Ugandan baseball star aims to make it big in the US
Dennis Kasumba dreams of becoming a professional baseball player in the United States. Videos of his workouts have gone viral, and how he's been invited to try out for the major leagues.
Ready for the big leagues
Dennis Kasumba, an 18-year-old rookie baseball player from Gayaza, Uganda, greets his teammates. After videos of his drills went viral, he received an invitation to the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft League. "I am very, very happy. I can't explain my feelings, I feel blessed," Kasumba told AFP news agency north of Uganda's capital, Kampala.
Inspiration for young players
Kasumba is still showing other neighborhood kids the right batting technique, but in the summer he will be the first Ugandan ever to try out for the American professional baseball league — a huge opportunity for him and a great inspiration for many other young players in Uganda. The fact that he has been invited to the US is great news for the whole country, says his coach John Bosco Sempa.
Training hard for success
Despite financial obstacles, Kasumba has developed a creative and efficient workout routine. Whether strength training with old tires and a plastic bottle filled with water or endurance training with a worn-out backpack full of stones, Kasumba improvises his own workouts on a narrow plot of land in front of his house, which he shares with his grandmother and six other people.
Unique approach
Kasumba trains his calves with filled water bottles taped to his lower legs. Coach Sempa encouraged him to showcase his skills on social media, where his unconventional training methods went viral and caught the attention of American baseball scouts. "It started like a joke," said Kasumba, "but now I am going to US for MLB."
From slaughterhouse to baseball diamond
Kasumba grew up with his grandmother, never knowing his parents. His mother abandoned him and his siblings as a toddler after their father, a soldier, died fighting rebels. At just 8 years old, he dropped out of school to earn a living in a slaughterhouse, until he was discovered by Sempa and invited to play baseball.
Niche sport
Baseball has only been played in Uganda for about 20 years, with just 2,500 people active in the sport. Compared to the major sports of soccer, cricket and rugby, baseball is a niche sport. Yet Sempa hopes his baseball project in northern Kampala will give as many children as possible a chance to escape poverty.