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About

The purpose of our foundation is to help young talented athletes in Puerto Rico with little or no financial resources to have the opportunity to play their respected sport at a higher level. By creating this non-profit organization, we can give these young children the opportunity to compete in college sports; thus get a better education by way of improving their sport of choice. A lot of local athletes with tremendous talents are not given the opportunity to enhance their games because they don't have the resources to travel, get better coaching, and have the necessary exposure to get to the collegiate level in the United States.

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Founder

Juan Rios, founder of Little Children's Big Dream, is a retired Puerto Rican tennis player. He began playing under his father's guidance in Puerto Rico and later competed at the Division 1 level for Mississippi State University. After turning professional, Juan became a 7-time Puerto Rican Champion, Davis Cup Player and Captain, and won multiple medals in the Central America and Caribbean Games. He was the first and only Puerto Rican tennis player to compete in the Olympics (Barcelona 1992) and played on the ATP Tour for 7 years, securing over 10 wins against top 50 players. In 2011, he was inducted into the Puerto Rico Hall of Fame alongside boxing legend Felix "Tito" Trinidad. Juan also served as Andre Agassi's hitting partner for 10 years and coached the U.S. national team, leading the boys' 14 and under world championship in Japan in 1996. Currently, he coaches young athletes in Puerto Rico and serves as the Director of Rackets at Ipswich Country Club in Massachusetts.

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Inspiration

Juan Rios Sr has been a signature figure in Puerto Rican tennis for over 50 years. As many of his former students learn to know Juan Sr was self-taught and became a great player. Moreover, Juan Sr. has developed hundreds of players throughout the Caribbean who have gone on to have wonderful careers in tennis and business. Finally, Juan Sr is one of the first people to mentor and work with the famous Nick Bolliteiri. Even today you can find Juan Sr. teaching the local kids the great game of tennis with the same passion as he had for the last 50 years.

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