PRINCETON, N.J. — More than 20 years ago, Deborah Martin Norcross, John Pecora, and Carmine Conti had the idea to offer an adaptive baseball program with Princeton Little League, called the Challenger Division. The program was a success, and Princeton Special Sports was born. Deborah and John remain as co-presidents of the organization, which grew to include soccer and basketball camps that featured 50 to 55 athletes at each of three, ten-week sessions per year.

“I think what drives us all is seeing how multifaceted, talented, and warm our participants are – just like typical folks except the members of our community don’t have as many opportunities to express it,” Deborah said.

Since their first baseball program in 2001, Deborah and John have seen a big increase in the number of adaptive sports and programs offered in the community for school-aged children and teenagers, but not as much growth in the opportunities available for adults. In 2021, they made the decision to end youth programming and focus on adult programming.

The decision made sense for the nonprofit; since 2008, they’ve partnered with Princeton Recreation Department to hold monthly adaptive dances for teens and adults. Today, the dances average about 60 participants, many of whom have been attending for years and value the social and emotional connections they’ve made. Each May, Princeton Special Sports hosts a Formal Dinner Dance and in June, the group gathers for a pool party at Community Park Pool.

Plans for more new programming have been stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic, but Deborah and John envision adding more events to their monthly calendar, including adult sports clinics, theater and museum trips, dance classes, and other social activities.

Of course, the success of Princeton Special Sports is dependent entirely upon the support and participation of the organization’s dedicated volunteers, including an active lineup of students from local schools who take on the role of “buddy” to Princeton Special Sports participants.

Princeton Special Sports also has a devoted leadership team, including secretary and treasurer Hana Oresky; director of student volunteers Valerie Walker; coaches Chris Corrado, Fred Cooper, Tom Hughes, and Jim Walker; and social activities team leader Eileen Donohue.

And the team is always looking for more volunteers: “We’d love to talk with anyone who is interested in volunteering, especially student volunteers who really do make our activities a lot of fun,” Deborah said.

For more information or to explore adult volunteering opportunities, contact Deborah Martin Norcross at [email protected]. Anyone interested in becoming a student volunteer during the upcoming school year should contact Valerie Walker at [email protected].

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