1

SOLANCA Tennis Academy

Manuel Andres

Daniel Camacho

Daniel Solano

Colegio Nueva Granada

Author Note

Manuel Andres, Colegio Nueva Granada

Daniel Camacho, Colegio Nueva Granada

Daniel Solano, Colegio Nueva Granada

Assistance received from Luis Claros and Pascale Richard

Financial support received from Nestle Colombia, Asocolflores,

and America Tennis Club

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed

to Daniel Solano, Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia

E-mail: dsolano@cng.edu, mandres@cng.edu,

dcamacho@cng.edu

Abstract

2In an attempt to provide the children of Gachancipa with a

new athletic activity, the SOLANCA tennis academy was created.

This academy not only provides twenty children between the ages

of eight and fifteen years a healthy and physically active

environment, but the opportunity to learn how to play a sport that

has been part of elitist life in Colombia. The racquets, net, and court

were donated by private and public entities and with the help of

Gachancipa’s town hall, the project became reality. Lessons have

been going on for seven months now and the results have been very

positive. Kids who used to spend their Saturday afternoons drinking

or consuming dangerous substances are now spending their time in

a more productive and beneficial environment for them. In addition,

this activity has brought together several families who sit besides

the courts and watch their children take the lesson. This initiative

has brought tennis to the range of less favored individuals and is

fighting alcohol and drug abuse with sports. In addition to the

passion and the enthusiasm that both the instructors and students

show, we hope that they will pursue other active hobbies later on

that will have many positive impacts on their lives.

SOLANCA Tennis Academy

3

Initiation of the Project

Tennis Fighting Alcoholism and Drug Consumption

Colombia is a country that has been consistently harmed by

the consumption of drugs and alcohol. This is not only saddening,

but concerning. 75% of young adults between the ages of twelve

and seventeen consume alcohol. This makes Colombia occupy the

first place in Latin America in terms of alcohol consumption in

teenagers. Much of the internal violence in towns and suburbs is

due to this excessive consumption of dangerous substances. Many

might say that education is the key towards progress. However, it is

very difficult to progress when you do not have the supplies or the

resources to attain this education. Therefore, poor teenagers decide

to leave their studies aside and focus mainly on leisure activities.

However, this is where another problem takes place. These

teenagers do not have access to many recreational activities and do

not feel that they are entertaining. Once again, they are lacking the

resources. It is not the government’s fault, since their budget is very

limited and they also have other important issues to face, such as

infrastructure and the economy.

This fact preoccupied us and made us realize that something

had to be done. Although we could not take legal measures to

diminish this consumption, we could take the initiative to promote

an alternative to these practices. We decided this alternative could

be mixing our passion that takes most of our leisure time, with the

4service to the community so these kids could find a way out of the

harsh environment in which they live. Our idea was not only to

make a study of how this could be done, but to actually do it and

observe the results. Towns around Colombia are some of the places

where these kinds of problems occur the most. Also, children in

these towns do not have access to essential resources, such as

food, health, and security and therefore have to spend their time

trying to think of something else and having fun with whatever they

find. They would be able to do an activity that would not only be

physically beneficial for them, but psychologically positive as well.

This activity is tennis.

Corruption

Colombia is unfortunately infamous in many ways. It has seen

various problems when it comes to justice, peace, and organization.

