She was the type of student that every teacher hopes for—a
smiling face and a curious mind. I first met Olivia Stone on the tennis court,
but my time getting to know her wasn’t through tennis at all, but rather in a 6th
grade Language Arts class as her teacher. There I found Olivia’s fascination
with horses, her love for her family, and growing interest in becoming a
veterinarian when she got older. In that class I learned how loved she was by
her peers, and how her kind heart affected her teachers, always described as
the one whom everyone had some sort of “soft spot” for.
Olivia played tennis with us at Seminole High Performance
too—she excelled at an early age at the sport, with the power to hit the ball
harder than most girls at her age then. Excelling in the sport early brought
with it some niggling injuries, from strained muscles to twisted ankles, but
her drive and passion keep her going and working hard. I particularly remember
when I would work with her one on one and she would turn towards me and smile,
newly un-braced, when after a small tidbit her serve would work better. “That’s
it, Olive,” I had said, my nickname for her, beaming back, a proud coaching
moment for any coach.
But then I remember another moment, a moment that is the
worst to experience for any coach—a quietly crying Olivia, not because she was
having a bad day at school, not because she lost a match, not because she had a
fight with her best friend. No, those things were petty teenage things, things
that Olive should have been crying about, things that I could, like any nodding
and understanding coach or parent, handle with a pat on the back and a quick
hug, a “it’ll get better.” No, this was being in so much pain that she couldn’t
be brave anymore, a struggle within herself to break down in a moment of
weakness, typically a situation for an adult, not a young girl in her early
teens.
Olivia has severe scoliosis; more detail can be found at http://www.gofundme.com/7od0pc about
her condition, but knowing Olive personally has made all of us at Seminole High
Performance want to make a difference, to help Olivia and her family afford the
expensive surgery that will help her. This is so much bigger than tennis, so
much bigger than a sport. This is making a difference in a young girl’s life,
whether she wants to pursue her dreams in tennis, cheer, horseback riding, or
becoming a vet. Please help us help her and her wonderful family, who worry
about her health every day, a caring and compassionate mom who only wants the
best for her beautiful daughter. Whether this is a $25 dollar donation, a $500
dollar donation, or even just a word of compassion, let’s help Olive get back
up on her feet.
