Local families still thrilled after French little league visit

Posted 5/11/16

Gathered teams of the Savigny Lions from Savigny, France, and the Chestnut Hill Youth Club. The Lions spent a week in Chestnut Hill in the first of what may become a regular exchange event between …

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Local families still thrilled after French little league visit

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Gathered teams of the Savigny Lions from Savigny, France, and the Chestnut Hill Youth Club. The Lions spent a week in Chestnut Hill in the first of what may become a regular exchange event between the clubs. (Photo courtesy of Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club) Gathered teams of the Savigny Lions from Savigny, France, and the Chestnut Hill Youth Club. The Lions spent a week in Chestnut Hill in the first of what may become a regular exchange event between the clubs. (Photo courtesy of Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club)

by Brendan Sample

Last month was certainly a memorable one for the Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club’s baseball program, as they not only opened the 2016 season, but also welcomed a group of youth players from the Savigny Lions of France for a week.

In addition to playing each other for five games, the two teams got the chance to take in the culture of Philadelphia and get to know people from a completely different nation.

This was the first time that either team had ever participated in something like this, and so it was exciting, if not entirely familiar, territory to explore. After so many kids and their families got to know each other during this trip, however, just about everyone was able to walk away from it feeling like it was a massive success.

“It was the most amazing youth sports experience I’ve ever had,” said Brien Tilley, CHYSC Junior Baseball Commissioner and former Chestnut Hill Community Association president. “I would go so far as to say it was one of the best things my family has ever done. It was that terrific.”

As part of their visit, the French players stayed with several families that volunteered to be hosts during that week. With each host taking two or three players, the families were also in agreement that the event was a huge success.

“It exceeded our expectations at every single level,” said Jennifer Bretschneider, a member of one of the host families. “It was fun, educational, comfortable and competitive, and the kids really got to know each other and realized that the world is big and small at the same time.”

In between the baseball games, the two teams made time to tour in and around the city of Philadelphia, as the CHYSC wanted to show the Lions as much of our own culture as possible. Some of the highlights of this extensive tour included watching Phillies and Reading Fightin Phils games, visiting Amish country, touring the Philadelphia Museum of Art, seeing Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Constitution Center, having a pizza party at Cosimo’s and going on a mural walking tour.

While their trip was filled with plenty to do, the kids also did have some time to relax a little and get to know each other. While none of the children or families were fluent in both English and French, the hosts found that communication was not a major issue.

“There weren’t really opportunities for deep conversations, but baseball was the international language,” said Paul Davies, who also hosted two of the French players.

In addition to two different cultures coming together and learning a lot about each other, some families found that this visit served as a unifying factor among people here as well. It was a sentiment echoed by Anne Dubuisson, a third host who felt that the entire experience was “overwhelmingly positive.”

“One of the things I found particularly enriching was making better connections with other families in the community who were also hosts,” said Dubuisson. “There were many occasions when we came together for a barbecue or something and there was a very familial element. Coming together was very satisfying.”

After all the games were finished and the city tours had wrapped up, both teams wrapped up the exchange with a catered dinner at the house of James Ounsworth, the Lions’ head coach and longtime Chestnut Hill resident. Afterwards, all the kids were asked to talk about their greatest memories of the experience, with interpreters allowing for everyone to know what was being said.

“On the very last day, both teams came together in a typical baseball huddle with someone counting it down, and I felt like that really signified that it was now one team, in many ways,” said Bretschneider. “They had come together in this game of baseball and competed against each other, but they were friends.”

Looking ahead to next year, Tilley is enthusiastic that the club will not only be able to continue this exchange, but also give Chestnut Hill players the opportunity to visit France next time.

“Everyone wants to do it, so it’s just a matter of how,” said Tilley.

Indeed, many families have expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of participating in this visit again in the future. For them, it was a unique cultural experience that resonated with them in a way they might not have expected.

“It was very good for my children to be exposed to children from a different culture,” said Dubuisson. “I think these boys are going to have connections with our kids that they hope will be lifelong friendships.”

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