The Miracle League

Video features the making of Homer the Miracle League mascot.

[video: screen is black as white text fades into the center of the screen reading: Ht. – 5’6”;]

[video: scene fades into a man welding the beginning shape of Homer. Screen fades to black as white text fades into the center of the screen reading: Wt. – 450 lbs.;]

[video: scene fades into a front view of a man welding honey comb cut sheets of metal to the Homer body shape. Screen fades to black as white text appears in the center of the screen reading: Bats – Left;]

[video: scene fades into the camera panning down the back side of the Homer statue as a man kneels and applies mud to the front side of Homer’s leg. Screen fades to black as white text fades into the center of the screen reading: Throws – Right;]

[video: scene fades into a view over a man’s shoulder as he sands the rough edges of the concrete on Homer’s hand. Screen fades to black as white text appears in the center of the screen reading: Born – July 12, 2012]

[video: scene fades into a close-up of the statues shoes painted red and his socks blue. Screen fades to black as white text appears reading: Hometown – Delano, Minn.]

[video: scene fades into a close-up of a man’s hand while he paints baseball stitching red on the statue. Screen fades to black as gold text glows in the center of the screen reading: Homer.]

[video: scene fades into a woman sitting at a cubical desk. Her computer screen has an image of a Homer mascot standing with two boys. A grey and white gradient banner appears in the lower left of the screen with a cartoon drawing of the Homer mascot waving. Black text in the banner reads: Jane Jenewein, National Partnership Director Landscape Structures.]

Jane: Landscape Structures partners with a Miracle League to bring inclusive play spaces to their fields, to build on their mission of play for all.

Jane voiceover: Homer is really important to the Miracle League and its players. So, we were asked how do we bring Homer to life in a meaningful and memorable way and provide this great experience to all visitors to the Miracle League fields.

[video: Elevated panning view of children playing at an inclusive playground next to an inclusive Miracle League baseball field. Scene switches to a boy as he throws a baseball to someone he is playing catch with. Scene switches to a back view of a young boy with a rolling walker up to bat on the wheelchair and walker accessible PebbleFlex baseball field surfacing. A man pitches the boy a ball underhand and he hits it right back to the pitcher. The boy drops his bat and begins walking towards first base. Scene switches to a woman as she lifts a young girl up to grab onto the playground monkey bars. Scene switches back to Jane as she continues to speak.]

Jane: We have a great design team at Landscape Structures, so we brought the challenge to them.

[video: a man sits at his desk filled with papers and a small clay statue of Homer. A grey and white gradient banner appears in the lower left of the screen with a cartoon drawing of the Homer mascot waving. Black text in the banner reads: Peter Gunnarson Concept Designer Landscape Structures.]

Peter: All right so we’re here to talk about the making of Homer. So, after we kind of know what he’s supposed to look like, first step making a pencil sketch.

Peter voiceover: We’re understanding where it’s going and what it’s going to look like putting some kind of scale to it how tall is he, how wide is he.

[video: pan up a hand drawn pencil sketch of the Homer mascot waving. He is dressed in baseball gear and his head is a large baseball with a small Miracle League baseball cap on top. Scene switches back to Peter speaking to the camera.]

Peter: the next step is to make a little model and that’s the fun part. We start with a just a clay piece and sculpt in the details it’s a great medium because you can work in all the details or wrinkles you can get the expression just right.

[video: the camera pans to Peters desk to a small clay statue of Homer. The camera shifts back up to Peter’s face as he speaks to the camera. A still image of a home clay sculpture appears on the left of the screen while Peter speaks. The image switches from a back view of the sculpture to a front view of Homer waving.]

Peter voiceover: After we had the clay model as made a little mold of it and we can make these little resin bodies and they come and help folks give that something you can handle and look at.

[video: A man paints a clear coating on a small clay statue half submerged in a pink poly coating. Camera angle switches to a top down view as the man continues to pant the clear coating on the clay form. Camera zooms in on the man’s hands as he continues to clear coat the clay sculpture. Camera switches to the left side of the man as he continues to coat the statue. Camera close-up of the small statues head while it is being clear coated. Scene switches back to Peter as he continues to speak to the camera.]

Peter: Got what he looks like and of course.

Peter voiceover: The next step is to make the full-scale one we actually had two pieces of metal as if you cut him in half. Cut out, laser cut out of steel and basically built the whole 3D Homer but we were able to pop him apart. So, then we had two halves’ that we could essentially mold and spray with our GFRC concrete.

[video: a man welds the metal sheet cut like Homer to begin the full-size statue. Camera zooms in for a close-up of Homers hand while the man welder’s fingers onto the shapes. Camera angle switches to the back side of the Homer cut out as sparks and light glow from the other side. Camera switches to a close-up of the welder’s hands as sparks fly while he grinds on an excess piece of metal. Camera switches to a close-up front view of the welder’s helmet. Camera pulls back as the welder hammers the statue with his welding helmet flipped up. Scene briefly switches back to Peter talking at his desk. Scene switches to a man forming wet concrete onto the half of the metal framing of the statue. Close-up of a worker’s hand as they add the glass fiber reinforced concrete to the metal frame. Camera pans up a finished half of the concreted statue laying on a pallet. Camera switch to a pan down the back side of the finished concreted half of the statue laying on a pallet. Scene switches to a man wearing headphones as he paints a statue with a pink ploy. A grey and white gradient banner appears in the lower left of the screen with a cartoon drawing of the Homer mascot waving. Black text in the banner reads: Peter Gunnarson Concept Designer Landscape Structures.]