Corruption seems to be a problem Colombia has a hard time

fighting. Small towns outside big cities such as Bogotá has outside

its cities borders, one of many Gachancipa, suffer a lot when they

ask for funds for renovations in their infrastructure and organization

in their town hall. Just last month, towns outside Bogotá: Tocancipá,

Gachancipá, Cogüa, Nemocón, Cajicá, Guatavita, Subachoque,

Funza, la Mesa, Anapoima and Cota, have suffered potable water

shortages due to a lack of organization and control by part of

private entities and the government to clean and use the

contaminated Bogota River. This has brought potable water

5shortages, disease, and tons of unnecessary spending to fix this

problem. Towns such as Gachancipa have a hard time recollecting

funds as it has a small population and most of its people gain

minimum wage. Gachancipa suffers from this because they cannot

improve the living conditions of its citizens and problems regarding

drug and alcohol abuse are presented. To try and reduce this

problem, the town looks for ways to keep teenagers and young

adults in school and have various recreational activities available for

them to shy away from drugs and alcohol. Gachancipa and other

towns like it have asked the Colombian government various times

for financial help. The government should be able to help these

towns as one of the government’s ministries has programs against

drugs and alcohol abuse in minors. However the government does

not carry out these promises it makes to these towns. This happens

because funds are either relocated to other sectors that most of the

time already have enough funds to function or the government sees

one bad apple, a town that uses these funds wrongly, and decides

to not help out the rest of the country. Because of corruption, towns

such as Gachancipa suffer the unfair consequences and drive this

spiral of regress even deeper. It is a shame that towns with rich

culture and history are ruined by today’s problems of greed and

apathy. Gachancipa has a history of over 400 years and is one of

Colombia’s oldest towns. The failure to help out the town by the

government sees historical buildings and roads be destroyed by

6time and the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. To end

Colombia’s problems, the initiative of a group of people of a new

generation is needed and there is no better way of doing this than

by the medium of sport.

Why Tennis

Tennis is a sport, which we have played during all our lives

and has become a crucial part of our daily basis. The three

members of this project reflect a variety of experiences with tennis,

which contribute to the support of the kids depending on what they

want to use tennis for. Our experience with tennis also provides the

kids with role models that have implemented tennis in their

everyday lives and have succeeded in competitive environments

within the context of their lives. It is crucial to highlight that the

three of us began tennis due to family influence and at first were

forced to go to the academies. In the beginning, it was a tedious

activity, which we only went because we had to. As time went by,

tennis began to be one of our most important recreational activities

and we began enjoying the sport. We were doing exercise, but we

did not feel that we were. We felt that we were doing a leisure

activity that not only made us have fun, but also encouraged us to

interact with other kids and develop social skills.

The kids of Gachancipa are very spread out in terms of their

homes. Therefore, this academy brings them together and makes

them interconnect with one another. Tennis is a sport that you

7cannot play alone. You need either one or three more people in

order to have a match. This stimulates interaction between the

members of the academy. Tennis is also a sport that is fully

competitive sport, but it does not allow contact between the

participants. This is a very positive aspect because since we are

dealing with kids that are immersed in violent environments both

inside their homes and in their surroundings, it is crucial that they

take part in an activity that does not promote physical conflict.

Especially when learning a sport, kids can easily get frustrated and,

if it is a sport that permits conflict, can get aggressive.

In addition, tennis is a sport in which we could take the

initiative and create the academy in a short period of time. This was

crucial because if we chose a sport that required more time to adapt

the court and gather the supplies needed, we would not have been

able to initiate the academy within the time frames we had fixed. It

is not only a means of recreation, but also a way to liberate yourself

from the tediousness of everyday life and provide a healthy

environment to do exercise. One of the issues that tennis helps fight

is sedentarism. According to Law 115 of 1994, sedentarism is a

matter of public health and should be addressed promptly. It should

be dealt by the organisms of public health and other public services.

We would be contributing in this manner to avoid children and

young adults, which are the most vulnerable to sedentarism, to

deteriorate their health. Tennis helps calm your nerves and also it

8can teach you many valuable lessons. Always striving for success,

the importance of persevering, and commitment are among the

characteristics that this sport teaches you. The kids of Gachancipa,

after speaking with them, seem to have the mentality that they are

destined to live in that town and will not get a very good job. Most of

them are resigned to live a monotonous life and have no desire or

stimulus to strive for more. Tennis, we believe, will teach them, at

least on a small-scale level, that if one perseveres and takes the

hard hits of failure, he can not only succeed, but have the

satisfaction that on his own, he was able to accomplish a goal that

he never thought would have been possible before.

Unfortunately, tennis is a very elitist sport in Colombia and

only people that have the resources to access a private club can

enjoy this sport. This is also one of the main reasons lower classes in

Colombia have such great resentment towards the upper classes.

