By Emilio Sánchez Vicario, Founder & CEO of Sanchez-Casal Academy
At long last, we have come to the end of the year 2020! We can’t help but look forward to one of the most unexpected years of our lives finally ending. We are truly ready for this year, which has brought us a new disease that continues to knock down the whole world, to be left in the past.
Indeed, it has been a tough year, but we have already talked about it too much! Now that there are only a few days left, we prefer to think positively and remember everything it has taught us.
To begin, we have been at home longer and have been able to spend more time with family. It is actually a privilege to be able to enjoy, unhurriedly, the company of those we love the most. Especially in the world of competitive sport, this is a unique opportunity. Suddenly, all tournaments, travel, and trips were canceled. Once we accepted the new situation, we again appreciated the value of tranquility, of the “slow life”. We have cleaned our houses top to bottom, we have cooked, and we have played with our children young and old. We have lived “as a family” again or, in some cases, even for the first time!
We have also had to re-invent ourselves. All our routines, our habits, our day to day lives have changed radically. When our tennis academies closed due to the pandemic, we had to adapt to working remotely and we had to find solutions to continue offering our top quality service to all our student-athletes. Overnight, we all become “film-makers.” Our coaches and physical trainers gave their best to continue training their athletes from home. The teachers at our school, ES International School, quickly adapted to online teaching and accompanied our students in their new stage of study at home. All the ASC staff tried to stay in close contact with our students, being, more than ever, a family.But the best of all was the response from our student-athletes. They, more than anyone, have adapted to change and are now even more resilient. Perhaps being athletes has helped us in this process. The condition of failing and recovering is inherent to the sport and it is just what we have had to do in 2020. Yes, our discipline has helped us to continue striving, to continue overcoming adverse situations, and to continue looking to the future with optimism.
A new year is coming and, with it, our energy is renewed. We know that it will probably not be an easy year either, but we are going to face it just as we would a tennis match: point by point, offering the best of ourselves, forgetting about mistakes quickly. Likewise, we will stop criticizing ourselves after our failures and will face the adversity of the next point with all our best energy. We are going to focus on the day to day, we are going to stay healthy and fit, and we are going to continue studying. As the family that we are, we will continue to take care of each other, we will be more supportive, more understanding, and more humble. Because, as Carlo Magno said, “the destiny of all depends on the behavior of each one.” We want to emulate worthwhile leaders, specially the ones who are close to us, so that we can continue learning together and move forward.
We say goodbye to 2020 and we welcome 2021 with a HELLO full of hope, strength, and passion. I only have one thing left to say this year: I wish you, with all my heart, a happy holiday season and a better 2021!
Emilio Sanchez Vicario
Founder & CEO of Sanchez-Casal Academy
