Competitive. Feisty. Determined.

These characteristics describe Aurora Pedwell, and our Elite tennis program, perfectly. Thanks to her attitude and hard work, Aurora is going to her dream school this fall. She’s earned a full scholarship to Bryant University and is ready to leave her mark and “kick some butt” there.

Aurora was born and raised in Shanghai and started playing tennis early on. She says she “was born into the sport.” Her mom always played and her environment was filled with tennis, literally. The apartment complex she lived in surrounded a huge tennis club and several tennis courts were available throughout her community.

Aforza entered the picture when Aurora and her family moved here in 2012. She was 8 years old when she joined our club and immediately showed her spunk and confidence on the court. Self-described as “an all-court player, confident and cheeky” and with a knack for doubles, Aurora thrived on the court. Her list of tennis accomplishments is impressive, but she’s most grateful for the mentorship and friendships she’s developed over all of her years here.

Her coaches feel the same. Coach Garcia Gordon has always admired Aurora’s dedication. He said, “No matter how hard I pushed her she never said no, never backed down, and always gave me 100 or more percent no matter how tired she was. I am proud to have been able to watch this spicy attitude, fun loving little girl grow up to be an amazing young woman and can’t wait to see where her drive and determination will take her in life.”

Aurora’s time at Aforza will be fondly remembered by Coach Jeff Spiers as well. He shared, “I coached Aurora for many years, and we have shared so many special moments: like her winning four tough matches over three days to qualify for the prestigious Orange Bowl, finishing in the top eight at the Canadian Junior Nationals and trips to countless international events. Aurora is a great mentor, she leads by example and treats every junior, young and old like a member of the team. Her leadership and energy will be sorely missed next year.” Aurora’s impact will be lasting and the players who follow can aim for the same level of competition and success.

Coach Jeff has been an important role model for Aurora as well and she’s grateful for his leadership. She said, “Not only has he developed a great portion of my tennis game, but he has taught me a plethora of life lessons from his personal experiences. Coach Jeff always told me to play one point at a time from behind the fence during my matches. That motto has always stuck with me. Not only does it help me on the court, but in my life. Sometimes we need a reminder to focus on the task at hand instead of stressing about everything else.”

Even with all of her energy and success, Aurora struggled like anyone else, “The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a tennis player is burning out at a young age. At a certain point in my career, I was extremely close to quitting. I nearly lost my love for the sport when I became distracted with other aspects of growing up. I found my passion again when I started to compete more and more.” Her advice is simple: Work hard on and off the court. Here at Aforza, we have seen that commitment and dedication pay off for our junior players time and time again.

We are so proud of Aurora and our juniors. Aurora is going to be a force wherever she ends up. We wish her the very best!

Keep up-to-date on all of her accomplishments here.

Our Aforza Academy programs produce champions. Our aim is to help our juniors train toward the goal of receiving a tennis scholarship to a university in the United States or to start a professional tennis career. Juniors come here to compete and they succeed. Learn more.