When Sam Wicklund found out a baseball coach was needed for Miracle League this year, she was a little unsure if she was qualified. Still, she applied for the position right away and earned the job.
The league is for kids and adults with special needs of any kind. The Miracle League in Brainerd began with retired Parks and Recreation Director Tony Sailer, who raised the majority of the money to build the field in 2015 at Bane Park in south Brainerd and coached through the 2019 season. Last season the league was put on hold last year because of COVID-19. Returning this year, the teams received new uniforms donated by the Brainerd Eagles Club.
In her first year of coaching, Wicklund has three teams: 12 and under, teens and adults. Wicklund has worked with kids with special needs for more than 20 years and said she feels privileged to be working with these players.
"They face many different obstacles, yet they show up, they are so excited to be part of a team, and they are just incredible individuals. You know the saying ‘attitude is everything,’ well, my players are prime examples of this and I am so proud of them. I am blessed to be a little part of their lives,” Wicklund said.
She said she is fortunate to bring any kind of joy to the lives of her players.
"The smiles on these players’ faces say it all, not to mention their families. They put everything into perspective and that is so very important. They absolutely love to play.”
1/10: Samuel Anderson throws the ball Monday, June 28, 2021, at Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Started in 2015 with the construction of the Miracle League Field, players with disabilities have the opportunity to play on the paved field. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
2/10: Willow Hines throws the ball from the outfield Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
3/10: Gabriel Steele bats Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
4/10: Parents and players walk under the arch at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park Monday, June 28, 2021, in Brainerd. The summer program through District 181 Community Education crates and opportunity for any one with disabilities to play baseball twice a week. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
5/10: Hunter Oehlke is pushed toward home base by his dad Cory Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
6/10: Everlee Spaid swings at the ball Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
7/10: Heading around the bases Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
8/10: Everlee Spaid throws the ball from the outfield Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
9/10: Getting a push from sister, Hunter Oehlke heads down the baseline Monday, June 28, 2021, at a Miracle League game in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
10/10: Samuel Anderson receives encouragement from his dad between innings Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
1/10: Samuel Anderson throws the ball Monday, June 28, 2021, at Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Started in 2015 with the construction of the Miracle League Field, players with disabilities have the opportunity to play on the paved field. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
2/10: Willow Hines throws the ball from the outfield Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
3/10: Gabriel Steele bats Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
4/10: Parents and players walk under the arch at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park Monday, June 28, 2021, in Brainerd. The summer program through District 181 Community Education crates and opportunity for any one with disabilities to play baseball twice a week. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
5/10: Hunter Oehlke is pushed toward home base by his dad Cory Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
6/10: Everlee Spaid swings at the ball Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
7/10: Heading around the bases Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
8/10: Everlee Spaid throws the ball from the outfield Monday, June 28, 2021, during a game at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park in Brainerd. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
9/10: Getting a push from sister, Hunter Oehlke heads down the baseline Monday, June 28, 2021, at a Miracle League game in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
10/10: Samuel Anderson receives encouragement from his dad between innings Monday, June 28, 2021, at the Miracle League Field in Bane Park. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
I was raised on a farm in western Minnesota where I participated in 4-H, high school sports, and everything that farm kids do for fun after chores. Graduated from Ridgewater Community College with an AA degree and my first taste of newspapering. I worked a summer on the Ortonville Independent as a reporter and photographer.
