SotoTennis Academy partners with Sotogrande International School to form the Elite Sports Programme, giving student athletes the opportunity to pursue their sporting goals at the highest level whilst still achieving academic success. Elite Student Athletes are provided with unique support by the school and the Academy, including altered academic timetables in line with their tennis and fitness schedules, transport from the school to the Academy, and individualised preparation for SATs, which are the required entry examinations for American colleges. All student athletes study International A Levels while completing a full-time individualised tennis programme.
Will Roberts
Will Roberts graduated from the Elite Sports Programme in July 2019. In September 2019, Will joined the Belmont Abbey Tennis team in America. Here is his experience so far…
“SotoTennis Academy massively helped me sign for an American University. Being part of the Elite Sports Programme allowed me to improve my tennis as well as put the time into my studies to get the right qualifications to go to a university in America.
My favourite part of SotoTennis Academy was the family environment, where everyone helps each other out. I also loved the unbelievable weather and the stunning views. I miss the players and coaches who I felt made the place so great as they always had your best interests at heart.
I am currently studying Rhetoric, Western Civilisation and Physics in my Freshman year, with the aim to major in Business Management. I train during the week after classes and often compete on weekends and have already travelled to Georgia to play a tournament. Training here is going well; I enjoy being part of a team as I feel like everyone is working towards the same goal.
SotoTennis Academy helped prepare me for University life by teaching me core values on and off the court, which I have been able to transfer over to life in America and which has helped in my development.
I like being able to get the right balance between my workload and tennis as I want to make the most of my time here. I have been to Charlotte in North Carolina to see more of the city and I’m loving the food out here. My mindset is to keep working hard at my studies and tennis to try and get the best results in and out of the classroom.”
Dom Spicer
Dom Spicer graduated from the Elite Sports Programme in July 2019. In September 2019, he joined the Wayne State University tennis team in America. Here is his experience so far…
“I’m currently taking classes in English, Government, Economics and Business, which all count towards my major of Business Management. All our training is done in the morning before classes start in the afternoon, with three hours of tennis followed by fitness.
STA helped me in the American college process by working alongside Tennis Smart to enable me to speak to coaches and university in the States. The Elite Sports Programme helped me meet the demands needed academically for America whilst maintaining my regular studies and tennis. STA also helped by providing tournament trips so that I could participate in UTR tournaments, which helped me achieve a better UTR rating. This was useful because your UTR rating is really important in the college tennis recruitment process.
I would never have reached the level needed to play at this university without the day in day out help and hard work of all the STA coaches. The coaches created a great environment to train and improve in and always offered their support, which I’m very grateful for. The people at the Academy really make the place. This is what I miss most.
As of now, my favourite part of being in America has been the travelling and the atmosphere on game day. As a team, we are spending a lot of time on the road competing at other universities, staying in hotels, experiencing new places and spending quality time with the team. So far, I’ve visited Michigan, Ohio and Canada. On game day, the atmosphere in the team is brilliant! Everyone is motivating each other and we’re all playing for one another. The tennis here is extremely competitive and the atmosphere produced while playing matches is something I have never experienced.”
Good luck to Will and Dom in America, we look forward to seeing them continue to progress!