El Paso Fundamental Softball Camp: helping young women achieve their dreams
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Bel Air grad Isabella Slape is about to go to Cuba to play for the USA Travel Softball Team.
It's a dream come true for Slape who is the first Texan to ever be selected on the team, but now she wants to use her platform to make sure other young girls have the tools to strive for their goals too.
"Before I start traveling before I get too busy I need to give back to my community as best as I possibly can and the only way I knew how is through something I love and hopefully they love too," Slape said. "I want to show them that it's something they can do and that it's totally possible."
On Saturday Slape held the first El Paso Fundamental Softball Camp as a way to teach players new skills both on and off the diamond.
Roughly 60 players attended the camp and Slape ran it along with six other El Paso area grads who are playing softball at the next level. It's an idea she came up with just two weeks ago but one she knew she had to follow through on.
"It's a blessing of a sport to play, but there were so many times when I went up to a door and it was slammed on my face because I didn't know how to get there or people weren't supporting me," Slape said. "I wanted to make sure that I opened the doors for all the young women that came out today and that they weren't getting slammed on their face and that they always knew they had somebody supporting them so they can do it too."
All of the money raised from the camp on Saturday was donated to the Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes foundation. Slape hopes to open up an El Paso Chapter of the foundation soon.
She also already has plans to hold another camp next summer and she hopes that camp will be even bigger than this year.
Slape spent one year at Midland College and another at New Mexico Highlands where she redshirted. Right now she is in the process of committing to another school with three years of eligibility left.
But first Slape is off to Cuba to compete in the 3rd annual COPA AMISTAD Tournament at the end of next month. You can donate to Slape's GoFundMe to go to Cuba here.