Politicians are always talking about equality for all and the fact that

all citizens should be able to do the same activities; however, this is

not the case in Colombia. People in the upper classes not only have

more political, economic, and social power, but are the only ones

that have access to quality recreational activities. Research has

shown that people need recreational time in order to do quality work

and to be effective in their day-to-day tasks. Providing kids with this

tennis academy helps promote the effective use of leisure time and

indirectly increases the effectiveness they have in school. Also,

9through our research on sports medicine, tennis provides the

adequate cardiological and mental exercise to make people enjoy

this sport, but at the same time develops skills and talents that help

an individual attain better motor skills.

Creation of the Academy

However, we had this idea. Now, we need to put it into action.

The first thing we needed to decide was where to implement it. After

thorough research for about two months, we found that the town of

Gachancipá was the most appropriate place. Gachancipá is a four

hundred year-old town located about an hour away from Bogotá. It

is one of the oldest towns in Cundinamarca and hosts important

cultural events. It has around eleven thousand inhabitants and

covers about 194 square kilometers. It has unemployment of only

4% and its economy is growing at a rate of 9%. Although it has

modernized as time goes by, it has kept the essence of the

traditional town. Gachancipá provides sewage and aqueduct

services to 94% of the population, telephone services to 24% and

electricity to 98%. These numbers have been increasing through

time as the town is on a good path towards progress.

Most of the people in the town range from social statuses two

and three. This means that although they can live in decent

manners, there is still a lot of improvement that can be done to their

quality of life. Currently, it has over fifteen sports academies in

which children from all ages go to develop talents and compete in

10region-wide competitions. However, the town did not have a tennis

formation center. Therefore, we initiated talks with the mayor,

Nicolás Gómez, to see if it was viable to promote and establish a

tennis academy in the town. We needed a town in which the

academy would have a positive impact on the community, but also

a town that was committed to the integral formation of children

through sports. Although we wanted to use tennis as a means of

alleviating some of the issues the town had, we also wanted to

improve the health of children in Gachancipá by providing them with

an activity that promotes physical endurance and makes them see

that exercise can be done in a way that is entertaining and at the

same time efficient. After several meetings with the people of the

town hall, we came to an agreement and on October 26, 2014, the

Solanca tennis academy initiated its services.

Sponsors

At the beginning of the project, we had nothing. Little by little

we began acquiring the materials we needed and the sponsors that

were required. This process started some time before the actual

Senior Independent Study did. Procedures that have to do with the

public administration of towns usually take time. One of the main

reasons that this happens is that these towns have very limited

financial resources and tend to save them only for emergencies.

Also, their infrastructure and physical resources are not developed,

which makes them hesitate on lending them for any kind of project.

11However, through several meetings with the major of Gachancipa

and the Secretary of Sports and Recreation, we were able to come

to an agreement of where to set the court. After this was set, we

continued our process by getting a donation from the América

Tennis Club Foundation consisting of racquets. This was definitely

not an easy task since this club was already donating some of its

racquets to the caddies in the club. Therefore, we had to ask them

to save some of their supplies for our initiative, which took time and

patience.

We had several setbacks in this process due to the fact that

we needed twenty racquets and we only received twelve the first

time. This made us worry about the success of our project.

Nevertheless, we continued working hand in hand with this

foundation and were able to gather the necessary materials. Then,

we reasoned that it would be a valuable gesture to give the kids a

snack, consisting of a drink and some cookies, in the middle of the

lesson. This would not only incentive them to do more and more

effort throughout the lesson, but also to give them the necessary

energy to be able to take full advantage of the exercises. While

talking to the children, we realized that most of them did not have

good meals in the morning or at lunch, which definitely influence

their physical and mental enthusiasm. Nestle Colombia provided us

with the snacks. Finally, we asked Asocolflores for a donation for the

net, which is essential in a tennis court. This way, we were able to

12get the basics we needed to get started. In a project with goals such

as ours, we needed to gather and unite all the main aspects of

society. We had the public administration, represented by the

Gachancipá’s town hall, the private industry, represented by Nestlé

and América Tennis Club, an association, represented by

Asocolflores, and the people themselves, which are the kids. The

town hall picked the first twenty kids according to their needs and

potential for the academy. They were between the ages of eight and

fifteen years old. All this process required great effort and time, but

finally, we were ready to begin.

