Star Athlete Close-up

CEBU, Philippines - She is considered as Cebu's tennis princess for her fantastic skills matched with her innate charm. She had won various competitions here and abroad, but she did not let fame get into her head. Humble as she is, Sally Mae Mintalar Siso always keep her feet on the ground.

The other thing of beauty for this 17-year-old lass is that she doesn't keep her God-given gift to herself. She shares her talents and expertise in tennis to the young kids at the same time inspire them to excel in their chosen field.

Em-em, as she is fondly called by her family and close friends, started learning the ropes of this racquet sport through her father, the late Dino Siso, and ever supportive mother Sally at the tender age of six. She considers them as the chief driving force as well as her siblings Bernardine and Sallydine, who are also top caliber netters.

When she was 12 years old, Siso caught the fancy of American coaches Ted Sayrahder, Joy Riley and Kevin Young during a Junior Elite Training Program in 2007. The Americans were so impressed with Sally Mae’s ability.

It was the first time they saw a skillful young kid who played tennis with such poise and grace.

They were not wrong in their impression of her as Siso performed remarkably on the international stage. From 2004 to 2008, she harvested a total of 25 golds, seven silvers and a bronze in the annual Malaysia Tennis Circuit that is comprised of four legs spread in Selangor, Penang, Perlis and Langkawi.

For Siso, it was her biggest achievement, so far.

Back home, Siso topped several major events such as the Truflex National Age-Group Series, Guillermo Cup National Tennis Tournament, Toby's Philta Age-Group Tennis Challenge, Juntaphil National Age-Group and PCA Open Tennis Championships. She also grabbed two golds in soft tennis during last year's Philippine National Games (PNG).

“Tennis is my life. It is fun,” said Siso, who aspires to be the country's number one women's player someday. "I dream to be part of the Philippine Team and become the country’s number one player not in the age-group but in the women’s division.”

Like any other athlete, tennis has taught Siso a valuable lesson in life.

"Through tennis, I learned to respect and understand the people around me. Respecting and understanding people is so important because we are different in so many ways. We don't know every person around us, so it's just right that have to understand each other,” said the freshman college student taking up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing at the University of San Carlos (USC).   Marigold P. Lebumfacil - (THE FREEMAN)