Upon my arrival a long time to sit, sleep & read, my destination a cacophony of island sounds and the rhythm of their life style…soothing like a glass of passion fruit mixed with their sweet rum concoction. There was John Wilkins my host and sponsored by his company SpotSports & Storm Wilkins Foundation, put on the 3-day Tennis Festival with the help of others and Irene Walker with Meta. We’d not met but spoken on the phone, text and emailed a lot.
John was born in St. Thomas, played on tour in the 80’s and is an entrepreneur living in Miami with 2 lovely boys Nicholas & William,19 & 20! His wife is Salvadorian where my family is from. Great mixture of cultures that coexist well! There’s plenty of Spanish spoken here as other islands have lots of Spanish influence.
Women in the Caribbean have attitude I noticed. They come in all sizes but I have viewed more large than small. They have an air about them that allows them to be who they are. They flaunt what they have in abundance. The guys follow with their eyes and behind to view what is just beyond them. The culture
The Caribbean woman is a complex, unpredictable, and resourceful person. She is also flexible, observant, and smart in her calculations. She has a strong work ethic and values higher education. She seeks out solutions to enrich her identity and personality through reading and travel. There is an air about them..quality and quantity is a package full of surprises of that I am certain. Their hospitality fills the thousands of tourists who come off the cruise lines in droves. It feeds the islands and keeps them healthy in addition to the nature and beauty of land and sea that surrounds them. There is music of different cultures a mixture of song, dance and language all colorful like the rainbow that signifies diversity. The Caribbean is a happy place that loves to party and laugh…the abundance of rum doesn’t hurt to make everything seem better until you each the end of the bottle and then you can start again! Women are the strength here they are just behind the times even though they lead!
I think mine and our mission as to the tennis was accomplished. We brough new tennis rackets and balls and a lot of enthusiasm to the kids. The spotlight was on the kids and we had a lot of help from the older group who still played and loved to hit the ball at Sub Base Tennis Center. The kids and adults couldn’t get enough tennis. They were full of excitement and expectations trying to master the art of movement and opposing forces to connect with the object a racket and a ball!! It was hot and they drank plenty of water but the ice cream party was the best, I think they loved it just as much as the tennis. We need more of what we had those 3 days and to find a way to pass it on to the other islands.
Tennis is good and brings a lot of goodness to those who are a part of it. There’s a lot of it in St Thomas and sure on the other islands too.
Congratulations to John Wilkins, his SpotSports & The Storm Foundation as well as Garvey Thomas, Irene Walker and the rest of the Team! I look forward to the next time and spreading the love of tennis to the other islands too. Until the next time!
Rosie
The Love & Love Tennis Foundation