Justification

Purpose

This project was initiated to help bring down the high levels of

drug and alcohol consumption among children in the town of

Gachancipá. Although it has only been implemented in one town,

our expectations for the future are that this idea is replicated in

other towns and therefore creating a much bigger impact at the

department level. We believe that the children who get to be part of

the tennis academy will get a mental refreshment and be able to

realize that sports are a great way not only to have recreation, but

to live a healthy way in which you can still have fun without having

to introduce dangerous substances into your system. Also, giving

these kids the opportunity to learn how to play tennis is an

13improvement to help narrow the inequality gap that exists in

Colombia. Reading some of the pertinent rights of the citizens in the

Colombian Constitution, it is crucial to state that the fifty-second

article of the “Carta Política” declares that sports should be granted

to each citizen as a means of integral formation and is essential to

have better health conditions. This provides political and medical

evidence of the importance of sport’s on a person’s life. The

previously mentioned fact contributes to the purpose of this project

by providing kids with not only a simple sports’ academy, but an

activity that forms integral human beings and that teaches them the

ethics and values of sportsmanship. There are many ways in which

these values could be taught to children; however, our approach

regarding this aspect is quite unique. We feel that through fair and

healthy competition, children will be able to see for themselves the

importance of learning how to lose, and, more important, the

satisfaction of succeeding when one has to struggle.

Objective

The objectives for the project in the short term are that the

kids remain committed to the academy and that they attend every

lesson. If this is done, the impact the lessons will have on the kids

will be much greater. Also, sports are proven to be effective in

minimizing the risk of having cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,

hypertension, and depression, among others. Since the people in

this town do not have the resources to attend a good hospital and

14the quality of the medical centers there is not optimal, it is crucial

that they try not to get diseases, especially those that require

extensive treatment. Also, sports improve the kids’ motor skills and

cognitive function. Through the domination of the tennis racquet,

they develop reflexes and mental agility in a way that is fun and

recreational for them. Analysts around the world have depicted the

fact that sports help fight psychological disorders in individuals.

Self-esteem and social image are among the things that are

improved with this tennis academy. In the medium term, we plan to

get more children involved in the academy so they can work on

their different needs at different rates. In the long run, we plan to

expand this initiative to other towns around Cundinamarca, or even

Colombia, so they can replicate our project and the impact becomes

nation-wide. Law 181 of 1995 declares that it is the government’s

duty to provide citizens with the access to play sports and an

appropriate space to practice them. We realize the difficulties that a

town like Gachancipa faces when trying to comply with this law.

Therefore, we are helping it create this amiable environment in

which children are encouraged to practice sports and allowing them

to have access to the necessary materials. The tennis academy will

have continuity over time since we have already talked to some

sophomores and juniors that are interested in continuing with this

process under our same objectives. We will remain supervising the

academy in the upcoming years.

15

Execution

Time Schedule

We planned to go every Saturday to give continuity to the

learning process. At the beginning of each lesson, we do warm-up

and stretching drills. In the first lessons, we instructed the kids the

basics of the tennis swing and they began hitting the ball. The

progress in every small aspect is very evident, well now the kids

know fundamental things such as the importance of stretching and

warming up their muscles. As time went on, we practiced more

difficult drills with them. In the middle of each lesson, we provide a

drink and a snack for the kids so they can rest from the exercise and

recharge their energy for the second half of the class. At the end of

each lesson, we allow them to play short matches and test the

knowledge that they have acquired.

Also, we do this because we think it is very important that

they get used to compete and learn how to count points in tennis.

This encourages them to practice harder and keep getting harder so

they can beat their opponents in the matches. Surprisingly, even

though they have been playing tennis for a short time period, they

are very competitive and will give it 100% to win the tournament.

The kids have been adopting the necessary behavior to have a

organized training session with very few interruptions. The progress

in their game is also significant, well now they hit the ball

16constantly, they know how to serve, and they can play a good point.