Peter voiceover: And we were able to make a few molds very quickly and get them to the spray team to spray the two halves and get us to the point where we could put one together and paint it.

[video: close-up of a worker’s face while he wears safety glasses as he focuses on his work. Scene switch to a view of the back of the statue with the two halves connected. A man balls up a handful of concrete to fill in holes on the statue. Peter stands by while the man perfects the statue. Scene switch to a view through large open metal doors to a man sitting and painting the Homer statue white. Camera close-up of the workers hand as he dabs his brush into a pan of white paint. Camera switches to a close-up of the workers hand while he blots the statue with the paintbrush. Camera close-up of the workers hand while he balances his pinky finger on the nose of the Homer statue to perfectly paint Homers eye black. Camera switches to a view of the workers back while he paints the other eyeball of the Homer statue. Camera angle switches to a close-up back view of Homer’s head as the worker continues to paint his face. The noise of a baseball hitting a bat is heard and a grey and white gradient banner appears in the lower left of the screen with a cartoon drawing of the Homer mascot waving. Black text in the banner reads: Jay Ruhland Industrial Artist Landscape Structures.]

[video: camera close-up of Jay’s face while he wears safety glasses and intensely focuses on his painting. Scene switch to a view of Homer’s torso as Jay air brushes shadows for Homer’s clothes. Camera pulls back for a full view of the finished painted Homer statue as Jay adds more shadowing with an airbrush. Switch back to Peter as he continues to speak.]

Peter: I guess the rest is Homer’s own personality.

Peter voiceover: And he’s got a great smile and very inviting and very happy and you know it’s a piece that were really proud of and I look forward to making a lot more.

[video: close-up of the final painted Homer statues face while he stands in the painting chamber. Camera pulls back for a full view of the Homer statue standing on a pallet in the painting chamber. Camera switches back to Peter as he finishes talking. Screen fades to white and into the next scene of a man talking about homer while standing by the backstop of a baseball field. The noise of a baseball hitting a bat is heard and a grey and white gradient banner appears in the lower left of the screen with a cartoon drawing of the Homer mascot waving. Black text in the banner reads: Johnny Franklin, National Project Director, The Miracle League.]

Johnny: Homer was an idea trying to come up with a signature piece that we can put in the Miracle League parks.

Johnny voiceover: A nice piece that all the parks could buy and, and you know put in there, in their fields. We couldn’t have asked for a better signature piece that represented the mascot and opening day when we unveiled him. All the kids immediately flocked over to Homer and they wanted their picture made with him and by far from a crowd standpoint the biggest crowd-pleaser we had that day.

[video: view up at a rectangular vertical flag with the Miracle League logo and a baseball and bat sitting in grass hanging off the backstop of a ball field. Scene switch to a close-up of the Miracle League logo on a closed window cover of the pavilion announcer station. Scene switch to a view of a Miracle League field from the back corner of left field. Scene switch to the finalized Homer statue standing on a home plate in front of a large poster printed with a baseball crowd. Camera zooms in closer to the Homer statue standing in front of the baseball crowd poster image. Camera pulls back from a close-up of homers smiling face. Johnny stands in front of the Homer statue and finished talking about how great the children reacted to the statue. Six still images with white boarders fade into the screen of people posing with the homer statue and the grand opening of the park. Switch back to Johnny speaking about the Homer statue. Screen goes black.]

[video: Switch into a close-up of red batting helmets being lined up outside a chain link fence. Scene fades to view through a fence as a man leans baseball bats up against the fence. Scene switches to a close-up of a boys smiling face as he throws a softball. Scene switches to a young girl clapping her hands while standing on the inclusive baseball field. Scene switches to two boys wearing baseball uniforms and looking at the Homer statue. Scene switches to a girl pushing a boy in a wheelchair around the inclusive baseball field outfield. Scene switches to a top down view of a girl seated in a wheelchair wearing a red batting helmet. A man stands behind her holding onto her wheelchair push handles. Scene switch to a back view of a man as he pitches a softball underhand to a boy at home plate. The boy hits the ball and the camera slowly zooms in and follows as the boy runs to first base. Scene switches to a child wearing a helmet with a camera attaches as he walks around the baseball field giving high fives. Scene switches to a view around the side of Homers head to the baseball view where children play. Scene switches to a close-up of a man helping a young girl hold onto a baseball bat. Camera switch to a view of a baseball tee as a bat swings into frame and hits a softball at the top of the tee. Close-up view of a boy’s feet with leg braces while he stands in the batter’s box with a walker. Scene switch to a side view of a boy wearing a blue batters helmet as he focuses on the ball. Fade to black and back into a full side view of the boy with leg braces as he walks with his walker to first base. Switch to a batter wearing a helmet with a camera view the pitcher. The pitcher pitches to the kid and they hit the ball down the first base line. Camera switches to a side view of a boy as he runs to first base. Scene fades to white and into the next seen of a view over the chain link fence to a crowd of adults clapping and cheering on a set of bleachers. Scene switch to a young boy wheeling himself towards the camera to first base. Scene switches to a side view of two girls seated in wheelchairs getting their photo taken with the Homer statue. The next scene slides in from right to let of two lines of children and adults high fiving each other on the baseball field. Screen fades to black and white text appears in the middle of the screen reading: Bring Homer to your Miracle League complex…]

[video: new text fades into the center of the screen reading: For more information go here: www.playlsi.com/meet-Homer. Fade into a young boy looking up and touching the Homer statue. Screen fades to black white text fades into the center of the screen reading: Better playgrounds. Better world. The Landscape Structures fades into the center of the screen.]