Two Jr. Rolling Twins wheelchair softball teams win national tournament

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Aug. 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Two local youth adapted softball teams named after the local Major League Baseball team captured national championships at the National Wheelchair Softball Association Junior National Championships, August 1-3, in Baltimore, Md.  Eighteen team members of the Jr. Rolling Twins Junior Varsity and Varsity represented Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at the national tournament.

These NWSA Junior Division titles mark the first time that a national championship has been gone to a youth wheelchair softball team sponsored by Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. However, 13 of the 36 NWSA national championships in Division I adult competition have gone to a team from Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute (formerly Courage Center).

The Jr. Rolling Twins Junior Varsity (JV) team secured their title with a 7-1 victory over the Bennett Blazers Junior Varsity team, sponsored by Kennedy Krieger Institute of Baltimore. The primary difference between JV and Varsity play is pitching. In JV games, coaches pitch but players field their position, similar to Little League. In Varsity play, athletes both pitch and field.

The Jr. Rolling Twins Varsity performed well both at the plate and on the mound. Jr. Rolling Twins pitcher Holden Kowalke, of Shoreview, dominated the Bennett Blazers winning the championship game by 15-3. Kowalke, who attends Minnetonka High School, was named tournament MVP in the Varsity bracket of play. 

Pitcher Jack Pierre of Edina, was named tournament MVP for the Junior Varsity bracket. Pierre attends Highlands Elementary.

Rolling Twins players named to the JV All-Tournament Team were:
·         Joe Lang, Delano, 2^nd base. Lang attends Delano Elementary.
·         Kalli Holman, White Bear Lake, rover. Holman attends Minnesota Transition Plus.

Players selected to the Varsity All-Tournament Team included:
·         Mark Braun, Mounds View, rover.  Braun attends Irondale High School.
·         Marissa Bartels, Delano, shortstop.  Bartels attends Delano High School.
·         Anca Smith, Coon Rapids, left field. Smith recently graduated from Groves Academy.

To learn more about wheelchair softball visit the National Wheelchair Softball Association (http://www.wheelchairsoftball.org/) website. For complete team rosters or photos, contact Sue Warner.
 
Thank you to our volunteer coaches, the City of Brooklyn Park, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund and other supporters of the wheelchair softball program at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute for making the dreams of our youngest softball players a reality.

About Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, part of Allina Health, was created in 2013 by the merger of Courage Center and Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute.  The Institute provides a continuum of rehabilitation services, including adapted sports and recreation, for people with short- and long-term conditions and disabilities in communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Our goal is to improve health outcomes, make it easier for clients and families to get the right services for their needs, and reduce costs by preventing complications.Courage Center, begun in 1928, and Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, begun in 1942, were both founded to bridge a gap in services for people with disabilities.