By themselves they have realized that moving their opponent is a

strategy that works a lot between them and that the power with

which they hit the ball can determine if they win the point or not.

We have also been teaching them the rules of tennis, so now

instead of us telling them if they won or lost the match, they make

their own calls and keep track of the points without any external

help from us. The academy has become a place of integral learning.

According to Law 115 of 1994 (previously mentioned), sports are a

means of teaching values and should not only be taken as a

recreational activity, but as a pedagogical experience in which the

kids learn from their failures and strive to acquire more knowledge

every class. The most important part though is the progress as

people. Through tennis we have given them an environment in

which they can grow in every aspect and they have not wasted their

chance. They come to training on time, with their game face on,

ready to play as much as possible. Even when we give them the

food, they put it aside and save it for when training is over. They are

very satisfied and happy with the classes, and there is no greater

satisfaction and reward than seeing the kids enjoy and take

advantage of the academy. They have realized that they have been

progressing and that they now have more tools to win the matches

in the tournament done at the end of each class. It is not only

17evident to us that they have grown as tennis players, but also as

human beings.

Resources

Through our experience with tennis and our extensive

knowledge of the sport, we planned our time schedule (as stated

above) to further train and teach the children on a more

professional level. It is vital for us to teach the children the proper

and most advanced techniques that the sport has to offer. We also

extended our knowledge of these techniques by researching the

sport, its evolution, and its various playing styles. At the beginning

of the classes, we taught a more leisure type of gameplay to the

sport. The children did not and should not need to start with the

professional type of gameplay to the sport, as it is a more rigorous

and demanding type of practice. Also due to us seeing them only

once a week, practicing at a more professional level would be

unfeasible. Never the less, an athlete can achieve improvement and

skill level through different gameplays in the sport of tennis.

Even with our knowledge and perseverance, we also needed

tangible tools to make this work. At the very start of the project the

tennis court was improvised by the town hall, just in front of it. The

court was the town square. Its dimensions were fairly identical to an

actual professional tennis court, and it was concrete flooring, perfect

for the ball to bounces right. Although, we encountered the problem

of loose balls going to the street and sometimes getting lost. The

18town helped us solve this problem by moving the classes to a

polideportivo, a coliseum type arena with roofing, perfect against

rain, concrete stairs around the ring and the perfect dimensions of a

tennis court with concrete flooring. The town gave the net, but due

to the shortness of supplies, it had to be the net they use for their

volleyball practice. The America Tennis Club donated the racquets,

which people handed off to them and the company Asocolflores

donated the tennis balls. In the later months to come, we had an

assistant, Diego, a teenager like us to help us ready the court and

bring the racquets and balls from the town hall. He too practiced

tennis in his free time so it was a great addition to the team when

we needed an extra hand. As for the snacks, Nestlé de Colombia

was generous enough to supply the kids and trainers enough bottled

water to drink and nutritious cookies to eat.

The help from our sponsors and Gachancipa’s town hall was

vital for the perfect execution of the project. The contribution from

all areas deemed each and every class a great use of time from the

students and the trainers. This shows how preparation and

organization leads to great things.

Risks

Some of the risks we ran during this project were the

desertion of the children, as it was not guaranteed that they would

keep on going to every lesson. Also, the climate in Bogotá is very

oscillating, which makes it difficult to plan the activities to be done

19in class. However, we were able to move into a closed gymnasium

with a roof, which solved this problem. The sponsors were key since

without them we would not have had the supplies for the lessons. In

addition, the loss of supplies was a major concern. Therefore, in our

signed contract with the town hall, we specified that it was their

responsibility to prevent the loss of the racquets and it was at their

discretion where they would keep them. Fortunately, there was no

major problem in this sense. The only thing that occurred was that a

lot of tennis balls were getting lost and we were running out of

them. Besides that, everything has flowed according to planned.

