TENNIS LEGION: March 2015

Core of the Lion

Interview by VERONICA VIAZZI (veroviazzi@gmail.com)

Edition by IRON GAUCHO

His personal story may be worth of a PBS special, as Lloyd Mangahas fought for years with failing kidneys that put his own life not only in serious danger, but also profoundly molded him since. “What does not kill you makes you stronger” they say. And from a desperate situation a stronger and more determined-than-ever man, finally emerged.

This metamorphosis did not just come with his last transplant, but within the healing process that started since he was diagnosed by the doctors. For most mortals, the obstacles that he faced all those years may be perceived as insurmountable, but his inner force would just not allow him to quit. Plain and simple…Pure Lion-heart essence.

For the very first time, Lloyd allows us to penetrate his core and find out more about this tireless gladiator.

Lloyd, when did you start playing tennis?

I started playing tennis…well because of my dad, he was member of this club and then as a small kid I used to follow him. I mean, wasn't necessarily playing at first, just watched him play and gradually I started picking one of his racquets, I remember it was really heavy, with a big handle and a very small frame. Then I started playing with my dad, playing against the wall, at one point my whole family; including my parents, my brother, and my sister were all playing tennis at some point and it is where it really started.

Where all this took place?

Well you see that’s funny… It was at Côte-de-Liesse Tennis Club (CDL), my dad was member of this club but also part of this gang of people… all Filipino-Canadians living in Montreal. It was really a tight community, because my dad was playing these dads from other families, we used to get Christmas parties where we used to attend and parents would play games with the kids. It was big fun back in the day.

Was it by chance or is tennis big inside the Filipino community?

For my dad it was important because at the same times he was trying to raise his kids, you know… raising his young family; he was working a lot, and it was his way of remaining active. So in that sense was important because it was people getting together, there were parties, there were lots of tournaments playing against other clubs and so forth, going to restaurants afterwards for dinner so it was a big deal back when I was younger.

Who were your tennis idols back then?

It’s a funny story. One time, my dad when he was still member at CDL, he told me and my sister: “All right guys we have to leave right now we need to go to the club!” Why? I asked “Well because there are professional players practicing there for tennis exhibition, so bring a piece of paper, bring a book, bring your racquets, everything you need so we don’t have to decide afterwards!!” That was my first time to be with a professional up close in person so that day the four players that were there to play exhibition matches were Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Vitas Gerulaitis, and Illie Nastase. I had a piece of paper signed by them but since I lost it but my dad still has his tennis case signed by all four of those players. I wouldn't say they were my idols in the beginning but they were my first face to face encounter with Tennis… you know, professionals and then gradually I learned more about the players, Andre Agassi and other players from the early ‘90s, mid-80s like Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl… My dad used to play with Ivan Lendl’s racquet so it was really a treat to meet all those players as a kid because I didn't know at the time but eventually did affect me in terms of how to play tennis and be better later on.

And today, is there any player that stands out in your preferences?

Obviously, you know, everyone looks after Roger Federer because his technique is so fluid; he makes it look so effortless so obviously when I try to play I try to model something like a relaxed feel in the strokes. When you see pictures of him, you don’t see any expression in his face like he has no tense muscles in his body. Obviously he is probably someone to look up to, but in terms of my game style I hit with a two-handed backhand so Novak Djokovic… wouldn't say is my idol but is someone that I would try to learn from and Kei Nishikori, Japan’s number one player, now is getting a lot of attention for his recent results he is also, I think, a similar kind of game style that I try to model myself afterwards. Those are the players that probably influence me most in my tennis learning nowadays.

What does Tennis mean to you?

It’s a bit a metaphor for Life, because in singles you are out there on your own, you need to figure things out; no one is going to help you, which is so great about Tennis, it’s unique. You don’t have your coach talking in your ear like in other sports. It’s a battle, again not just against your opponent but also against yourself, the conditions, on how you feel… But I think is also about problem solving; learning how to figure it out your way to get out of situations and learn how to find corrections on your own and not necessarily someone telling you, but sometimes the best learning on the tennis court or in Life in general is to learn your own things. It is remarkable when you learn something on your own, you’ll remember it for a while as nobody told you but you learn it on your own. That’s of special importance to me, what I can get out from Tennis; it’s what keeps me going.

What did Tennis teach you the most?

The obvious answer is taught me to fight, to never give up. I try to keep learning. Learn a lesson: You can control only one side of the court but not what’s going to happen during the match. Tennis teaches you how to get out of situations where you are not as comfortable, and self-control. It’s a one-on-one battle, against your opponent as well as against yourself, you learn to have that inner game within in order to be victorious and improve as a player and as a person.

Which moments have been the most important in your tennis life so far?

