“Tennis changed the course of my life” – Vyshnave Sivasankar
The following is one of several spotlights being published by Tennis Canada this month as part of its Victory will be HERS fundraising campaign. They tell the stories of five women for whom tennis has played a major role and contributed towards victories in their personal and professional lives. Be part of the movement and take action.
The inspirational story of Vyshnave Sivasankar begins 30 years ago, in war-torn Sri Lanka. Her parents left behind a life of fear and uncertainty to seek refuge in Canada. Little did they know, their courage and determination to start over would lay the foundation for a future filled with hope and fulfillment through tennis for their daughter.
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They made their way to Toronto, Ontario and, just a few years later, brought Vyshnave into the world. It’s here, in the underserved Jane-Finch area to the northwest of the downtown core, that Vyshnave found a community that welcomed her like no other – one that provided her with engagement, an outlet and, ultimately, a home.
While her mom worked in a factory, and her dad at restaurants – over the years, grinding his way up from dishwasher to cook – Vyshnave would attend various programs, mostly sport related. That included soccer and swimming, but there was a clear frontrunner in her mind – and that was tennis.
“I grew up in Jane-Finch area, participating in a lot of different programs, including the tennis program at the Jane-Finch Community Tennis Association. And that’s where I was introduced to tennis as a summer sport. I was doing a lot of other things at the time. My parents would put me in any free program. So, it started off as something I was doing for fun, but I really liked the coaches and the adult leaders we had at the time. They made me feel so welcome, in a different way. I didn’t feel like I was going for a tennis lesson, I felt like I was part of a community for the first time.”
– Vyshnave Sivasankar
The Jane-Finch Community Tennis Association (JFCTA) was originally launched by Tennis Canada in 2006 as a community initiative to provide opportunities and access to tennis for residents of Jane-Finch. Each year, Tennis Canada provides the program with a grant, as well as office space and discounted court time at Sobeys Stadium. Since her first experiences with the organization, Vyshnave’s passion for tennis has only grown stronger, as has her sense of belonging and desire to give back. Over time, she evolved from a participant, to trying her hand at coaching and now she is their Program Coordinator, having the responsibility of overseeing their women and girls programming.
“When I started playing tennis, I wasn’t very good but I really wanted to be. So, to have that community and that determination to be good at something, it really motivated me to work, become a volunteer, become an assistant coach, become a head coach. I worked with the organization, with my coaches to build my skills and that led me to achieve my goals. The year before last, I started working as Program Coordinator. When I started, it’s not something I thought I would do.”
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Vyshnave’s appetite for tennis is matched only by her insatiable curiosity for learning. From 2016 to 2020, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto in Human Biology, Environment and Health. After hours on end spent studying in labs and writing papers, she concluded that science was not the path for her. Instead, she had a sudden realization that her true passion lies in the work she had been doing with the JFCTA.
“That was a turning point,” she explained. “I started to focus more on working with Jane-Finch Tennis and other non-profits and doing research for them, different studies on what they’d like to change or improve on to ensure results. So, that’s when I looked into Masters programs related to that. And now, I’m still at the University of Toronto doing my Masters in Adult Education and Community Development. So, for me, working at this organization and seeing how non-profits work, I want to give back. Tennis and the Jane-Finch program is why I feel that way. It definitely changed the course of my life.”
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Since she switched the focus of her studies, Vyshnave has had the opportunity to work with multiple non-profits on research projects which are close to her heart. Through her connections at JFCTA, she secured an internship with the MLSE Foundation last year. There, she worked closely on their “Change the Game” project, which is aimed at understanding sport and play-related access, engagement, and equity issues across Ontario.
“They wanted to assess how access and barriers to sport had changed from COVID to last year. I helped execute their survey, worked with data and analyzed the results from the three years.”
Through JFCTA’s relationship with Tennis Canada, Vyshnave has also been an attendee at the annual UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports Conference each year since its inception. This August, she had the opportunity to meet keynote speaker, former world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Venus Williams. It’s these experiences through tennis that truly inspire Vyshanave to be the leader she has become for women and girls in her own community.
“I just feel like, there are all these people doing all these things so, why can’t I be someone like that? It’s very inspiring for our coaches and participants as well. It’s hard to find the words to describe the [UNMATCHED] conference. I met Venus – I would never have thought I could say that.”
With your support, girls like Vyshnave can continue to access life-changing programs that open doors to mentorship, education, and leadership opportunities. Every dollar counts in breaking down barriers and ensuring that Victory will be HERS.
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