We have to admit that there are countless ways in which the

project could have gone wrong, but we have been lucky that

everything has worked to our favor. Nestle has always been on top

of the snacks, the major gave us a place with a roof to prevent the

cancelling of training due to rain, and the kids have always been

there on time. Who knows what would have happened if the kids

decided that they did not like the classes and therefore not coming

back. Perhaps the major could have ignored our project and decided

that tennis in Gachancipa is not necessary. The project had to go

the way we planned it every step of the way and until now it

fortunately has. The connection between us and the town of

Gachancipa has escalated to being much more than only a project,

well now every one of us feels attached to the academy. That is why

we try to minimize all the risks to give the academy and the kids a

20guaranteed continuity and regularity. We hope that in the rest of our

experience we will not face any major issues, and that we can find a

way to expand the academy by adding supplies, teachers, and

resources so the academy can continue for many years to come.

Additional Supplies

We made caps for the children with the academy’s logo and

its name so that they acquired a sense of identity and felt that they

were a solid part of this initiative. This project has allowed us to

visualize the impact that sports has on these children and the way

they have responded is astonishing. Right from the beginning they

were extremely committed and eager to jump into this new activity.

As much as we can expand the academy and include the kids in it,

the better. The foundation of the America Tennis Club is also

gathering more racquets so that in a near future the academy can

host more kids and be available to more. T-shirts are also something

that we want to implement well the effect that we saw with the caps

was definitely positive. Not only are the kids grateful, but as well the

parents have been extremely decent and polite to us. The effect of

the academy in the town of Gachancipa is making positive changes

and we want change, we want good change.

Progress

We have had very valuable signs of progress throughout the

past seven months. The excitement the kids showed contributed to

their progress. At first, the students were very frustrated because

21we did not allow them to play with actual balls. We decided that the

best for them was to learn the basic movements tennis demands

first, and once they are able to do them, then they can begin hitting

balls. This is because if we allowed them to start playing right from

the beginning, they would not be worried about improving their

movements, but about hitting the ball as hard as they could. We

spent about two or three entire classes showing and them these

movements. They learned from the grip to hold the racquet to the

positioning of their feet when hitting the ball. We practiced drills

with imaginary balls to make sure they were ready. After this was

completed, we took out the balls. At first, it was a complete disaster.

Balls went everywhere. However, as time went by, the children

began to control their strength when hitting the ball and started

realizing that the movements they had previously learned actually

helped to play better tennis. A few months later, some children were

actually keeping the ball in play during the tournaments we did at

the end of each lesson. This was amazing. They were learning that

trying to win the point on the first hit was not the best strategy for

tennis. Instead, consistency was the key to success. To gain

consistency, they would need to practice and correct their swings.

Interaction with the Kids

Interviews

22Throughout the lessons, we have small talks with several kids

to get feedback on our work and acquire knowledge on possible

areas of improvement. This part is crucial since we might think that

we are putting our best effort into this project; however, there might

be aspects that can be better or activities that the kids are wishing

to do that we had not considered. Communication is vital since this

way the kids can have a voice and learn what they want to learn.

Also, we can get a sense of how effective our academy is and if it is

achieving the established goals. Below are some of the interviews

that we did to some of the kids and their responses. The interviews

are translated from Spanish to English.

December 7, 2013

Interviewer: Daniel Solano

Interviewee: Juan Diego (12 years old)

Daniel Solano: What do you think of the academy?

Juan Diego: I believe that it is amazing. I had never had the

opportunity to be part of something like this.

Daniel Solano: What was your previous exposure to sports and

tennis?

Juan Diego: I am a soccer player and practice in the school

here in Gachancipa. However, I had only seen tennis a couple of

times on television. I did not even know that there were academies

here in Colombia. It seemed very distant from my environment.

23Daniel Solano: What did you do during this time before you

came to the academy?

Juan Diego: I usually just stayed home or hanged out with my

friends in the plaza.

Daniel Solano: What are some aspects you think the academy

has to improve on?

Juan Diego: I really want to learn how to serve and count the

points, just like they do on television.

Daniel Solano: What do you think of the methodology

implemented during each class?

