Sisos bring Cebu tennis kids to train in Japan
FROM being top junior athletes in the country, the tennis siblings Sally Mae and Bernardine Niño Siso are now coaches themselves in a Japanese company, Winning Shot Inc.
They are currently in Japan teaching kids the rudiments of the sport. However, the siblings have never forgotten about where they came from and still try to extend their expertise whichever way they can. Last week, they hosted three young kids from Citigreen Tennis Resort to join a short training program in Japan, where they joined other Japanese kids.
"While we are here, we took the opportunity to get some Cebuanos to join in trainings like these because we can easily negotiate with the Japanese counterparts because we are here," said Bernardine.
Bernardine, who was a top junior player during his age-group years, said he hopes to one day witness Elizabeth Abarquez, Chad Connor Cuizon and Tiffany Claire Nocos play internationally.
Bernardine and Sally Mae were top junior players and had competed internationally. The siblings had to give up lucrative tennis careers, saying no to offers as they opted to play locally in their university, the University of San Carlos, so they can focus on their studies.
But they will always go back to what they are passionate about. They helped set up the Citigreen Tennis Resort, which has now become a training ground for Cebu kids, before they left for Japan to become coaches.
As coaches, they want to see their trainees achieve what they failed to do.
"These kids from Citigreen, we saw in them the drive and passion to excel. That is why they were selected to be part of the short program. As much as possible, we want them to get exposure to prepare them for big events and competitions," said Bernardine.
The trio trained together with the different junior players from Hokkaido, Chiba, Sendai and Tokyo. The event was organized by Winning Shot Inc.and was held in different playing venues: Shirako Tennis Resort, Chiba Prefecture and in Tokyo at the Winning Shot Indoor Tennis Courts in Hachioji. The training was conducted by Japanese coaches and the Siso siblings themselves.
"Our Citigreen athletes are very young and very promising. Since they can't join a lot of tournaments yet because they are still very young, we might as well give them the opportunity to experience.
Bernardine said he hopes the kids learned from this experience as he wants them to achieve greatness in tennis "I expect them to use the exposure they gained to their upcoming tournaments. At the same time, training in Japan is a great experience for them so they will experience the Japanese values, learn from them and maybe apply it to their training and their everyday lives," he added.