Ace of Appreciation: How Family Ties Served Up Niskayuna Tennis Star Olivia Dartawan’s Success
But when they left their home in Bali, Indonesia 25 years ago, they soon discovered that badminton, Indonesia’s national sport, was not as popular in Schenectady County as tennis, another racquet sport.
“When my husband and I moved here in 1999, we went out to buy rackets and realized there weren’t many people here who played badminton,” Made said. “Indonesia is famous for badminton. My husband and I played all the time growing up. It was never about the school or the team. But we played for fun like everyone else.”
Korea is a badminton powerhouse, having won gold medals in every Olympic Games from 1992 to 2012. However, in the United States, the Dartawan family abandoned the badminton racket and chose another racket sport. Their son Ricky has adapted very well to the game, becoming the top singles player on the 2019 Niskayuna boys team, while his sister Olivia, eight years older than him, has established herself as the top girls player in Section 2 in just two years. .
Still just a sophomore, Olivia won her second straight Section 2 singles championship this season and advanced to her second straight NYSPHAA singles final last week, falling 6-2, 7 to senior Angel Walia of Herricks High School on Long Island. -6(4).
Watching her daughter compete at a high level over the past few years has been very enjoyable for Dartawan. And sometimes it can be stressful.
“There were a lot of ups and downs, but now, three years later, I think I’m getting along well with my husband,” she said with a smile. “I was very nervous, but I’m getting used to it. We just tell her not to be nervous and to go out and play and have fun. I think she’s handling it pretty well and I think we are too.”
Jim Neal, now in his 40th year as Niskayuna’s coach, has enjoyed watching Dartawan’s progress. Her success did not surprise him.
“She trains a lot and works hard, so I was confident she would do well,” Neal said of Dartawan’s sophomore season. “She played in the state finals as a senior and those two years made a big difference. “She played very well.”
Neal believes in not “over-coaching” and says Olivia has the mental capacity to handle her nerves.
“I try not to worry about who she’s playing,” Neal said. “I don’t want to know anything about her opponent. Because when trained well, it can change the game. So I try not to give her too much advice before the game. I just told her to worry about her game. I asked him if he had any plans and he said ‘yes’. Then he told me to go out and play.”
While last year’s state tournament was held in Central Park, this year’s tournament was held at the US Tennis Center, where the US Open is held in Flushing. Dartawan was surprised to see her daughter entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed.
“Being seeded No. 1 added a bit of pressure,” Dartawan said. “But we told her it was okay to be nervous and that it was okay to go out there and take on the pressure.” “We told her that if she wasn’t nervous, she wasn’t human. So use it to get the energy you need to play as well as possible.”
Olivia Dartawan says she is a single-sport athlete. Although she enjoys horseback riding and skiing, tennis is her number one activity in life.
“When I was about 11 years old, we were all sitting at the dinner table and my mom said I had to choose one sport to focus on,” she said. “I have other things I do for fun, but I knew I wanted to focus on tennis. “I chose tennis because I have a good personality and I like the competitive side.”
Dartawan was a bit surprised to hear he was the top seed at this year’s state event.
“It made me feel a little more pressure because I wasn’t really expecting it,” she said. “I was happy with the way I played. I’m a little disappointed that I made it to the finals again and lost, but I try not to blame myself too much. It was so close, but still so far. “She was a very good player.”
Dartawan’s parents decided to get their daughter involved in tennis because they often took their daughter’s older brother to various courts and clubs in the area. A huge help in developing Dartawan’s game was Alex Van Cott, now head coach at Siena College.
“I usually play at Sportime in Schenectady, but when I was younger I also played at Tri-City and Saratoga YMCA,” Dartawan said. “Alex helped me a lot when I was little, and there were other people who helped me too.”
Niskayuna’s current coach is also included.
“Jim tries to get me to think on the court,” Dartawan said. “It’s not like he’s telling me what to do. He wants me to find out. He really helped my mental game.”
Made Dartawan says she and her husband can also take some credit for their daughter’s success.
“We gave up badminton for her,” she said with a laugh. “We also took tennis lessons ourselves. I think that really helped her.”