Aram Noroozian- 2021 U-18 Canadian Champion
On September 24th 2021, our beloved player Aram Noroozian became Canada's U-18 National Champion at the Aviva Center in Toronto.
On his way to the title, Aram beat number 1 seed Jaden Weekes from Ontario in 3 hard fought sets in the semis before defeating Kirtan Patel from Saskatchewan in straight sets in the final, awarding him the trophy from Tennis Canada.
More impressive than this amazing achievement is the journey that led to the title. A difficult path that started 11 years ago that could have been impossible, if the bond between athlete, parents and coach was not in sync and harmonized.
By channeling their energy and through the love of tennis, this bond enabled Aram Noroozianto perform at his best winning the biggest title in Canadian Junior Tennis and rewarding him with a full scholarship at the NCAA.
We are humbled and grateful to share this space with Mr. Keyvan Nowrouzian, Aram's father. The man who started from the beginning and lived through the experience of building a champion.
***
Aram Noroozian - 2021 U-18 Canadian Champion
By Mr. Keyvan Nowrouzian
Aram started when he was almost seven years old. My wife used to be a formidable player and coach herself, so she introduced him to the early steps of the game.
A few years later, a close friend who was a former Davis Cup Player for Iran took him for coaching and was able to teach him further at Stanley Park.
Aram tried many sports around 6 and 7 years old, but interesting enough, his first choice was always tennis. We could see that he had a great passion for the sport since the early days and noticed that he always to be involved more in the game.
When Aram was 13 years old, during his U14 tournaments we started to train with Ernesto. Their relationship can be perfectly summarized by Aram’s own words, from his personal website.
For those who like to check out, this is Aram’s Website as part of a school project called “Career Life Connections”.
As a junior tennis player’s father, I noticed right away thousands of benefits when he joined Ernesto's training.
First and the most important of all, this was not merely making a good tennis player out of Aram but shaping him as a great human being while becoming a great tennis player.
Ernesto's training was always in the highest standards, always up to date. There was always something new for Aram in every session, which didn’t become repetitive, boring or time bounding.
Interesting enough, there were times and times over and over again when they stayed on court for 3 to 4 hours for a 2-hour session!
This was not just a simple training; it was a journey by a mentor and a “blind” follower!
I believe that Ernesto’s tennis training standard is one of the highest in Canada; and definitely the highest in Vancouver and British Columbia.
The outcome speaks for itself.
His dedication and involvement are second to none!
He doesn't miss anything about his players.
His presence during his player’s tournaments and competitions is another factor.
I don't know any coach, at least in this country, who flies on his own cost to watch his players competing in the Nationals in Toronto!
***
One of the key factors for Aram’s success in tennis is his dedication to Ernesto's methodology and training program, his passion for the game and his will & zeal to succeed and of course above all, his love of the game!
This was not an easy journey for him especially in earlier steps when there was no Ernesto. But he did not mind all the unfairness he observed, he ignored all the favoritism by other coaches and moved on. Just moved on.
As a family, we tried our best to support Aram’s journey in any way possible, always respecting his opinions and plans. Tennis is a sport that matures the players at a young age if they are passionate enough and with our son, it was no exception.
That's why while expressing our views and giving him our guidelines, the final decision and word would be his and his only.
***
Aram recently committed to University of New Mexico (UNM) and will join their tennis team in Dec. 2021. This is one of the top NCAA Div-1 Tennis in United States and he is extremely excited that he's joining them.
Coach Russell has been in touch with him for some time now and offered him a spot in the team just before Aram went to U18 Nationals in Toronto and he accepted the proposal.
***
If I may, my advices for parents are:
First and the most important is, do not push your kids into this, they must have the passion themselves. This is a difficult sport, and you will have to invest good money for their training, hence, better invest on something they like.
Let the kids play at any level they want- not all kids want to be next Federer or Nadal. They may just want to play for fun, they may not like to participate in regular competition or maybe some regional tournaments.
Respect their wishes.
Finally, select the correct training program for them. Find a coach who really cares for your kids training and well-being, whatever level it may be!
Ernesto was and is truly a blessing for us. We are eternally grateful to him and what he did for Aram.
Words cannot really express our debt to this great man!
I hope all parents can find their "Ernesto" as we found ours.
Mr. Keyvan Nowrouzian- Father of Aram Noroozian- 2021 U-18 Canadian National Champion
