The Event



SuperGirls is International:



For our inaugural event in 2007, we hosted 8 delegations from 7 countries: France, Spain, Thailand, Russia, Great Britain, Switzerland, and the USA. There were 32 players, all girls under the age of 14. Approximately half were from the mid-Atlantic area, including many Holton students, and half from abroad. We were thrilled that our first event drew some of the best national representatives from the invited countries. In fact, France, Switzerland, Spain and Thailand sent players ranked in their nation's top 5 in this age group.

The players for 2008 are sure to be a wonderful group of girls!

SuperGirls is Educational:



Each day, after a morning of singles competition, the girls shower, eat lunch then gather to participate in unique workshops on the Holton-Arms campus. Some highlights:
• John Robert Powers provided a marketing seminar and photo shoot
• Kristen Edma, HoltonŐs Athletic Trainer, primed the girls and visiting coaches on healthy training habits and dealing with the infamous Washington, DC, heat and humidity
• Sports psychologist, Dr. Caroline Silby, engaged the girls in a powerful presentation on the mental side of the game
• Andrew Burgess of the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona and Jacob Skilton, coach of the Spanish delegation, led a multilingual discussion on the Pyramid of Success

Swiss, US, Spanish and Russian players at lunch and playing cards


John Robert Powers Photo Shoot


Workshop on The Pyramid of Success

“This tournament is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. Tournaments like this one never happen [anywhere else]. When you play a tournament there should be more things than just win or lose. For example in SuperGirls I have learned that many people like me want to do the same thing other than to be [tennis] professionals. Also I met new girls, learned about new cultures and new languages. The whole tournament had a lot of work behind the scene, which could be reflected after because the tournament had no mistakes. I felt comfortable like in my house in Barcelona. So thank you guys for letting me come and join with you this perfect tournament. Thanks Yann, thanks Erin and all the rest of the people. Hope you do it again!”

-- Patricia Fargas (#3 ranked player from Spain, SuperGirls semifinalist)



SuperGirls is Cultural:



One of the most important ingredients of this event is the cultural exchange. That happens best when the international players get to experience life inside an American family. We can never fully thank the host families for their support as they opened their doors to these girls.

SuperGirls is Diplomatic:



We certainly expected our event to showcase great tennis as well as nurture cultural acceptance and understanding. What we did not foresee is how happy the girls would feel here, how close they would become, and how this little unlikely family of tennis enthusiasts would grow to become so close and loyal to each other in just one week.



Erin and I made a bold decision regarding the tennis competition: There would be no referees. No officials to call lines or mediate disputes, which can be quite common in junior tennis matches. Our goal was to encourage peaceful negotiations between the competitors. And we are pleased to report that the experiment proved to be positively efficient. These girls managed to display fierce competitiveness without the cut-throat and adversarial attitude that can turn a beautiful game into an ugly experience. The girls passed the international relations challenge with flying colors.

Singles Semifinalists: Gloire (France), Spencer (USA/Holton), Laura (Switzerland), Patricia (Spain)


A clear example to sum it all up is the experience of Spencer Liang (Holton and #10 ranked player in USA, 12 & under) and Laura Fiala (#3 ranked player in Switzerland, 14 & under). Laura lived with Spencer and her family for the duration of the event. Spencer's mom, Velma, drove them to the tournament site every morning, stayed to cheer them on, cooked dinner for the each night, took them to the pool. Laura became Liang sister #4 for the week. They even wore matching tennis dresses one day made by Spencer's mom. It just so happened that Laura and Spencer faced off in the Championship match! They fought long and hard in the August heat. At the end of it, Spencer emerged victorious, the girls hugged and went home together with smiles on their faces.

SuperGirls is truly unique!
© Supergirls Tennis Invitational 2008
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