Juan Diego: I think it is very appropriate. At first I did not

understand the value in the stretching and the warming up;

however, when you explained to us its importance in preventing

injuries and strains, I began to do them with energy. Also, the drills

allow us to practice both forehand and backhand without being

monotonous. The matches at the end of the class are what all of us

look forward to. They are a way to test our ability and see the

progress we have made. We are very competitive hear and being

able to beat others is a great satisfaction.

February 1, 2014

Interviewer: Daniel Camacho

Interviewee: Ana Maria (13 years old)

Daniel Camacho: What were your first thoughts back in

October when the town hall told you about this academy?

24Ana Maria: I was a bit hesitant that it would work. We have

never played tennis here and it looked like a very difficult sport to

learn. Personally, I have to confess that the only reason I joined the

academy was because my parents wanted me to try it out.

Daniel Camacho: What do you think about the academy now?

Are you still forced to come to the academy?

Ana Maria: No, not at all. After about the second class, I

discovered that I really liked this sport and that if I tried hard, I

would be able to play better every lesson. I think it is a privilege to

be in this academy. It has not only taught me to play tennis, but to

have the discipline in one activity in order to be good at it.

Daniel Camacho: What do you think we can improve on?

Ana Maria: Maybe you could give us the snacks at the end of

the lessons instead of in the middle because we are so engaged in

the lesson, that I prefer not to stop playing until the end.

Daniel Camacho: Have you made new friends here?

Ana Maria: Yes, I have. Just on my way here, I have met other

kids who are very friendly and eager to have the lesson. Although

we compete against each other when we do the tournament, in the

end we get to know each other and have fun.

April 5, 2014

Interviewer: Manuel Andres

Interviewee: Valentina (15 years old)

25Manuel Andres: How does the tennis academy compare to the

other sports academies in Gachancipa?

Valentina: I believe it is the best one. The other ones are good

but the professors are not necessarily experts at the sport and are

less worried of our progress. Also, the supplies are not as good as

the ones in this academy.

Manuel Andres: Do you think this academy is helping fight

some of the main issues in the town?

Valentina: Yes, definitely. Most of the older brothers of the

kids you see here are immersed in a world full of alcohol and drugs.

It is almost impossible to take them out of that world. However, I

think this academy is providing a great alternative to this kids for

them not to follow that same path. Most of us on weekends do not

have many activities to do and therefore just hang out around town.

Now, we know that every Saturday at 2 p.m., we have our tennis

lesson.

Manuel Andres: What is the activity you like the most during

the lesson?

Valentina: Obviously the tournament at the end. I feel it is a

reward for all of our effort during the class.

Manuel Andres: What do you find most important about

playing tennis?

Valentina: Doing exercise and having the opportunity to learn

the techniques behind this sport are the most important for me. I

26feel that my reflexes have gotten a lot better and that I have gained

physical endurance. I could have done this by going for a run, but

this is much more attractive and entertaining.

Vision

The Future of the Academy

The first time that this project was thought of, we knew that it

had to be a long term project, and that the academy had to be

expanded and find someone that could continue the legacy.

Nevertheless, we needed to begin acting immediately. We have

been looking for ways to make the academy grow but also last,

because we want the academy to help the town in many years to

come. We never want the happiness of the kids when they go to

training to end. Our goal found what it needed; a source that has

the capability to make of the academy something unthinkable.

There are three sophomores that have volunteered to continue with

the academy. They are not the first people that have talked to us to

continue the academy, well after several months of analysis we

have decided that they are the best candidates to make our dream

grow. They have shown a lot of commitment and interest when

talking to us and in their experiences there.

We would not give up all our work to anybody that asked, and

we had to be sure that our choice was the right one. Therefore, we

implemented a process that would show us their capability to

27interact with the kids and handle the academy. First we talked to

them, explained everything about the logistics and the importance

of the project to us, and then we took them to Gachancipa. We did

our classes regularly, while they watched and asked us about how

the training worked. Slowly they have been incorporated into the

classes getting to the point that they are contributing ideas to make

the academy better. By the end of April the plan is for them to go

with us, but for them to be the teachers. We will be there observing

and making suggestions, trying to correct them in any details that

need assistance. The plan is to have several meetings in which we

can help them plan the future of Solanca. As time goes by they will

be granted more independence until they will have to go by

themselves and show progress every 6 months. If the members of

Solanca leave the country for college, in vacations we will come and

supervise the development and state of the academy.

