Every Wednesday night in Johnson County, a gate gets unlocked an hour before anyone arrives. That's Raegan Schurr, Senior Director of Adaptive Programs, making sure it's open before the first car pulls into the lot — because for the families of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City's Challenger program, showing up is the easy part. Belonging is what happens next.
For 20 years, Challenger has given kids and young adults with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities a place to play real sports — baseball, bowling, basketball, flag football, swim lessons, and social outings — with every athlete paired with a volunteer "buddy." But ask anyone who's been part of it for long enough, and they'll tell you the program was never really about the scoreboard.
Just ask the Schnackers, who've been part of that story for more than 15 of those 20 years.
A Family, 15 Years In
Janet and her son Daniel found Challenger more than 15 years ago, back when Daniel was five years old and just beginning to find his voice. Kindergarten had felt uncertain — Daniel didn't yet have the words to describe his world. Then he found a baseball field where he was already accepted exactly as he was.
"Being in this supportive environment that they accepted him and encouraged him as he was, I just saw his ability to communicate really explode," Janet says. What started on the field spread everywhere else — into school, into friendships, into the rest of his life.
Fifteen-plus years and countless Wednesdays later, Daniel is one of Challenger's most joyful leaders. He opens every session the same way — "Rise up, guys!" — and leads the group through the starfish stretch, a warm-up move he picked up from a fellow athlete and made his own. He's traded seasons with friends who've become family: Doug, Tyler, Brandon, Brian, Jordan. When asked who his all-time favorite coach is, Daniel doesn't hesitate: "My bros. Or the GOAT, my brother — who's my boat."
The Buddy Who Became a Brother, Twice Over
That brother is Adam, Daniel's oldest sibling, who started as his buddy on the ball field before he was old enough to know what he was signing up for. "I was pretty nervous the first time," Adam admits. "I wasn't sure I knew what to do." The coaches and volunteers around him made sure he never had to figure it out alone — and somewhere along the way, being Daniel's buddy turned into a calling. Adam is now a physical therapist, working with kids who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. He traces the decision straight back to those Wednesday nights.
"Getting to be a part of Challenger really introduced me to this broader community," Adam says. "I saw how, with just a little encouragement, a little love, a little attention — showing you that you matter, helping you be part of a team — how that just helped them blossom."
Daniel puts it simpler: "It's actually really fun. One of the big reasons why I am who I am."
A Community Built on Showing Up
Ask Janet what keeps her family coming back after all these years, and the answer isn't really about sports at all. "It's our community. It's our friends," she says. "Reagan does a great job of making every family feel valued, every athlete feel important and accepted where they are."
That community shows up in the small moments — parents trading advice on the sidelines, buddies gathering at picnic tables after practice to talk through how to support each athlete a little better next week — and in the big ones, when life outside the field gets hard and someone from Challenger is the first call.
"Challenger is a place you see pure, unadulterated joy," Janet says. "Whether it's I got to kick the ball, whether it's I get to see you today, whether it's I successfully threw my ball down the alley and it didn't jump over to the next one — that joy is just so pure."
A Program That Keeps Growing
Twenty years after Challenger began with a simple idea — everyone plays — the program has grown from two locations to three, with more families finding their way in every season, often the same way the Schnackers did: word of mouth, from one parent to another. Daniel has become one of the program's best recruiters, welcoming new athletes the moment they arrive. Janet is often the first person a new family talks to.
And the story keeps going. Daniel now brings the same confidence he built on the field into the rest of his life, and Adam has built a career around it. Raegan is still at the gate an hour early, every Wednesday, making sure it's unlocked.
Come See It for Yourself
If you have a child, or you're a young adult, looking for a place to play and belong, Challenger meets on Wednesday nights in Johnson County, with Saturday basketball and new locations on the way. Come watch, come try it, come as you are.
And if you've ever wondered what it's like to be someone's buddy — no experience required, just a willingness to show up — Daniel has one piece of advice:
"I'd say do it, and you won't regret it."
Learn more or sign up: kansascityymca.org/programs/adaptive-challenger Become a buddy: kansascityymca.org/volunteer/challenger-buddy
Watch or Listen
Watch or listen to the full conversation with Raegan, Janet, Adam, and Daniel on "Everyone Plays: The Challenger Story," available September 10 on The Movement — the YMCA of Greater Kansas City's podcast — and learn how empathy, storytelling, and inclusion can help build a stronger, more compassionate Kansas City.
