Softball Captain Kamryn Beach Travels To South Africa To Help Teach Her Sport

Bridgeport, Conn.-Kamryn Beach, the junior captain of the University of Bridgeport softball team represented her school on a trip of a lifetime to Cape Town, South Africa this past June.
Beach, a Tampa, Florida native, linked up with a program called Beyond Sports to spread the game of softball in South Africa.

During her time abroad, Beach and her teammates put on clinics and helped develop skills for the local citizens. They were able to partner with the Cape Town Softball Association to organize and ensure many participants. Beach talked about her experience teaching saying, "I was able to teach at least 200 kids the sport that I love. From offense to defense, we taught them everything we knew in the short amount of time we had with them during the clinics. The players ranged in age from 5-50 in our clinics"

Beyond Sports was founded in 2010 as the first study abroad program designed specifically for student-athletes. On her tour, Beach was joined by a team of all-conference honorees and statistical leaders from colleges across the country. In addition to the teaching component of the trip, Beach was able to play in three friendly games against Cape Town's best softball teams.

Beyond Sports requested that the participants bring equipment as donations for the locals. Beach said, "The Cape Town Softball Association was so thankful for our time, training and donations that we brought to them that they made us some homemade meals of local foods to show their appreciation."

During the twelve-day trip, Beach and her group were also able to spend time learning about South African history and culture, as they visited Robben Island , the Castle of Good Hope, District 6 Museum, hiked Table Mountain and enjoyed a Big Game Safari.

Looking back at her trip, Beach stated, "The best part of this trip however, was how nice and thankful the South African people were. From working the clinics to strolling the streets, everyone was welcoming with a smile on their face and grateful for the time and efforts we put into being there."

"Beyond Sports and the Cape Town Softball Association did an amazing job putting together this trip and I cannot thank them enough," Beach said. "This adventure not only opened up the world of softball to the South African people and showed them how sports can cross cultures, but it allowed me to experience their culture and way of life which was so different from mine. The positive impact of this cultural experience will remain with me always."

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www.beyondsportstours.com