Competing at the National Level!? (part 3: special olympics)

**Though the primary focus of our programs in Camoapa, Nicaragua is education, The Sunrise Foundation and our staff members are highly involved in other community development projects, especially those that benefit local children and adolescents. We especially believe that team sports activities can be a crucial component for childhood development, especially here in Camoapa, where a lot of youth turn to drugs and alcohol at an early age.**

Olimpipitos 2010 (Special Olympics)

Los Pipitos from Camoapa, the organization that works with children with disabilities, also traveled to Managua to compete at the national level, in the Nicaraguan Special Olympics (Olimpipitios 2010) after placing first in the regional competition. Two of our children, Diego and Delvin, participated and Diego took home a third place medal in 4 X 500. To watch this touching video, capturing the emotions and excitement of the day (published by La Prensa), click here.

Competing at the National Level!? (part 2: girls softball)

**Though the primary focus of our programs in Camoapa, Nicaragua is education, The Sunrise Foundation and our staff members are highly involved in other community development projects, especially those that benefit local children and adolescents. We especially believe that team sports activities can be a crucial component for childhood development, especially here in Camoapa, where a lot of youth turn to drugs and alcohol at an early age.**

Girls Softball

Also recently formed and brand new to Camoapa is a girl’s softball team, organized by Emily Mew, our Program and Development Coordinator, and Bismar Sanchez, a local elementary school gym teacher. (Bismar is also a member of the Youth Boxing Commission and has donated his time to give gym classes to the children in our program.)

After less than a year of practicing, the initially small team of just 10 girls played and won a critical and decisive game in Teostepe (the only other girls team in the region) to qualify for Nationals. And in July, having recruited a few more girls, they traveled to Managua to compete in the Nicaraguan National Softball competition. Winning their first two games in the first round, the team classified for the semi-finals. They lost in the semifinals, but with their record, placed third in the tournament, winning a trophy as well as 3 medals for individual players (best home-run hitter, most runs-batted-in and best pitcher.)

Since then, after more than a year working with these girls, many of whom had never previously picked up a ball or glove, the team has really started to gain momentum. More and more girls are coming out to practice. Placing third at the National level is an enormous achievement because softball is very uncommon for girls in Nicaragua and was unheard of in Camoapa until now. Congratulations to the team!

Competing at the National Level!? (part 1: youth boxing)

**Though the primary focus of our programs in Camoapa, Nicaragua is education, The Sunrise Foundation and our staff members are highly involved in other community development projects, especially those that benefit local children and adolescents. We especially believe that team sports activities can be a crucial component for childhood development, especially here in Camoapa, where a lot of youth turn to drugs and alcohol at an early age.**

Youth Boxing

Sebastian Laguna, our local Program Director, and Jim Ferriera, our long-term American volunteer, were both instrumental in the development of a Camoapan Youth Boxing Commission to support a local project. With donated space from a local Camoapan resident and the vital support from the Police Department and the Mayor’s office, a gym was established and a retired professional boxer was recruited and hired from Managua. Five nights a week he trains any and all interested youth, both male and female. A total of 48 young men are involved at various levels. The majority are at-risk adolescents, some of whom are reformed alcoholics or drug addicts. He also trains some younger boys, age 9-12, and an additional 15 adolescent girls.

Since opening the gym in February of this year, there have been 4 locally sponsored fights here in Camoapa against other teams brought in from Boaco and Managua, as well as 2 fights outside of Camoapa (one in Managua, another in Yalí.) All 4 local events attracted huge crowds from town and served to raise team spirit and community camaraderie. As a team, Camoapa won all 6 fights that they have participated in, and 7 of the most dedicated boys qualified to fight at the national level. The national event, called Futuras Promesas, was held in Juigalpa, the last weekend in November. Two of the 7 Camoapan boxers won in the first round but were then eliminated. Despite no one making it to the semi-finals, it was a huge accomplishment to make it as far as they did. They will continue to train and will come back stronger next year.