16-year-old Oskar Bjuroe will be heading to the Bahamas to strengthen his skills at the Albany Tennis Academy.
“Albany have offered me a generous scholarship and without that I would not be attending,” said Bjuroe. “I am extremely grateful and cannot wait to get there and start training.”
It came after the young tennis prospect sought out over the COVID-19 lockdown to find a school. “I never thought it would be possible to attend Albany Tennis Academy and the Windsor School, especially since Covid-19 happened this year,” said Bjuroe.
“But I pursued my contact with the Academy during lockdown, trying not to appear too persistent, as I felt I had nothing to lose although I knew it was financially prohibitive.”
Bjuroe has been a part of the PwC junior tournament circuit since he was 8-years-old, in conjunction with the Tennis Federation of the Cayman Islands (TFCI) Elite Squad. Bjuroe won the final and major tournament of the PwC junior circuit in November last year and recently completed his GCSEs at Cayman Prep.
“This scholarship is a big moment for Oskar, and well deserved,” said TFCI president Susan Lindsay.
Albany Tennis Academy shapes and prepares players aged 12-18 for the next stage in their careers, be it college or pro tennis. Caymanian amateur golfer, Holly McLean are among many players that attended Albany Academy and is a testament to the schools accomplishments.
“The main reason I chose Albany is because of the world-class facilities and coaching they offer, the excellent climate, and how close it is to Cayman, which will always be home,” said Bjuroe.
In addition, Albany’s director of tennis Richele LeSaldo expressed her pleasure of having Bjuroe selected to represent the academy.
“To succeed in anything in life you have to be passionate”
– Richele LeSaldo
“My first impression of Oskar when he reached out to me during lockdown was that I liked that he took initiative, which showed that he was serious about taking the next step in his tennis,” said LeSaldo. “To succeed in anything in life you have to be passionate and I could sense his passion.”
Bjuroe will be packing his bags and heading to the Bahamas on Wednesday (2nd September). With the pandemic still current, traveling to tournaments for competition will be restricted by the Albany Academy. However, officials say players will continue to train and will be ready to compete when given the green light.
Cay 3 Sports 