Girls ages 8 to 12 have a special opportunity coming up to either become softball players or to expand their softball experience thanks to the Smithfield Galaxy Fastpitch Association located in Suffolk.

The 10th annual Galaxy Fastpitch Summer Camp will be held July 30 through Aug. 1 at the Chuckatuck Galaxy Fields Complex on 5962 Godwin Blvd.

The camp is “a tour through the basic fundamentals of softball,” said camp coordinator Bobby Kinsey. “It’s made for the beginner softball player.”

Galaxy Fastpitch is especially qualified to be providing such instruction.

“It’s a very successful organization, probably one of the most successful in Virginia, to be quite honest, right here in our own backyard,” Kinsey said.

The organization has brought home a national championship and frequently produces state champions.

“All the teams are very competitive,” Kinsey said. “They all have multiple championships.”

Conducting the camp will be Galaxy Fastpitch’s 18U team coaches Sean Locascio and Bill Perkinson, 14U team coach Charlie Wooten, 12U team coaches Mark Cagle and Allen Wetmore and 10U team coach Craig Stallings.

Current and former Galaxy Fastpitch players will also help run the event.

Each day of the camp will feature two sessions, organized around the age of the campers. The first session will be for girls ages 8-10 and will run from 9 a.m. to noon, while the second session for ages 11-12 will run from 1 to 4 p.m.

On July 30, skills covered will include throwing and fielding, and July 31 will be largely centered on hitting, Kinsey said.

Saturday will feature a review and then a scrimmage.

“It’ll be controlled to kind of give players the feel of a real game,” Kinsey said of the scrimmage.

His 12-year-old daughter, Aryn Kinsey, is a veteran of the camp.

“This year will be my fifth year,” she said, noting the camp has helped her hone her skills. “I’ve learned how to hit and all that way better than I used to.”

She said her favorite part of the camp is getting to meet everybody, but later noted that she really likes the freeze pops that are given out to campers.

The cost to participate per camper is $85 and covers the price of a T-shirt. Campers are encouraged to bring their own equipment if they have it, including bats, gloves and helmets.

Register for the camp online at www.GalaxyFastpitch.org or call Bobby Kinsey at 650-2267.

He said he will try to accommodate prospective campers who are 7 or 13, but their parents must call him.

Galaxy Fastpitch will be holding tryouts for its teams in early August.