Rachel Hanna, Mary Verneris Participate In Beyond Sports Tour To Costa Rica

BEYOND SPORTS COSTA RICA TOUR PHOTO ALBUM

BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott women's soccer student-athletes Rachel Hanna (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Mary Verneris (Hamden, Conn.) recently participated in a Beyond Sports tour of Costa Rica. Here's a detailed look into their trip provided by Verneris.

Endicott Athletics: Give us an overall description of your Beyond Sports tour.

Verneris: Beyond Sports is an international program focused on uniting student-athletes from around the world. Rachael and I were fortunate enough to be invited to one of the individual sports tours from May 27 to June 1 in Costa Rica. These individual sports tours are a collection of athletes from different colleges in the United States who are brought together to form a team. Each team is given a U.S. college coach and a local coach from the country in which you visit. Rachael and I were put on team Crocodile, a popular animal native to Costa Rica. On our trip, there was also one other soccer team and a volleyball team. Being able to meet and travel with so many new people truly made this experience unique. Being thrown into an entirely different culture with an unfamiliar group of people seems intimidating, but in fact, it was the farthest thing from it. Everyone from the Beyond Sports staff was amazing. All had grown up and lived in Costa Rica, they were eager to share their culture with us, but also took the time to individually get to know each of us and our backgrounds. Getting to know the other college athletes and coaches from the States was also eye-opening. Our trip included female athletes from over 30 different states and 22 different colleges. Learning about and comparing the different cultures within our own country and to that of Costa Rica's accounted for the majority of conversation throughout the trip. 

Endicott Athletics: Breakdown your week as best as you can.

Verneris: Over the course of our 10 days in Costa Rica, we had an extremely busy itinerary. We started the tour in San Jose, where we would practice, play all of our games, and volunteer at two local youth clinics. San Jose was a bustling city similar to what you would find in New York except infused with Spanish. We were able to experience a few local dishes at different restaurants and also took a tour of downtown San Jose. Next up came Punta Leona, a town located along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Here, we were able to take a break and relax for two days. We visited two beaches, Playa Blanca and Jaco, where we also took surfing lessons. On our way to and from Punta Leona, we stopped at Carara National Park, where we were able to look out over the historic Crocodile Bridge. After our stay at Punta Leona, we visited La Fortuna, a small town within Arenal Volcano National Park. Here, we went zip lining through the National Park where we saw the most breathtaking views from above. Our second day in La Fortuna included another local youth clinic and a trip to the Baldi Hot Springs. 

Endicott Athletics: How'd the soccer portion of your trip go?

Verneris: Focusing on the soccer portion of the trip, we couldn't have asked for a better group of teammates and coaches. Our record for the week was 2-0-1 not too bad for a group of girls who practiced with each other only once before competing. Playing against the top university teams from Costa Rica was challenging. Their style of soccer differed from what you see in the States, mostly in technique. Their foot skills and quickness of play were impressive, especially with some of the national players. The key to playing on a team with people you don't know is trust. Everyone had no other choice but to trust in each others ability to play, which resulted in a fun, positive outcome, and a lesson many teams should take away. Not only did soccer unite us through competition, it united us through charity as well. As I stated before, we participated in three clinics with local children from different schools in Costa Rica. These clinics were by far my favorite part of the trip. At the clinics, we played fun, interactive games with the kids and were able to teach and play soccer with them as well. The language barrier did not stop them from interacting and communicating with us, it was something I was very impressed by. The children ranged from ages 5-10 and had the happiest souls despite their poverty-stricken circumstances. 

Endicott Athletics: Overall, sum up your experiences on this trip.

Verneris: Being able to participate in the Beyond Sports Tour was truly amazing. This program has brought so much joy into my life through the new experiences, friends, and memories I've made. The value that comes from a trip such as this is how involved you choose to be. There are few things that connect people together in this world, and we are lucky enough to share in one of them: sports. The power sports has to connect us is extraordinary, and being able to spread this power by joining the Beyond Sports Tour is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

ABOUT BEYOND SPORTS

Beyond Sports was established in 2010 and has grown to become the world leader in international sports tours! We create mutually beneficial opportunities for US student-athletes, international athletes, and international youth to enjoy a life-changing cross-cultural experience through sport. We are a team of former college athletes, educators, coaches, and international adventurers and we're passionate about "Connecting the World Through Sports!" 

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(Photo Credit - Rachel Hanna/Mary Verneris)