Bel Air Grad Makes History as First Texan On Team USA in COPA Amistad Tournament – Help Her Make Her Dreams a Reality

I love it when I see El Pasoans putting our city on the map. What I love even more is when it’s young women who are breaking barriers while putting El Paso on the map!

Isabella Slape, a graduate of Bel Air High School and collegiate softball player, is putting not only El Paso on the map, but the state of Texas as well.

She has been selected to represent the United States in a softball match against the Cuban national team and she will be the only Texan player and the first-ever representative from El Paso.

Isabella’s love for softball began at a young age when she would always watch her older brother play baseball.

“I would always go to the practices with my dad because he's the head coach of the team and I would always go and steal my brother's cleats and my dad saw that I was getting in the way so he decided to create a team for me and other young girls,” said Isabella. 

Since then, Isabella has been busy for 19 years and she will be even busier this coming Summer as she is set to join the USA Travel Softball Team for the COPA Amistad Tournament.

"When I first got the notification on my phone the first headline was 'you're going to Cuba,' and I was like, no way, I read it like 15 times. So I sent screenshots to my parents cause they were at work and I said, you'll never believe what just happened. It was truly just a blessing, and it made me realize that at that moment, all the sacrifices that I've been through were just all worth it in the end,” said Isabella.

However, the cost of the trip is high, and Isabella is seeking financial assistance through donations. The trip, which includes plane tickets, meals, uniforms, medical insurance, and transportation, amounts to around $10,000.

Isabella has started a GoFundMe campaign and is a member of the ELLA foundation, which stands for Empowering Leadership in Latina Athletes. She hopes to spread the word about this opportunity and encourage other young women in her hometown and sport that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

"I want to get the word out in my community of this accomplishment to try and encourage other young women in my hometown and sport that they can achieve anything they set their minds to," Isabella said. "El Paso has taught me the true meaning of community, and there is no better way to repay my people than playing at the highest level I can."

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