Nothing was going to stop Madelin \u201cMaddy\u201d Beardsley from getting to the Kempsville High School baseball games.<\/p>\n
During her time at Kempsville, she had helped out in the dugout, kept some statistics for the coaching staff and cheered on the mighty Chiefs.<\/p>\n
Over the summer, the school hired a new baseball coach, Travis Sutton. Beardsley wasted no time. She went straight up to Sutton and asked for a meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn’t sure what to expect during the meeting, but Maddy was on a mission,\u201d Sutton said. \u201cIt was obvious that a special relationship had developed, and Maddy wanted me to know that even though ice hockey was her first love, she would like to keep helping the baseball team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sutton obliged.<\/p>\n
As the fall baseball season started, Sutton fully expected to see Beardsley at every game, pen in hand, but as the season progressed, he had not seen her much at all.<\/p>\n
It was puzzling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew how much Maddy wanted to be out there and knew Maddy was still interested in baseball,\u201d Sutton said. The team began to ask why she was not there, and, as it turned out, the answer was all about access.<\/p>\n
Hearing this, the team, along with principal Bill Harris and student activities coordinator Tim Wolf, reached out to the school division\u2019s Office of Facilities Construction and Planning. Using funds designated for school modifications related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the school was able to lay an asphalt path from the parking lot to the field.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_0880_2\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/IMG_0880_2.jpg\")
<\/a>Beardsley\u2019s wheelchair could not get to the field if the ground was too soft or the dirt path too muddy.<\/p>\n