Alternative Baseball coming to Bay County

Dec. 20—Long before Taylor Duncan founded Alternative Baseball, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities to play organized baseball for teens and adults with autism and other special needs, he understood why such an organization was needed.

Diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, Duncan felt stigmatized as a sports-loving child who simply wanted the same chance to play in an organized setting as any other kid.

"I was faced with a lot of negative social stigma over the years," Duncan said. "I was denied the opportunity to play traditional sports. With the help of my mother, teachers, and coaches who have helped me through the years, I was able to get to where I am today so that I can provide opportunities to others who want the positive experience of being able to do skills training and play in competitive type games."

That is just what Alternative Baseball does, evolving from humble beginnings at its founding in early 2016 with just six players getting together on a field in Powder Springs, Ga., to a national organization featuring 77 teams in 33 states.

The newest team will be found in Bay County and will be called the Panama City Beach Bull Sharks, with the club looking to begin play in late spring/early summer 2021, according to Duncan.

The Bull Sharks name was coined by Cody Cargle, a long-time friend of Duncan's who grew up in Paulding County, Ga., and now resides in Panama City Beach and plans to play for the team.

Cargle, who works as a pro loader at Home Depot, said he can relate to Duncan's childhood experience growing up with autism and it's why he is so excited to be a part of Alternative Baseball.

"The reason I was unable to play sports in school is for the same reason as I couldn't play in little league," he said. "I was considered basically a liability to some coaches and people would've judged me for being different. I just got inspired to join this one. It's strictly for autism and other special needs and I wanted to build a passion that I enjoy doing on the side while not working at Home Depot."

It's precisely for people like Cargle that Alternative Baseball was created, according to Duncan, who said the league provides a lot more for its participants than just a fun hobby or recreation activity.

"I would say it isn't just baseball, it's actually an opportunity for new friendships to be formed among those who are pretty much in the same boat as you," he said. "When many (special needs kids) graduate out of high school there are not many services available for those adults and late teens with autism and other disabilities across the country, at least not on a consistent basis.

"With (Alternative Baseball) we're bringing in this opportunity for those like myself on the autism spectrum to be empowered and encouraged to be the best we can possibly become and accept others for who they are and help them become the best versions of themselves and be encouraged so much that they can go out and accomplish whatever dreams they have whether it's on or off the baseball diamond."

It's a message that resonates deeply with the manager of the newly-formed Bull Sharks, Douglas Bolduc, or "Coach Doug," as he's known to Cargle.

A Massachussetts native, Bolduc settled in Panama City Beach four years ago. Coming from a sports-loving family featuring five brothers and three sisters, baseball and softball have always been a big part of the Bolduc clan's lives.

Bolduc previously coached youth softball before moving to Florida and was a player-coach in the Boston Men's Baseball League. Now a real estate agent, Bolduc said the lessons he learned from coaching, particularly with youth softball, have stuck with him all all these years later and he hopes to pass a similar message on to his new players.

"Stay true to your heart, stay true to who you are, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it," he said. "If you feel you can do it then give it a shot, and if you fail, then just try again. If it takes you 10 times to do it, that will give you what we call resolve and it will make you a stronger person. The great thing about baseball is it's the only sport where you can fail 70 percent of the time and still be a really successful player."

Now comes the task of putting together a team. Bolduc said the club still needs to get some equipment such as bats, balls, and gloves, and was in the process of putting together a fundraiser towards that end while also welcoming any donations from the community.

Of course building out the roster is the most immediate challenge for the Bull Sharks, with Bolduc and Cargle both looking for new prospects to join the team. Cargle said he didn't believe they would have too difficult of a time finding people such as himself interested in playing.

"I believe there are people out there willing to join, we've just got to continue getting the word out and promoting it," he said. "I'm willing to encourage others to come out and have a good time and be themselves and try to improve and become a better person and just enjoy it.

"I would try to convince them that no matter if they have autism or Down syndrome or epilepsy or whatever they're going on in their life, they will always be a No. 1 All-Star in my eyes and in anybody else's eyes. I want to inspire them to play ball and help them out with everything they're struggling with to become a better team player."

The league is for players who are at least 15 years old with no maximum age cap and will feature standard baseball rules, though the ball will be a bit bigger than a regulation baseball and Duncan said accomodations would be made for those with more severe or limiting disabilities.

"Some have to start off with a tee stand, but if they swing and miss off the tee three times, they're still out," Duncan said. "We teach the concept of what a strikeout is and work our way up from wherever they start out with their ability and skill level.

"Really what we would say is that if you feel like this is the right fit for you then we'd love to have you."

Duncan, who was one of the original six players to join Alternative Baseball, said he's not done trying to expand the league's reach and hoped to add more teams in the Panhandle so that the Bull Sharks wouldn't have to travel so far to find opponents.

"We want to have more coaches and managers and we want to be able to provide more opportunities," Duncan said. "Everyone deserves an opportunity to be accepted for who they are and to be allowed to be the best versions of themselves possible. Everyone across America deserves that opportunity."

It's an opportunity that Cargle, who will serve as the Bull Sharks' 'player rep,' said he wasn't afforded when he was younger. It's one that he wants others like himself to take advantage of with Alternative Baseball.

"I always wanted to try to play on a team and see how well I would do, but because of my disability I didn't think I would be cut out for it and fit in and everything," he said. "I figured I would be looked down upon when I was younger.

"I don't know much about being a player rep, but what it means to me is that I'm gonna inspire others to get better at playing ball and encourage others to not let these disabilities and boundaries stop them from doing what they love best and hopefully improve some of their social skills where they'll be more willing to do things in life."

—

Anyone interested in joining Alternative Baseball Organization as a player, coach, or volunteer can go to https://www.alternativebaseball.org/ to learn more.

___

(c)2020 The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.)

Visit The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) at www.newsherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.