[After meditating a couple of seconds] I can only think back recently when I joined forces with Lucas Agnelli to play doubles as team mates. First, we’d never played much doubles before, in fact I played against Lucas in doubles maybe about 7 years ago when we were opponents playing for different clubs[1]. Lucas’ been a good hitting partner and obviously we’ve been good friends off the court; but doubles we never really got together before that, and we were not winning many matches at the beginning. Sometimes we were discouraged but we developed a plan, we went slowly but surely and we won the tournament, we won the league. And Lucas, he gave me a medal for that which is really nice. And then the following year, I think the spring that followed we won again and I remember that because at the time I was having health issues and to be able to accomplish that definitely is something is going to stick with me for a long time, I think.

How do you place Tennis in your future life?

[After another meditating interval] It will always be part of my life. It’s what connects me with Life. When I step onto the court, I don’t have to think about my other worries, it’s like I don’t have to look into my watch, time flies and I enjoy because I’m engrossed in a task that is hitting the tennis ball but that being said, I see tennis as a career opportunity, in the past I worked for a tennis academy, I went to Florida and worked at Nick Bolleteri’s Academy I chose it as a career so I’m thinking hopefully that somehow I can professionally advance in that field as well as a trainer or as some sort of coach or support presence for younger players who seek for additional advice on how to improve as a tennis player, so it’s hopefully in the plans.

How do you see Tennis in Canada?

I mean, it’s a boom right now. There are many professional players that are doing really well and players that are just coming up. It’s great because tennis definitely has more of a chance now to survive and to do well because it can fly basically on the results that a few people can do internationally at the world stage. But the thing right now is to give kids the chance to try the sport, by creating initiatives where they can learn how to hit a small tennis ball and they can choose tennis as a sport after. We can benefit from any kind of exercise, not necessarily has to be tennis, ca be other sports you know… just going outside, play games, and try different sports. Tennis provides another avenue for kids and also the general population to pick up an activity and hopefully play for the rest of their lives. That is the beauty of tennis, this is one game that you can pick it up at any point in your lifetime not necessarily that you will have a good level but at least you can have the joy of having a ball and send it back to your opponent’s court.

What can tennis give to today’s children?

It can give them the chance, like I said to explore their abilities that they might have, because you never know when the next champion is going to come along. You can’t necessarily create a Roger Federer, or a Milos Raonic, or a Eugenie Bouchard, it’s a lot to do with luck, but beyond the performance asked of it, it can give kids the chance of enjoy a sport for life, to play as a pastime, as a hobby, as leisure. It doesn't necessarily have to be all serious about. Tennis it is fun for a lot of people, I like that. I work in a tennis store right now and I like when I meet people who have recently started playing tennis and they are getting into it and enjoy the exercise, the entire benefit it gives them in terms of their health and well-being and that they got to socialize with other people. We are in Canada, and Canada is mostly known as a winter type of sport country; dominated by hockey and other couple of sports; but Tennis, it gives them another opportunity for other sport to try out and if they like it, is so much better.

What would you suggest to parents in terms of their children’s physical education? Why Tennis?

Because it could help them develop a lot of different physical skills such as hand-eye coordination, footwork, moving, but in fact I would not limit parents just on tennis. As a young child, kids love games and interact, they love to play different type of situations and Tennis is one way to get them started in terms of physical activity but there are also many other by-motor skills that kids can learn from other sports or games. I would not necessarily specialize a kid and put a tennis racquet in the hands of a 3 or 4 years old and allow him just to play that sport for the rest of his life. What happens is when we specialize a child or any person in just one activity, they miss out on a lot of different aspects that can be developed by playing other sports and having a more well-rounded development as it comes up. If I have my own child I would like him or her to play tennis and I would let them try but also would allow them to explore, try different sports, try different activities, and later on it’s better for them to play a sport they chose to play and not one that is imposed. I think it is very important to develop the passion. It has to come from within, absolutely. Tennis is definitely a great sport to start up at any age.

You are currently part of an initiative to introduce very young children in sports. Could you tell us a bit of that?

Yes. I work for a non-profit organization called ACCSports and this organization’s mission is to provide sports and physical activities for people of communities or populations that do not necessarily have the means for access sports. So this organization runs a program called “Champions for Life”[2] which is a physical literacy class that goes into different elementary schools in the Montreal region and what it does, it raises physical literacy skills. Physical literacy if you think about it is just like reading and writing skills, there are basic fundamentals every person must go through, but at the same time all those same fundamentals for movement that also applies. So teaching the ABC of movement is really the foundation for having kids or individuals develop life-long movement skills which entice them for the rest of their lives as will allow them to play different sports, different activities, which involves running, jumping, hopping, skipping, galloping, skills that will allow them to participate in any game so they won’t be hinder because what happens is that if we miss out that third grade age group early on their lives and we cash on this window of opportunity where we allow these kids to try and to experiment, and become proficient at it, then there is no way to tell, good or wrong, if they are going to be able to be as efficient in terms of how they move, how they stretch, how they jump, and how they throw. So the program’s mission is to expose them to these fundamentals movement skills in order to better equip them for later on life and hopefully help them maintain certain healthy balance on life style. Statistics are showing us that being physically active allows for kids not only to enjoy better grades in school but also increases their social well-being and helps them also have an overall balanced life. It’s a fun program; it’s not necessarily an easy program to start off as it’s still new for kids and there is a lot for them to absorb as at the same time we give them a good head start in terms of their physical maturation.

