Samuel Barrios spends a lot of time on the tennis court.
The 13-year-old trains at Bryan Park in Miami, where he’s enrolled in First Serve Miami, a nonprofit that provides free and low-cost tennis lessons to children in 15 parks across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Barrios is on the court six days a week.
“I think tennis attracts me because of the discipline it teaches,” Barrios said during a timeout in his training. “Since I was young, I had problems with anger. If I lost a match, I would get mad and wouldn’t want to play anymore, but tennis has taught me to focus and be more serious about stuff.”
Barrios has impressed his coaches so much that he’s been selected to represent First Serve Miami at the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Providence, Rhode Island. Barrios and other students were chosen to be part of the Hall of Fame’s “Be Legendary” Programs. For a year, Barrios and the other players attended tennis tournaments like the Miami Open and trained with tennis legends such as Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Out of all the kids who participated in the “Be Legendary” program, First Serve Miami selected Barrios based on his hard work, grades and leadership qualities.
“Samuel is an amazing kid,” said First Serve Miami tennis coach Chris Champion. “When I first met Samuel, I saw a young man with a lot of talent, but his emotions were all over the place. So we sat down and had a conversation when I first got to Bryan Park, I saw a lot of talent and emotions all over the place. We sat down and had a conversation about what he wants to do in life and what tennis meant to him.”
“Before I got into First Serve, I would get mad if I lost a tournament or if I tripped over something, I would get mad,” Barrios said.
Barrios, who enters Immaculata-LaSalle High School in the fall, has gotten his anger issue under control and enjoys being a part of First Serve Miami’s up-and-coming tennis players.
“I feel really proud of myself,” he said. “I feel extremely excited, and I feel honored to represent First Serve.”
While Barrios enjoys tennis, his dream isn’t necessarily to be a tennis pro. He said he simply wants a tennis scholarship to a good school so he can study to become a lawyer.
Barrios and his family will be in Rhode Island for the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Aug. 21.
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