I got to tell you, I really did not see any way that the weather would break so that we could play ball today. I talked to a couple dozen families between 7:01am and 9:00am. On nearly every call, I think I said, "I really don't think its gonna happen", but I also said "Its up to the Crawdads, because its their field. They will let us know if they decide that we can't play".

Well, they never called. Our setup team showed up at 8:45am in the downpouring rain and waited to see if the Crawdads were going to open the gate for us. Around 9:05, the gate opened. The rain tapered off. We talked with our contact person, Charlie Downs. Charlie said he was planning on uncovering the field at 9 to see how it looked. He had everyone's best interest in mind the whole time and decided to give us every opportunity to play.

By 9:30 the rain had stopped, the clouds began to break, a ray of sun poked out of the fog and we decided to setup tents for the food and make a go of it. In the back of mind, I was still afraid that it wasn't going to happen. Thank goodness I'm not in charge.

It was a great day. Please take a look at the photos from the game here:

http://www.walkinroll.org/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=17.

Download all 115 photos compressed in a zip file (13MB) here:

http://www.walkinroll.org/site/images/allstar2010photos.zip

“Let’s Play Ball!” Each Spring more than 70 local children and adults alike look forward to hearing these words during each of the 10 weeks of the Walkin’ Roll Activities League, Inc. T-Ball season. Completing this year’s season will be the organization’s 16^th Annual All Star T-Ball game set for Saturday, May 22nd at L.P. Frans Stadium, Hickory. With the opening ceremony to start at 9:45 a.m., the games will immediately follow. A light lunch will be served following the game.

T-ball, offered by Walkin’ Roll annually, is one of many activities designed to assist and nurture individuals with disabilities by providing opportunities that may not be available otherwise. Some Walkin’ Roll team members are in the public school system where they may see their fellow schoolmates in baseball games and other organized sports. Often times Walkin’ Roll team members are not included due to a disability, making it impossible for them to experience organized sports or competitive play.

Walkin’ Roll Activities League, Inc. strives to make sure all of its players, ranging in ages from 3 to 53, are respected and their skills are enhanced. Everyone gets to play. Everyone is safe at first base regardless of how far the ball is hit.

There are no charges to participate in the Walkin’ Roll T-Ball program and only minimal fees are charged during Walkin’ Roll’s bowling season in the fall. All fees pay for use of the bowling lanes, trophies, equipment or other related expenses. Because many participant families spend considerable money on medical bills, Walkin’ Roll’s various activities provide fun and stimulating activities for little cost.