You are an individual with many skills, not only in sports, but also you have an artistic side; you've done some improvisation. Any connection between Tennis and improv?

[Laughs] In Tennis or in any other sports you are going to have situations which you really can’t predict, and automatically you are going to react. You can also argue that Life is a little bit of improv because you get thrown into a lot of different situations and you are called to react. Improv does not train you to deal better with those types of situations but there are a few rules that you can kind of adjust. What improv makes you is to think on your feet and also helps to eliminate the inhibitions that you may have on your mind. Oftentimes we are awkward about something and the tendency is if we are not sure or if we don’t know it well, we’ll refuse it, we’ll say no. But improv it is an environment that allows you to say yes to anything, to say yes to any offer and by accepting the offer that is given to you, you can play it within your mind and then you can formulate a response that becomes totally natural, totally unhindered, totally dis-inhibited, and becomes a more organic response on how you react. Now whether it can be translated to Tennis or not… It might train your mind in order to act a bit calmer, more natural when comes to stressful situations, situations where you feel you have a lot of pressure. Accepting what comes your way by enjoying it and by reacting in a natural as most organic as possible.

Do you want to tell us a bit about the tournament you are planning to play in Argentina later this year?

Yes. The World Transplant Games is a celebration really. It’s an Olympic style event which reunites all healthy transplant recipients from around the world. The objective of these Transplant Games are to celebrate Life after a transplant as people often think that after you receive a transplant you have to pull back yourself, be careful for several things, which is true but at the same time it is really a second chance for you to continue with Life to the fullest as much as possible. So it’s about having a great time but it is also about a time to raise organ donation awareness because those who have been fortunate enough to receive an organ transplant couldn't have received it without someone else donating, whether is a living donor or a deceased donor. It’s mostly to raise awareness that organ donation does enhance the quality life in people and truly gives people a second wind, a second chance in Life.

So these games are a bit of an Olympic format with different sports: Tennis, Swimming, Running, and Athletics that reunites people from around the world. What is great about it is that you meet people from different parts of the world who have a similar experience like you, it’s really a sharing bond that you have; an inexplicable bond that really you share and you can’t help but being inspired because I can inspire people but there are people that have had it worse than I did and came back from it and you can see where they are. We cannot forget about the families, my own family and the ones of my other fellow transplant recipients, because when someone gets sick in a family it really affects the whole unit. You can’t deny how one event can bring people a lot closer in that sense.

Hopefully, I’m going to try to qualify for tennis. Should not be a problem but it’s going to be my first real test on how well I can do in these games and hopefully I can come out with a good result.

And we wish you the best, Lloyd.

Now your three hints in Tennis or in Life that you want to share:

1. I’ll start with a quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” That’s been taken from Wayne Gretzky[3] meaning sometimes when you are unsure on taken on a project or a kind of assessment or risk that you never attempt, you will never know what happens. When I have to come to tough decisions, it’s a quote really relevant for me because a lot of times I didn't take the chance.

2. Another one is: “You haven’t really taught until your student has learned” In that sense I think we are all learners inside if we allow ourselves to learn. In order for us to absorb something, I think in self-discoveries that each and every one of us has to make. Sometimes a teacher can be not so good and that could have been a painful experience but also something positive might have come out as well.

3. Glass half empty, glass half full. Depending how you see things whether you see an event as a loss or you see an event as a learning experience. Myself, I try to see events as learning experiences as much as possible, because I think Life is about learning, it’s about growing.

Q&A Ping-Pong

A stroke	Federer’s serve and forehand
A player	Michael Chang
A partner	Lucas Agnelli
A tournament	2015 Transplant Games to be held in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
An opponent	Martine Leblanc

V.V.

[1] Match was held as part of the inter-park league in the summer of 2005 in Montreal. Lloyd Mangahas played for Somerled’s team and Lucas Agnelli played for Jeanne-Mance’s combination. Lloyd and his partner won in straight sets in a match temporarily delayed by rain.

[2] For more information on this or other programs contact ACCSports at Westwood Sports Center. 514-694-5934 or email: info@accsports.ca

[3] Wayne Douglas Gretzky, born January 26, 1961, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever"[1] by many sportswriters, players, and the NHL itself.

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