Long before Sophia Stavrakos and Ava Randall met each other in freshman biology class at Los Altos High School or became doubles partners on the school’s tennis team, they shared a favorite place to play.
“We both grew up going to the Magical Bridge playgrounds,” Randall said.
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WATCH HEREMagical Bridge playgrounds are designed to be accessible for children with disabilities but have become popular with kids of all abilities.
“When you go as a kid, you're not thinking about how important it is that it's there, you're just like, 'Oh my gosh, it's the best playground that I've ever been to,'” Randall said.
However, Magical Bridge wasn’t just a place to play, but a source of inspiration.
“When you're older and you think about how cool their mission is, you really wanna help pay that forward,” Randall said.
Together, Stavrakos and Randall launched “Magical Tennis,” a weekly clinic for young, neurodivergent players who might not otherwise have a chance to step onto the court.
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SIGN UP “We love playing tennis and we obviously love working with each other and being with the kids. So it's just a really special thing for us,” Randall said.
Now, with the help of other teen volunteers, the duo provides personalized tennis lessons in a welcoming setting.
“I think it works because it's very one on one,” Stavrakos said.
While the skill levels vary at every clinic, all the students equally receive the same kindness and compassion that Stavrakos and Randall were taught on the playground years ago.
“It's kind of full circle. We grew up going there and the playground's influenced in a way that we wanted to come back and pay it forward,” Stavrakos said.
