Tom Ziv
Posted February 10th, 2011
There was a time when Tom Ziv lashed out at everything and everybody with anger. Today Tom is still swinging, yet at tennis balls, and with passion, purpose and precision. Now living in the ITC – Ramat Hasharon dormitory, Tom dreams of playing on the holy grounds of Wimbledon.
In the game of life, the odds were stacked against 8 year-old Tom. As an only child, his life suddenly came crushing down when he had to face the devastating news that his beloved mother Sharon had been tragically killed in a car crash. His father, as much as he loved young Tom, was employed in a line of work that kept him long hours away from home. The situation took its toll on young Tom, who began to fight at school, curse other children and lose interest in studying.
However fate intervened, when father and son went on holiday together to Turkey and started playing table tennis in the hotel. The elder Ziv was happy at how their relationship bloomed but he was staggered as to how the shots from his son were whizzing past him. When they returned to Israel, Tom and his father tried to find a club where the young boy could continue playing. During their search, they came to Hadar Yosef Tennis Club, who told them there wasn’t the possibility to play table tennis but that he could start playing tennis. From that day, when Tom first held a racket and hit a ball, he fell in love with tennis. He started training and won the first five tournaments he competed in.
During that time, Tom was studying at a primary school in Tel Aviv, where he lived with his father, but found it very difficult to cope with the loss of his mother. “My life changed drastically”, he says, “During the first year, I was a very difficult child, I was fighting in school, cursing at children, I wasn’t studying and I became a very troublesome child, who was constantly being kicked out of class”. After finishing primary school, Tom and his father decided it would be for the best if he lived in a dormitory during his high school years. They heard that there was a dormitory at the Israel Tennis Centers in Ramat Hasharon. “It was very difficult to get accepted there, because all the players were at a much higher level than I was and were ranked amongst the best nationally. I didn’t even know what a ranking was at that time. Yet, after much effort from my father and everyone at the ITC, I joined the Dormitory Academy when I was 12. I was the youngest child living there”.
“When I first moved in, I missed my home, my friends and the quiet times so much. There were many moments when I felt broken inside and I wanted to go home. During my first year in the dormitory, I nearly never slept there; I always preferred to go home. I cried a lot, I was agitated and very scared”, Tom explains. “Everything changed when my father went on a two week business trip abroad and I had no other choice but to sleep in the dormitory. I was very worried but when I arrived at the start of my first week, suddenly I realized how loving and nice everyone was. I started making friends, laughing and having fun. When my father returned to Israel I told him how much fun I had and how much I love the dormitory”.
“I have no doubt that I completely changed during the years that I have lived in the dormitory. When I arrived, I didn’t want to study, I used to hit and insult children and I didn’t play tennis in a professional way. Today, having been here for five years, I cannot imagine leaving or what would have happened if I didn’t live here. I have become a different person in every way imaginable. Every year, I have become better at school and at tennis. The highlight came last year when I elected MVP of the dormitory and I became the top student in my class receiving a prize from school. I also started winning tennis matches against players that I never imagined I could ever compete with”. Eyal Taoz, manager of the ITC – Ramat Hasharon, who has known Tom for four years, says: “The phrase that best characterizes Tom is `shallow waters run deep`. He is shy and reserved but he has huge willpower and an even bigger heart”.
Udi Dahan, manager of the dormitory, describes Tom: “The boy that I know now has nothing in common with the Tom that I knew four years ago. The rules, boundaries and discipline of living in the dormitory have improved Tom’s values and behavior in every way imaginable. All the children that live here together get along so well; they help each other, motivate each other and they are like a family. I have no doubt that this aspect has helped Tom tremendously as well. It warms my heart to hear all his teachers and coaches speak so well of him and it just shows how far he has come in the past five years”.
Today, Tom is in 11th grade and is the longest standing resident of the dormitory. He smiles a lot, plays great tennis and sees his father often: “Despite his tough job situation, we have an amazing bond, we are great friends and we do everything together. I feel that no matter what – he will always be by my side, to help and support me. I am sure that without him, I would not be where I am today. My dream is to become a professional tennis player, to win the Wimbledon trophy and to dedicate it to my mother”.
About The Israel Tennis Centers Foundation (“ITC”):
The ITC is a non-profit organization (formerly known as The Israel Children’s Centers is a 501 (c)) that works to enhance the social, psychological and physical development of Israeli children through the medium of sport. We provide a healthy and structured environment for children from all walks of life, teaching values of cooperation, persistence and tolerance. Thirty-five years after the inauguration of the first Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon, the ITC has expanded throughout Israel and has nurtured and empowered more children and adults than the original founders could have ever dreamed. Currently one of the largest social-service agencies for children in Israel, the ITC operates 14 Centers throughout Israel’s periphery within socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Centers are complete with cutting edge facilities and tennis courts that serve over 20,000 children. For additional background please visit: http://www.israeltenniscenters.org
