SSTA Visits Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette
Jeddah's Sweet Spot Tennis Academy opened in 2011. The Saudi tennis academy helps players gain international exposure through various tournament participations and through competitive training camps abroad. Founder, Mariam Polding works mostly on strategies for development, improvement and expansion. In an interview with Saudi Gazette, Polding said her role at the academy is to source the best sports coaches locally and internationally, and to motivate them to share knowledge, expertise and passion with children while opening up the channels to pursue both competitive and recreational tennis. SSTA invited ten young tennis players from Saudi Arabia to attend the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, organized by IMG. “Our players had the great fortune to play with the world number four Stanilas ‘The Man' Wawrinka, shake hands with Rafael Nadal, meet their tennis idol, world number one Novak Djokavic, and greet Andy Murray, this experience will be imprinted in their memories and inspire them throughout their lifetime and Gatorade, and the very hospitable IMG team, made it possible.” Gatorade sponsored SSTA to participate in the MWTC 2015. “We are very thankful to them for their support. Gatorade is a genuine community leader by supporting sports, health and wellness initiatives that make a tangible difference in many young peoples' lives and we need more support from the private and government sectors so that we as a community and as a nation can achieve great things. God willing MWTC will be on the SSTA annual trip calendar.” SSTA organizes several tennis excursions throughout the year to the best tennis academies and tournaments worldwide. These trips are part of the SSTA mission to give players the opportunity to learn from the best, play with their peers internationally, and open up their minds to what they can achieve. Polding said the feedback was excellent and one of the biggest highlights was meeting Rafael Nadal. “He is so friendly and he really took the time to meet each SSTA player and give them high-fives. That experience definitely made us all become even bigger fans then we were before. Also, seeing our SSTA players play on center court in the full auditorium before the first match on the first day of the tournament and doing so well in the tennis clinic playing Stanislas ‘The Man' Wawrinka were both defining moments in our first MWTC experience.” Polding continuously works with professional coaches to create a skill acquisition and fitness program. But children can join the academy even at the young age of three. “Sometimes I coach the Teddy Tennis players, ages three to five years, as this is an extraordinary time for young budding players as it is their introduction to the game.” The academy emphasizes on fun with movement, playing games with kids that develop their hand-eye coordination, motor-skills while they acquire the basics of tennis: forehand, backhand and volley. “Sports have always played a huge role in my life. I grew up playing tennis and golf and I played competitive volleyball throughout university. I am a big believer in the ability of sports to bring communities together, build confidence in young people and deter unwarranted behavior.” Polding grew up in London and Palm Beach, with the love for sports. “In my family, sports is part of a normal and healthy daily lifestyle, it is just something that you do, every single day. It is important for me that my children are raised in a community that also values the importance of sports, not just tennis, but all sports and that is the drive behind starting Sweet Spot Tennis Academy. To permeate a love of sports throughout the community, and nurture each child and each families desire to receive high quality sports training locally, comparable to the best standards abroad is at the core of Sweet Spot.” Sweet Spot is open to all ages, but focuses on young children, from the age of three. “We have all levels of players that we channel into one of two streams: recreational or competitive. Early on we identify players with natural talent, motivation, strong work ethics, discipline, family support and we gravitate them towards the competitive stream and work hard to develop them into performance players in a conducive and nurturing environment.” Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Spot-Tennis-Academy/ Call them on +966557479654 Instagram: #sweetspottennisacademy
