with physical disabilities to participate in sports on a recreational or competitive level. There are 10 teams that compete in local and regional competitions, as well as at the national and international levels. From fencing to water skiing, it is the largest disabled sports program in North America, benefiting many, including Kyle Benedict, shortstop for the Shepherd Sluggers.
Benedict was 16 when he was snowboarding near his home in upstate New York and had a freak accident.
“I was a very experienced snowboarder,” said Benedict, 42. “I went off a jump, not trying to do a crazy trick or anything. I got inverted and landed on my back. I’ve been in a wheelchair ever since.”
Benedict was in the hospital for 86 days for his spinal cord injury, which left him with paraplegia.
“It was tough being a teen. You already have enough to handle, then a huge life event like that happens. But the support around me was incredible,” he said. “I had friends in my hospital room every day and an entire wall papered with cards.”
Renovations were made to his family home to make it accessible for his wheelchair. That process gave him a new perspective of architecture as well as professional inspiration.
After graduating from high school, he moved to Georgia to attend Savannah College of Art and Design. He studied architecture and went on to open Commense Design Studio, a firm he’s owned for 12 years.
A couple of years after moving to Georgia, Benedict reached out to Shepherd Center in search of volunteer opportunities. He met Shepherd’s sports director, Matt Edens, who told him about all the sports he could try. Benedict ended up on the basketball team, the Shepherd Stealers.
“That was my first exposure to adapted sports and I loved it,” Benedict said. “I was a very active kid and teen, and it felt good to be back at it. But I learned basketball is tough when you have an injury like mine. It became frustrating for me. It’s hard not to be successful when you’re competitive.”
When Edens told Benedict he was thinking of starting a wheelchair softball team, Benedict’s answer was immediate: “I said, ‘Hell, yeah!’”
The team starts practice in April and plays through the end of the summer, when they travel to play in the Wheelchair Softball World Series.
“It was hilarious how bad we were in the beginning,” Benedict said. “I and one other guy have been on the team since the start, and it’s been quite the evolution. I don’t think a lot of people understand the competitiveness. Yes, it’s open to everybody, but we want players who are all in and understand we play to win.”
As with any sport, Benedict said wheelchair softball is not without frustrations. The thing that bothers him most is when players on other teams walk to the plate, then sit in a wheelchair to hit the ball.
“There are some full-sized dudes with all their faculties, smashing the ball with their big, strong hands, while our entire team swings the bat with one hand,” he said. “There are politics and bureaucracy, but a rule change is necessary and would make it more fun. All things considered, we’re still happy with our accomplishments.”
This season, the Sluggers played in four tournaments, winning two and finishing second in the other two. Through the Alias Family program, the players are provided with sports chairs and lodging, and travel expenses are covered for the World Series.
“I don’t know of any other facility that cares for their athletes the way Shepherd does,” said Brandon Clift, Shepherd’s sports specialist and coach of the Sluggers. “Gear, jerseys, flights, hotels — when a participant shows they’re committed, this program takes care of those things that can be a burden.”
This year, the World Series was played on Aug. 15-17 in Omaha, Nebraska. About 20 teams competed.
“There’s a wide range of skill level amongst the teams,” Benedict said. “Because of that, they break them up into two divisions, which means there are two champions. We’ve always been in the second, lower division, but this year we played in Division 1, which made us really proud.”
The team played six games over two days. Their final game was against a team from Chicago, the Hawks, who the Sluggers lost to earlier in the season.
The Sluggers led 8-4 going into the sixth inning, but that’s when things began to unravel.
“We play seven innings in wheelchair softball,” Clift said. “In the bottom of the sixth, there were some balls that came off the bat funny. One was a line drive that hit someone’s chair, and standard plays turned into bigger deals.”
The Sluggers still led 8-7 going into the final inning, but things again didn’t go their way.
“It was a game we shoulda, coulda won. It was heartbreaking,” Clift said.
The Sluggers lost 11-8 and placed finished sixth in Division 1.
“The great takeaway is that we improved so much and other teams around the country saw that we are legit,” Clift said. “We had our best team yet out there and I’m proud of how they played. I believe in the team and think we’ll continue to move up the rankings until we hit the top one day and win the World Series.”
Benedict believes the team will continue to improve. But in the meantime, he is just grateful for the opportunity to play the game he loves.
“We’re lucky to have not just such a great program, but amazing volunteers, like Brandon, who give their time to coach these teams,” Benedict said. “Anyone with a disability, light or severe, has the opportunity to play sports in some capacity and that’s incredible. It’s great to spend time with other disabled people and have that unique camaraderie.
“Our lives are all better because we have this outlet.”