Aspects to Improve On

In a short-term aspect we believe that it is essential to get a

basket for the balls like the ones that tennis clubs have. That would

make the training more efficient because the balls would not be in a

box anymore, but in a basket that is designed for the teachers

comfort and efficiency when throwing the balls. Secondly, we could

try to get a net that prevent the ball from leaving the stadium, so

that less balls are lost and there is less need to buy more. The net

would guarantee us a full use of every ball instead of losing some

28while they are in perfect state. if we can minimize the costs of the

balls, we can use that money to invest in more racquets and

clothing.   

In the medium term, we would like to get at least one more

court, so we could give classes to more children. For that though,

we would need more supplies and resources for every kid, which is

the goal on a medium term. We could help the town on a greater

proportion and have the positive effect expand and help more

people. This was our objective right from the beginning. However,

we realized that we needed to start out small to give more

individualized attention to every kid in their first exposures to the

sport. Without this attention, it would be very hard for the individual

to get a hold of the basics of tennis. In addition, kids who are closely

supervised feel that they are one of the main focuses of attention.

This encourages them to do their best effort because they want to

impress the professors and their fellow students with their progress.

However, now that some of these kids learned how to play tennis,

we believe it is time to allow other children to have this opportunity.

In the long run, the vision is to expand Solanca to more towns

around Colombia so that more children can benefit from the

academy. According to that idea though, we would need more

money to invest in more supplies and resources which would take

some time but would be great for the children and their respective

29homes. It is indeed possible to expand Solanca in the long term;

with commitment and effort we believe that the goals will be met.

Social Service

Effects on the Economy

By doing social service in Gachancipa, we give the kids an

opportunity to practice a sport that requires a lot of money. We help

the town by investing in it, since we invest in the kids by giving

them the opportunity to fight poverty. The academy helps reduce

inequality and provide resources and capital that the town can use

to its advantage. It may sound like we are doing everything, but

without the organizing of everything and the commitment of the

kids Solanca would not be possible. Not only in terms of our project,

but as well in other places it is very important to do social service to

reduce the economic inequalities in the country. Everybody

deserves the opportunity to have a good quality of life and social

service can be fundamental in reducing the gap between the rich

and the poor.

Social Effects

We would not know what kind of impact we had generated

until we saw it with our own eyes. We had set a goal in mind to help

out a community that suffered from problems with drugs and

alcohol. We wanted to try and generate a little help by reducing the

amount of teenagers and young adults that do this. After getting to

30know the students well and creating bonds with some of them we

had an even deeper interaction with them, stated before with the

interview. We asked them personal questions, which we were eager

to know the answers to know if we had created an impact or not. We

were surprised by the answers. We knew the problems that the

town had with drug and alcohol abuse and we were more than

happy to know we made an impact in fighting this problem.

Gachancipa’s diverse range of activities has offered children,

teenagers, and young adults alike to stay away from those

mischievous activities and have a healthier alternative. With

Solanca, we have given more opportunities for children and

teenagers who haven’t found the right activity for them yet before.

Our and their commitment ensures that the malaise that surrounds

the town can be ignored. It takes just one small step to change

make a change and Solanca and its trainers are there and will be

there to create a safe and fun environment for whomever wants to

join.

Social Service Can Be Fun

Going and giving tennis classes to Gachancipa, or any other

type of social service does not have to be boring. In our case we

implemented the sport that we love with helping other and trying to

cause a positive change. Giving to other people turns out to be

extremely satisfying and comforting when one knows that he or she

is doing the right thing. There is a common misconception that

31social service is unnecessary and that the people being helped do

not take advantage of what they get. Up to now, we have not seen

anything but effort and gratefulness in the kids and parents of

Gachancipa. They will take any chance they get, because they want

the chance to live better, they want the chance to give their kids a

better quality of life. It has been astonishingly satisfying to be a part

of Solanca, and to give the kids time so they can escape for a

moment their reality and feel the support.